by Mark B. Gibson
With every national election cycle America’s leadership seems to become less capable of governing, more divisive and uncompromising.
It’s hard to know why this has come about: Perhaps its origin stems from the passing of the formal duel, back in the 1800s, when newspaper editors, for example, could and were challenged on the “field of honor” for their published opinions by the congressional delegates they antagonized. One would naturally think twice before inflaming opinion when the likely result was “pistols at dawn.”
Or perhaps it began with the end of WWII, when America became a “super power” and the president the “leader of the free world.” Such power was unprecedented, and the lust for power is a strong motivator.
Others reference more recent times, noting the gradual loss of “face time” between congressional delegates, a gradual shift from the group to the individual. For example, while drumming up support for his trade deal with China, President Obama attended a baseball game. This was news, given his previous isolation in the oval office.
Group leadership requires a measure of trust and understanding that can only be built with face-to-face interactions beyond the floor of the House or Senate.
Yet I personally trace the current dysfunction of our government to the question of abortion, specifically the political ascension of the “moral majority.” No longer was a political opponent characterized as misguided, foolish or uninformed. He or she became a baby killer, or a woman hater. Period.
If abortion is murder, how can there be compromise of any kind? If a woman has a right to seek an abortion, how can there be compromise of any kind?
All politics suddenly shifted into two camps, “pro-life” and “pro-choice.” A perfect storm of religion and politics, lines drawn in concrete. That Congress had nothing to do with the legal framework of the issue, put forward by the U.S. Supreme Court, mattered not at all.
As a political gambit, it was effective and powerful and remains today a thoroughly divisive issue. You are one or the other, and any qualifying of a politician’s stand on either side is seen as morally bankrupt.
Both sides have developed extremists, and those groups continue to grow as debate turns to questions of marriage, sex education and birth control.
Horns locked over this one issue, it’s no surprise Congress is unable to move forward on any other. The arguments for both sides are simply too strong, and neither side will ever see eye-to-eye with the other.
by RaeLynn Ricarte
Traditional values are under attack, not only in the halls of Congress but across America, with Christians and Conservatives being labelled as “haters” for disagreeing with the changing mores of society.
The Liberal chant that we should all tolerate diversity seems to have a blind spot — any belief that is in opposition to their stance on an issue.
An example of how that plays out in the political arena is the case involving Sweet Cakes by Melissa, an Oregon bakery that, among others in the nation, refused to make a wedding cake in 2013 for a lesbian couple.
The owners, Aaron and Melissa Klein, told reporters as controversy grew that their decision was based on their belief that “marriage is a religious institution ordained by God” between one man and one woman.
The Kleins said they regularly served people from the gay community, but felt it was their right as private business owners not to have to support marriages that violated their Christian faith.
The Kleins were found guilty of violating the civil rights of the same-sex couple and informed by state regulators that they would be fined $135,000. The couple closed their business and Americans responded to their plight by funneling donations through the website GoFundMe.
More than $114,000 had been raised when GoFundMe administrators decided to shut down the page because the campaign violated the site’s policy against raising money “in defense of formal charges of heinous crimes, including violent, hateful, or sexual acts.”
David Berman of Redstate, a Conservative news blog, immediately pointed out that GoFundMe had not expressed such qualms about raising money to pay for the legal defense of a Florida man charged with burglary and assaulting a police officer, or other suspects facing prosecution for violent and sexual crimes.
“Hate” is a powerful word that is now being exploited to cow philosophical opponents into silence. Conservatives need to expect these attacks when they take a stand based on values that are now seen by many as outdated. To not stand is to allow the erosion of free speech and the ability to worship free of persecution, two rights that are protected by our Constitution.
If we are truly going to tolerate diversity in America, then we need to respect even opinions that we strongly disagree with. Topics such as same-sex marriage and abortion are deeply polarizing because of the values that drive these beliefs.
Some values are absolutes and compromise is not possible. The only way to stop the erosion of civility is to follow the Golden Rule.
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