One of the biggest hindrances that is currently facing America is the ridiculous political extremism that is currently on display in Congress and across the country.
There are people who would be more likely to vote for a chimpanzee than for a member of the political party they aren’t affiliated with. It seems that recently political extremism has become more and more prominent with the Tea Party and grassroots political movements. But it can be seen on both sides of the aisle and is harmful and detrimental to the country.
Recently, there have been multiple examples of politicians fighting in Congress and refusing to compromise and work together to form a stronger country. From the health care reform to the debt ceiling debates, it is clear that partisanship is becoming more extreme, and cooperation is flying out the window.
A few months ago, the childishness of the U.S. Congress was seen during the debt-ceiling debates. What was also clear during that time was that fierce political extremism isn’t helpful. The bickering and backbiting was a contributing factor to the U.S. being downgraded from its AAA credit rating for the first time in the nation’s history.
In the spring following Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford being shot, there was much talk of bipartisanship and of working together. The members of Congress symbolically sat together during a presidential speech. It seemed that during that time, everyone talked about how this was going to be the future and that they would move forward together. It now appears those feelings and thoughts have been forgotten by many members of Congress.
If America wants to continue progressing and growing, the politicians need to learn to work together. There needs to be cooperation and more tolerance in the political arena.
It appears that a couple of the most logical current political commentators are Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert who are actually comedians. Stewart often calls for more moderate politicians. Last year he held a rally for moderate sensible people. People carried signs that cried for cooperation and tolerance. There were slogans like, “I don’t agree with you, but you’re also probably not Hitler,” and “I understand your stance, and while I disagree, I’m pretty sure you’re not a Nazi.”
Stewart often has said that he believes most of America is levelheaded, moderate and balanced, yet it is only the ridiculously extreme who dominate the airwaves. He has called for a return to sanity and has said he hopes that politicians can work together in shaping the country.
This is a difficult time for America. There aren’t many people who would say that the country is doing great. Right now, America needs more levelheaded, logical people and less irrational extremists. The country needs politicians who will work together, people who will put aside their differences and focus on building a stronger future for the country.
Any kind of political extremism is detrimental to the political process, whether a politician is on the extreme right or left. If someone becomes closed-minded, thinking that their way is the only way and that anyone who doesn’t think like they do is wrong, growth cannot happen.
One of the biggest causes of the political extremism currently is the Tea Party movement — a small group of people who have infiltrated Congress and are pushing the Republican Party further to the right and driving a wedge between the Republicans and Democrats.
The way to fix the country doesn’t lie in bickering and backbiting. It isn’t going to be accomplished through voting no to everything suggested by a Democrat. The key to getting America back on track lies in cooperation and in bipartisanship. Congress needs to work together, be less extreme, focus less on its differences and make an effort to come together and form a strong bipartisan government.