Over the past few months, I have thought about how former Indiana Sens. Richard Lugar, Dan Coats, Birch Bayh and Dan Quayle would be reacting to the postings on social media.
Along with members of the U.S. House like Susan Brooks and Phil Sharp, there was a place for moderates in political discussions.
What has taken place over the past four years is a polarization in both major political parties.
There is no longer a middle ground and the lack of compromise on issues that impact citizens at the state or national level.
“It’s my way or the highway,” when political debates begin.
The art of passing legislation has until recently been the art of compromise.
Former Republican President Ronald Reagan worked with Democrat Tip O’Neill, the House Speaker at the time, to adopt legislation that benefited the nation as a whole.
Reagan and O’Neill didn’t always agree, but they recognized the need for compromise to obtain a desired effect.
This past week an Arizona congressman, Paul Gosar, posted an altered anime cartoon on Twitter that showed him killing Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and attacking President Joe Biden with two swords.
Not unexpectedly, the Democratic majority in the U.S. House is moving to censure Gosar.
With a majority in the chamber, it’s likely the Democrats will censure Gosar.
The real question is, will Republicans vote for the measure?
As of Friday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., had not publicly commented on the video.
McCarthy has a responsibility to first comment on the video and to let the public know if any action will be taken against Gosar by the party.
Also, this week former President Donald Trump, according to news reports, is defending Jan. 6 rioters at the nation’s capital who chanted “hang Mike Pence.”
Trump, to the delight of his supporters, taunted his political opponents on Twitter with derogatory nicknames.
Trump said Pence, as the president of the U.S. Senate, should not have allowed the electoral certification process to move forward to elect Biden because of his claims the vote was fraudulent, which have been disproven numerous times.
There is a chance in 2024 that both Trump and Pence, along with a number of other Republicans, will seek the GOP nomination for president.
The rhetoric could become viral.
Polarization in politics is dividing the nation and is not likely to cool off any time in the near future.
At the state level, Attorney General Todd Rokita, a likely gubernatorial candidate, has been making comments about mask mandates and referred to the Black Lives Matter Movement as political in nature.
Rokita is playing to the base of supporters that Trump has in Indiana.
Hopefully, before 2024 the polarizing rhetoric will cease and a moderate effort will be undertaken to unite the country.
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