The assault originated in the second half of the 20th Century, with the advent of negative campaigning. Attack advertisements were designed to tear down the opposing candidate, to make them seem slightly less than human. It escalated with the advent of the presidential primary, an idea slightly similar to communism in its good intentions but horrid results. It culminated in lies, rumors, and misleading 140 character statements designed to make headlines instead of solving problems.
We, the political center, are under attack. Nobody wants us to exist.
We believe in freedom for everyone, regardless of their race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. We believe in compromising in any situation possible. We want to take steps to end political partisanship in our government, and we look forward to seeing the Ted Cruz’s of the world lose in future elections. We believe in making progress, but in using reason while doing so. We refuse to see other people and other views as less than human, instead of viewing them as a product of both nature and nurture. We believe in making decisions and casting votes based on what is best for the country, instead of succumbing to the pull of party leadership and TV ratings.
We’ve been behind every great political compromise in history. We’ve passed meaningful legislation, settled disputes, solved problems, and moved the country forward. We’re a different breed of Americans in today’s world, too liberal for the right and too conservative for the left. A libertarian streak runs deep within us, but a proud liberal streak does as well. Some of our positions on issues can seem hypocritical, but we are the ones who vote for progress over complacency.
The Constitution exists because of us. The United Nations exists because of us. NATO, NAFTA, the EU, were forged by centrists looking to do the best thing for their citizens.
Do you want more evidence of the critical role of centrism in society? Look what happens when we’re overruled. Things like the Civil War, the Treaty of Versailles, Pearl Harbor, Brexit, and Nazism happen. History has proven that when the crazy extremists ignore the cooler heads, bad things happen.
Yet, despite all that we’ve achieved, people on both sides of the aisle are out to destroy us. Why? Because we oppose everything they stand for. I’m not talking about specific policies, instead focusing on issues like ideological purity, patriotism, and partisanship. At the core of a hardline conservative worldview is the idea that the United States will succeed if and only if conservative policies are enacted in every area of the government. To suggest any other proposal is to be unpatriotic, to vote for a different solution is an unforgivable sin. A centrist opposes this view, because we realize that conservative policies are not beneficial for every area of government. Our greatest strength, the willingness to compromise, is an unacceptable stance in the eyes of many party hardliners, leading them to seek our removal from political office and discussion.
(Before you freak out Republicans, know that this same scenario can occur with a liberal worldview).
These extremists seek to remove centrists from discussion in two key ways. First, they seek to remove facts from debates and replace them with soundbites. Second, they seek to portray socioeconomic and cultural differences as a direct threat to the integrity of the United States.
I’ll talk about the decline of truth first. It’s well known that no one cares about the truth anymore. Schools need to offer an Internet 101 course, teaching people how to identify fake news and how to trust real news. People need to realize that news outlets like Breitbart, the Blaze, Huffington Post, Vox, and your local college newspaper exist to egregiously slant coverage and facts, that accounts like Cloyd Rivers and Occupy Democrats can simply photoshop most of their content and don’t use factual sources, and that people like Donald Trump, Tomi Lahren, and Jill Stein exist because they take those lies and slander and magnify them. The truth lies in the facts presented by highly educated economists, military commanders, and scientists, not in what Ted Cruz or Bernie Sanders spout off on campaign trails. You have to work hard to find the truth in today’s world. Extremists on both sides know this and work to manipulate the truth to suit their far right or far left policies. People not well versed in technology can be subject to fake websites and fake headlines with incredible ease. When fooled, the results are immediate and poisonous. Politics becomes focused on creating hatred for the opposing candidate, instead of creating support for the preferred candidate. Where hate exists, the center cannot exist.
Another way to remove the center is for people refuse to accept and work around their differences. I know plenty of Republicans that have no hard feelings towards Muslims, immigrants, and LGBT people. I also know plenty of Democrats that own guns, think free college is a horrible idea, and disapprove of the idea of safe spaces. We’re human. We all have our strengths and our weaknesses. But the thing that Americans too often forget is that we are in this together and that many people around the world do not have the luxury of voting and openly sharing their views. We’re lucky.
Yet in this past election season, I saw so many Americans express open hatred for those who supported the other candidate. Our society appears to have forgotten a quote by one of our greatest presidents, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” If we continue to hate each other, our society will steadily lose ground and we will eventually be forced to cede global dominance to China and/or Russia. Centrists play a pivotal role in mediating the tone of political discussion. Don’t force us completely out, or the United States will be ruined.
Our current political climate can only be described as depressing. Even Republicans optimistic over a Trump victory cannot ignore the complete and utter dysfunction that is Congress, the massive protests against his presidency, or the fact that Russian intelligence intervened to help him win. Democrats are rightfully worried about the damage President Trump could do to civil liberties and constitutional rights. As a great American writer would say, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” It can be tough to be optimistic. It can be tough to compromise on ideological values. But we can.
And we must.
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