Flawed Politics by Dan Rosenberg

There are many flaws with modern day politics. The lack of direct voting on many issues, the flaws of congress’s voting system, and the multitude of lies and half-truths that politicians feed the American public, are all problems with our political system. However, the worst part of our political system as a whole is the divisions it creates between fellow Americans. The viciousness with which Republicans attack Democrats, and vice versa, is uncalled for, and goes against everything America stands for. The American people are meant to be a cohesive unit; United We Stand. However, instead we resort to infighting and petty arguments, all over whose candidate is “better.” When he was leaving office, George Washington  spoke of the dangers of political factions. He said that political groups were a danger to our society, and that we could not fall into that trap. It seems that as a people, we have largely ignored our greatest president’s advice. Americans no longer vote solely based on the merits of the candidates, rather going almost exclusively on party lines. How can it be that the media can assert that only a few states are up for grabs in this election? That most of the electoral votes in the Electoral College have already been determined before the election even begins? Is it really even a democratic system when the majority of the American people have decided long before the election who they will vote for, and the media often ridicules the few undecided voters left? America prides itself on its people; people who don’t identify themselves as being Californians, or Texans, but rather as Americans. However, it appears that people are starting to identify themselves as either Democrats or Republicans. We are developing an Us vs. Them mentality against fellow Americans, and it’s unhealthy for our nation. It’s time to start heeding the advice of our founding father, George Washington. Whether you are a Democrat, or a Republican, you have to realize the detrimental effects political factions have on America. The gridlock in congress on many major issues is due almost entirely to the inability of Democrats and Republicans to agree. We are going down a dangerous path when a major Republican leader, Senator Mitch McConnell, says that, “the single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.” How is that helpful to furthering the American people? That attitude weakens America considerably. The goal of
politicians in America should not be to weaken the other party; rather they should
strive to strengthen America as a whole. And if that means going against what
their party advocates, so be it. John Dickinson once put it best; United We
Stand, Divided We Fall.