Country First

Americans have long shared a beautiful land, a spirit of mutual destiny, and, certainly, common enemies.

Sixteen million Americans served in uniform in World War II. No one asked the party identification of all who served, at home and abroad, to defeat totalitarians and imperialists threatening the American way.

We still mostly enjoy similar culture, although increasingly not a unified view of our history, nor even always a common language.

Our unity is fraying, and the American motto, E Pluribus Unum (out of many, one), is being severely challenged.

Unfortunately, the modeling from our political class in Washington, D.C., has exacerbated our growing divide.

Partisans in war rooms on Capitol Hill bitterly contest policy and invoke nuclear options, filibusters, and impeachment. We all see their plotting, doxing, and scheming. Often, these pundits even refuse to speak to political opponents in the service of constituents and the common good.

Our political class has devolved into all-out political warfare. Associate Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia received no negative votes from Democrats during his U.S. Senate confirmation. His former clerk and protégé, Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett, recently received no positive votes from Democrats.

The era of President Ronald Reagan and Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill sharing a drink after hours is long over. Partisanship has collapsed into the politics of obstruction and personal destruction.

Our national media is often no better. Consumers would benefit from sophisticated and honorable exchanges of views, but news organizations pander to viewers with obvious bias, selective journalism, and ideological presentation. As a result, the public no longer shares the same information anymore. We are being led into different understandings of reality.

Our educational establishment features a long march of academics with a severe ideological tilt. Critical race theory asserts that America carries forward its original sin of slavery and that Black Americans are forever victims of a patriarchal, racist nation. The identity politics claims of the academic left are so strong that many justify censorship, cancel culture, and public contempt for conservatives.

Millions of other citizens believe the American founding and democratic capitalism have led to extraordinary moral and material success, and that the Declaration of Independence planted the seeds of universal equality and liberty, and that America is a great nation because America is a good nation.

This is some divide. We don’t agree on political philosophy, the meaning of our nation’s first principles, and even a vision for the kind of society we wish for our children.

We are therefore continually fighting over border security and sanctuary cities; tax rates, tariff policy, and spending programs; defunding or defending the police; gun regulation; fracking; the right to life and the right to privacy; COVID-19 lockdowns; and even our freedom of speech, religion, and association.

Public rallies have turned into resistance movements, some street protests have turned into violent riots, unmasked gatherings have likely become superspreader events, and disagreements over policy preferences have devolved into collapsing relationships among families and friends.

After the summer of social unrest and the now-contested election, America is reaching record divisiveness.

We all know the bitter grievances of each side. Team A believes in its facts, sources, morality, and righteousness. Team B believes in its own.

When the recounting of ballots and the lawsuits and certifications finally conclude, we will have a resolution to the current national election. But what can we say about our deteriorated public civility and loss of mutual goodwill?

Let’s not be naïve about the increasing pendulum swings of American politics from Clinton to Bush to Obama to Trump to Biden. And now, the protests-turned-riots from the left will surely create a reaction from the right. Flag burners, flag wavers. Israel-bashing and democratic socialism from some on the left. Conspiracies and rising anti-Semitism from some on the right. Each pushes the other further and further from moderation and compromise.

But, before we get to further divisiveness, shouldn’t we ask: After 244 years of American exceptionalism and nationalism, do we really want to disunite the United States?

This would not only be complicated and perhaps dangerous, but it would also be a profound failure of moral imagination. Here are three ideas to attempt to move beyond polarization to reconciliation.

1) Make politics far less important in our country.

Yes, of course we have national security and common defense needs requiring federal attention.

The good news is that both parties appear to agree that the rise of Chinese mercantilism and regional, if not global military and political ambition should drive us to rebuild our military capacity and a strong domestic infrastructure to bring manufacturing jobs and supply chains home. From pharmaceutical drugs to solar panels, let’s make and buy American.

But, on the domestic front, let’s devolve more power to the states and localities, empowering a spirit of subsidiarity.

Government closest to the people governs best. Yes, there will be diversity among states. Good! Let a thousand flowers bloom in our laboratory of democracy. One-size-fits-all frustrates our diverse citizenry.

Furthermore, going local can support and empower our mediating institutions. Answers can be found in our local communities and religious institutions. We all need to turn off the television and get to work in our communities. We need to build ties and trust with our neighbors and begin to regain our confidence that we are the solution to most of life’s challenges.

Of course, it’s true that the federal bureaucracy has much responsibility for our civic life. The question is how to reduce the incentive for partisanship and to prevent the most radical ideas from threatening our stability.

The No Labels community in the United States has been sincerely preaching political moderation for a decade. This organization has supported federal legislators who participate in the impressive Problem Solvers Caucus in Washington, D.C. Across the aisle, Senators and House members promote and produce centrist policy results. And they firmly reject the bullying by party leaders focused on unrelenting partisan messages to win and maintain political power.

2) Reject media that demonizes and insist on intellectual diversity.

Whistleblowers have revealed the agendas inside Cable TV news organizations: ideology as a business model aimed at addicting partisan viewers.

Where are the nightly news broadcasts and programming that engage citizens in respectful, thoughtful conversation? Discussion, not demagoguery. Education, not name-calling.

(Credit goes to the Jewish Journal, which, uniquely, often features point-counterpoint columns and disallows personal attacks and bad faith argumentation.)

3) Renew our spiritual commitments and our personal ties.

After COVID-19, we’ll have a lot of economic and personal healing to do. After the 2020 election, we have a lot of social healing to do, as well.

After COVID-19, we’ll have a lot of economic and personal healing to do. After the 2020 election, we have a lot of social healing to do, as well.

Perhaps we can start with Thanksgiving dinners that focus on our blessings, good fortune, heroes, and brotherhood.

Then we can celebrate the December holiday season of goodwill, seizing a chance to renew our spiritual lives and our family ties.

Are Americans not more than our dearly held political passions? Do we not have even deeper ideals of neighborliness and compassion to strangers, of love of country and hope for our children’s futures?

Let us all then make 2021 the year of repairing our bonds with friends and foes alike. A year of respect and reconciliation, loving and listening.

We can try. For as Benjamin Franklin famously said, “we must indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly, we will all hang separately.”

Larry Greenfield is a Fellow of The Claremont Institute for the Study of Statesmanship & Political Philosophy.