https://sputnikglobe.com/20211102/us-polarisation-conundrum-why-politicians-press-arent-rushing-to-unite-divided-americans-1090416083.html
US Polarisation Conundrum: Why Politicians, Press Aren't Rushing to Unite Divided Americans
US Polarisation Conundrum: Why Politicians, Press Aren't Rushing to Unite Divided Americans
Sputnik International
Political polarisation in the US is unlikely to end anytime soon, say American academics and political strategists, explaining who benefits from such growing... 02.11.2021, Sputnik International
2021-11-02T13:09+0000
2021-11-02T13:09+0000
2022-12-19T13:59+0000
joe biden
donald trump
world
us
opinion
democracy
republicans
us midterm elections
democrats
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The Hill expressed concerns on 1 November over the growing partisanship and deep ideological divide engulfing US society, citing the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI)'s latest survey. According to the newspaper, a growing share of Republican voters and "arch-conservatives" are "increasingly embracing anti-democratic opinions" and "even contemplating political violence".'Cherry-Picking' by US Surveys & MediaThe PRRI research has found that 31% of respondents believe the 2020 election "was stolen from Trump", including 68% of Republicans. Fifty-six percent of Republicans agree with the idea that things have changed so much that they often feel like strangers in their own country, compared to 39% of independents and 31% of Democrats. Moreover, 80% of Republicans said America is in danger of losing its culture and identity, with 62% of GOP voters saying that to be truly American one should be born in the US and be Christian (63%).Eighteen percent of Americans agree with the statement "Because things have gotten so far off track, true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country". Republicans (30%) are more likely to agree with this than independents (17%) and Democrats (11%), the study reads, claiming that in the wake of the Capitol riots the "prospect of political violence threatening a peaceful transfer of power has become more than an abstract question".The US mainstream media's approach is symptomatic of growing partisan division in the country, according to the academic: they are trying to depict Republicans and conservatives as badly as possible. At the same time, they are turning a blind eye to extreme views of certain segments on the political left, he notes. "The political right has tried to do the same to some extent, but is much less successful because it doesn't have mainstream media supporting their efforts", Hagle remarks.In particular, these divisions manifest themselves in MSM's describing the Capitol riots as an "insurrection", while referring to the 2020 summer Black Lives Matter campaign, which was often accompanied by looting, arson, attacks against law enforcement agents, and damage to federal property, as "mostly peaceful protests".While the poll portrays American conservatives as quite a reactionary group it does not address the cultural and religious concerns of this considerable social group, according to Melik Abdul, a conservative political commentator and GOP strategist."What has happened over the years is that a long-time religion, particularly Christianity, is typically mocked in ways that other religions, like the Muslim religion, aren't", Abdul claims. "So if you say something that offends Muslims, then that's considered xenophobic or something like that. But Christians have been under attack. It's become an ugly thing in America to even espouse religious views because it's seen as something negative and that's only because conservatives are more religious than the left".Polarisation as a Convenient Political ToolWhat's worse, these cultural and political divisions are unlikely to go away anytime soon, according to the observers.For his part, Melik Abdul notes that "it's very profitable to be polarising" when it comes to a political struggle: "Elections are launched and elections are won based on how much you're able to actually polarise the country", he says, adding that MSM and social media are amplifying the divide.Bajalan believes that the problem and the divisions in American society stem from the political economy. The US government has not taken any strong measures to deal with the economic and political crises that have shaped the United States since the 2008 economic crash. As a result modern American society is mired in economic crisis and suffers from several fundamental problems like healthcare. Yet, neither Democrats nor Republicans are tackling these acute dilemmas opting to divert the public's attention to their political strife, notes the professor, adding that both parties seem to be captured by special interests."Politics both on the liberal left and the conservative right is entirely centered around the culture war, entirely centered around symbols and things that are of second-order importance to people's daily lives", Bajalan says.Biden Has Never Been Able to Unite USDespite Joe Biden repeatedly pledging to heal the wounds of division and partisanship, he was almost destined to fail, the observers believe.Furthermore, Biden doesn't even seem to have the ability to keep his own party together on some important issues, remarks Timothy Hagle, referring to internal strife between moderates and progressives within the Democratic Party which cost the president his landmark $3.5 trillion social spending bill. Eventually, after protracted negotiations with congressional Democrats Biden downsized the bill's price tag to $1.75 trillion over a decade."[Biden] doesn't have the congressional power, and he's not expanding the political capital that is necessary to force the Senate and the House to push through the political agenda", says Bajalan, explaining that being unable to score political points through passing a transforming socio-political bill, the Biden administration "defaults back to the cultural war".However, it's impossible to win a "cultural war" because "it's a war about how people's emotions are oriented, how they feel about things and not about appealing to that concrete material interests", the professor believes.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20210722/unequal-justice-non-violent-capitol-protester-jailed-while-blm--antifa-rioters-let-off-the-hook-1083438578.html
https://sputnikglobe.com/20211028/capitol-riots-why-dems-effort-to-expel-maga-lawmakers-from-congress-wont-succeed-at-this-point-1090284291.html
https://sputnikglobe.com/20211007/progressives-vs-centrists-why-biden-cant-unite-even-his-own-party--why-it-may-end-badly-for-dems-1089747795.html
https://sputnikglobe.com/20211017/just-stop--do-no-harm-why-bidens-35-trillion-bill-will-hurt-us-economy-for-generations-1089991316.html
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US Polarisation Conundrum: Why Politicians, Press Aren't Rushing to Unite Divided Americans
13:09 GMT 02.11.2021 (Updated: 13:59 GMT 19.12.2022) Political polarisation in the US is unlikely to end anytime soon, say American academics and political strategists, explaining who benefits from such growing partisanship and how the nation's domestic cultural war is distracting Americans from real socio-economic problems.
The Hill expressed
concerns on 1 November over the growing partisanship and deep ideological divide engulfing US society, citing the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI)'s latest
survey. According to the newspaper, a growing share of Republican voters and "arch-conservatives" are "increasingly embracing anti-democratic opinions" and "even contemplating political violence".
'Cherry-Picking' by US Surveys & Media
The PRRI research has found that 31% of respondents believe the 2020 election "was stolen from Trump", including 68% of Republicans. Fifty-six percent of Republicans agree with the idea that things have changed so much that they often feel like strangers in their own country, compared to 39% of independents and 31% of Democrats. Moreover, 80% of Republicans said America is in danger of losing its culture and identity, with 62% of GOP voters saying that to be truly American one should be born in the US and be Christian (63%).
Eighteen percent of Americans agree with the statement "Because things have gotten so far off track, true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country". Republicans (30%) are more likely to agree with this than independents (17%) and Democrats (11%), the study reads, claiming that in the wake of the Capitol riots the "
prospect of political violence threatening a peaceful transfer of power has become more than an abstract question".
"I usually issue a note of caution regarding any poll", says Timothy Hagle, a political science professor at the University of Iowa. "I looked at the methodology that PRRI said it used and it seems that they were trying to account for factors that might bias the results…In looking at the results posted on the PRRI's discussion of the results, I think The Hill author 'cherry-picked' some of the results and spun others".
The US mainstream media's approach is symptomatic of growing partisan division in the country, according to the academic: they are trying to depict Republicans and conservatives as badly as possible. At the same time, they are turning a blind eye to extreme views of certain segments on the political left, he notes. "The political right has tried to do the same to some extent, but is much less successful because it doesn't have mainstream media supporting their efforts", Hagle remarks.
In particular, these divisions manifest themselves in MSM's describing the Capitol riots as an "insurrection", while referring to the 2020 summer Black Lives Matter campaign, which was often accompanied by looting, arson, attacks against law enforcement agents, and damage to federal property, as "mostly peaceful protests".
While the poll portrays American conservatives as quite a reactionary group it does not address the cultural and religious concerns of this considerable social group, according to Melik Abdul, a conservative political commentator and GOP strategist.
"What has happened over the years is that a long-time religion, particularly Christianity, is typically mocked in ways that other religions, like the Muslim religion, aren't", Abdul claims. "So if you say something that offends Muslims, then that's considered xenophobic or something like that. But Christians have been under attack. It's become an ugly thing in America to even espouse religious views because it's seen as something negative and that's only because conservatives are more religious than the left".
28 October 2021, 16:08 GMT
Polarisation as a Convenient Political Tool
What's worse, these cultural and political divisions are unlikely to go away anytime soon, according to the observers.
"We are at a point now where the rhetoric on many issues is so heated that it's hard to have a rational conversation with anyone who disagrees", says Timothy Hagle.
For his part, Melik Abdul notes that "it's very profitable to be polarising" when it comes to a political struggle: "Elections are launched and elections are won based on how much you're able to actually polarise the country", he says, adding that MSM and social media are amplifying the divide.
"The media feeds into polarisation in American society, but I don't think it's a cause of polarisation in American society", notes Dr Djene R. Bajalan, political analyst and professor of history at Missouri State University. "It reflects the polarisation in American society because Americans, politically, economically, and culturally are becoming more and more divided".
Bajalan believes that the problem and the divisions in American society stem from the political economy. The US government has not taken any strong measures to deal with the economic and political crises that have shaped the United States since the 2008 economic crash. As a result modern American society is mired in economic crisis and suffers from several fundamental problems like healthcare.
Yet, neither Democrats nor Republicans are tackling these acute dilemmas opting to divert the public's attention to their political strife, notes the professor, adding that both parties seem to be captured by special interests.
"Politics both on the liberal left and the conservative right is entirely centered around the culture war, entirely centered around symbols and things that are of second-order importance to people's daily lives", Bajalan says.
7 October 2021, 18:40 GMT
Biden Has Never Been Able to Unite US
Despite Joe Biden repeatedly pledging to heal the wounds of division and partisanship, he was almost destined to fail, the observers believe.
"[Biden] was never the one that would be able to unite the country", says Melik Abdul. "He's been in office almost 50 years, and although he's been in that really tough time, he's never been one out front when it came to people uniting the country".
Furthermore, Biden doesn't even seem to have the ability to keep his own party together on some important issues, remarks Timothy Hagle, referring to internal strife between moderates and progressives within the Democratic Party which cost the president his landmark $3.5 trillion social spending bill. Eventually, after protracted negotiations with congressional Democrats Biden downsized the bill's price tag to $1.75 trillion over a decade.
17 October 2021, 18:51 GMT
"[Biden] doesn't have the congressional power, and he's not expanding the political capital that is necessary to force the Senate and the House to push through the political agenda", says Bajalan, explaining that being unable to score political points through passing a transforming socio-political bill, the Biden administration "defaults back to the cultural war".
However, it's impossible to win a "cultural war" because "it's a war about how people's emotions are oriented, how they feel about things and not about appealing to that concrete material interests", the professor believes.
"And so, Joe Biden is going to probably lose the midterms unless something changes radically", Bajalan believes. "And in 2024, the Republicans may come to power with the minority vote again. But that's just going to serve to continue this political division because neither of the two major political parties is willing to take on the big structural problems facing American society".
