[SmallWarsJournal] Jeremy D. Lawhorn
“Remember Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes exhausts and murders itself. There never was a Democracy Yet, that did not commit suicide.”[i]
In his letter written in 1814, John Adams provides an ominous warning that suggests that the Republic is inherently doomed to fail. Research suggests that his 200-year-old prophecy may have been accurate as reflected in the current state of the Republic. A recent study by Pew Research Center finds the partisan divide in the United States is at its highest level since the Civil War.[ii] If this partisan divide was confined to the voting booths and family debates, there would be little cause for concern. Today however, this partisan divide represents a more serious problem than hurt feelings due to bickering over political candidates or a few social issues. The Pew Research Center suggests that political polarization in the United States has reached a dangerous extreme. Divisions on fundamental political and social issues reached record levels during President Obama’s term in office. And the gaps have increased even further during President Trump’s first year.[iii] This polarization is caused by political and social entrenchment combined with a general reluctance to compromise creating extreme fractionalization. Fissures have opened up along every major demographic line including race, ethnicity, religion, place of origin, gender, and along every major political and social issue including immigration, national security, gay marriage, religious freedom, structural inequalities and many others.
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