Five big reasons for partisan bickering
Your average Democrat feels the GOP is made up of money-grubbing rich folks who care only about themselves. Your average Republican feels the Democrats are just there to take their money and spend it on lazy welfare recipients.
How did it every get this way? Five events have us at each other's throats.
One: televised Watergate hearings. The Republicans didn't like Nixon any more than Democrats, but the feeling persists that the Dems forced out a sitting president. It's been Hatfield vs. McCoy since.
Two: Tea Party. They started with a lofty goal: reduce the size of the national government. But they added fringe groups to their cause until they became a nuisance to the GOP and a barrier to getting any bipartisan legislation out of Congress.
Three: Citizens United. Any rich guy/corporation can fund the politician of his choice. Note 15 GOP candidates this year, only a couple of which would have been viable in pre-CU days. Once they're bought, elected officials tend to stay bought.
Four: 24-hour TV news channels had to devise some way to hold our attention, so opinion shows were created, both on the right and left, to entertain and "inform" us of today's big stories. Talking head panels tell us how stupid/dishonest the other side is. Talk TV led to talk radio, where Rush Limbaugh disgorges his opinion to millions of sheep.
Five: Internet and social media. Everyone has an opinion and can voice it anonymously. Blogs and news article comments sections sometimes have valid content, but generally it comes down to people making up things and calling each other names. In the printed news, there are editors and checks/balances to ensure the story is told concisely and accurately. None of that exists with non-newspaper digital media.
Dave Volkman
Naperville