Divisiveness among political parties grows

Today’s political arena has turned into a blood sport. Any attempt at compromise has been abandoned and partisan attacks are increasingly turning personal.

Two examples of this latest ugly polarization surfaced this week to illustrate the dire state of the current American political culture.

Democrats gathered behind closed doors on Wednesday night for some internal squabbling over procedural votes earlier in the day.

It seems that some moderate Democrats dared to vote with the Republicans on certain language in proposed legislation earlier Wednesday.

The growing progressive wing of the Democratic party was incensed that some of their more moderate members sided with the Republican minority.

These progressives led by none other than Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez threatened to use their social media network of liberal socialists to put pressure on those wayward Democrats.

The moderates responded that their votes were a reflection of the sentiments of their district. But voting the will of your district is no longer acceptable to the progressives. They demand total unity with no exceptions.

This closed door brouhaha illustrates the battle over the hearts and minds of the current Democratic party.

The second example involves Uncle Joe Biden who is poised to announce yet another bid for the White House.

Biden unwittingly went against the new Democratic mantra and blindly called Vice President Mike Pence “a decent guy.”

Well compliments or anything favorable toward a Republican is now wholly unaccepted in the progressive ranks and Biden paid the price.

No sooner had the words left Biden’s mouth when an outspoken gay activist blasted the former Vice President for breaking the liberal unspoken rule.

Pence has long been an outspoken advocate for traditional marriages and Christian values.

But his stance against the progressive movement for additional gay rights was simply too much for the activist to accept.

Biden was publicly criticized for saying kind words to someone in the opposing party and that was all it took for Biden to backtrack on his complimentary words.

Biden issued the obligatory statement “clarifying” his comments and quickly agreed with the progressive line opposing the viewpoints supported by the current Vice President.

Believe it or not, there was a time in the American political system when you could respectfully agree to disagree. There are ample anecdotes to illustrate that in the past members of opposing parties had mutual respect despite disagreements.

As I have said on countless occasions, it was Barack Obama who ushered in this new era of political warfare. His divisive drive to reshape America in his socialist image was launched early in his first term when he declared that elections have consequences and in the future it was “his way or the highway.”

This new breed of progressive socialists has taken Obama’s strategy and put it on steroids.

And the divided government we now see is the result.