The past two years have been a great test of the strength of our democracy, perhaps the greatest test we have ever faced. Perhaps the greatest accomplishment the president has made in that time is the successful division of people, by race, gender, religion and ideology.
The embodiment of the divisiveness is the border wall, which is a symbol of hate. Furthermore, it is ineffective in its stated goal, as tunnels, ladders, planes and boats all render a border wall pointless.
On top of that, a clear majority of the country has rejected the hatred and bigotry that has come out of the last two years, as evidenced by the midterms last November. In 2020, people have the opportunity to complete the process of getting rid of sources of hate in our government, putting a stop to the emboldening of extremists it creates.
Many policies that are seen as “partisan” are, in fact, supported by majorities of both parties. Most Americans, for example, support a form of universal healthcare and allowing the government to negotiate drug prices, a feature of just about every other developed country. Other such policies include increasing taxes on the rich, ending partisan gerrymandering, legalizing recreational marijuana and reinstating net neutrality. The significance of having these types of issues that most Americans can rally behind cannot be overstated, especially when the country seems so divided. Issues that bring people together are how we can get to a point where people from one side no longer see the other as their enemy, and vice versa.
However, we must go further if we want any of this to last. We must also not be afraid to embrace bold policies in order to preserve and improve on our way of life. It may be controversial at first, but what was at one point radical can become precedent. Roosevelt’s New Deal was bold for its time. However, in the first midterm after his election, Democrats were actually able to gain seats, which is incredibly rare when your party controls the White House. With new supermajorities, Social Security was passed and is now one of the most used programs in America. Most recently, though, Democratic presidents have tried to play to the center, and all it has done is create a cycle of resentment and disillusionment. We have an opportunity to break the cycle. Proposals like the Green New Deal, while clearly only in its infancy, are the kinds of bold policy goals that would be a signal to the American people that the government will once again care about the needs and well-being of its people – all of them.
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