Bridging the Political Divide: A Chance to Unify Congress

Over the past three decades, our nation has seen an alarming rise in polarization. Rather than seeing ourselves as Americans first, followed by our party affiliations, we’ve increasingly prioritized our political parties over our country.

Each party holds its unique vision for the future of the United States, often reluctant to entertain alternative ideas. Regrettably, our elected leaders often find themselves gridlocked in political brinkmanship.

Moreover, both parties tend to seek vengeance against each other once they gain power. In the last ten years, this growing polarization has led to the labeling of members from opposing parties as “enemies” rather than colleagues.

Both major parties have systematically manipulated our electoral process. This includes traditional gerrymandering, applying pressure on officials responsible for electoral security, and more recently, encouraging the public to question the legitimacy of elections when their party faces defeat.

Despite these tactics and manipulations, a remarkable phenomenon has emerged: neither party has garnered a substantial enough majority in either chamber to govern effectively without compromise. Unfortunately, the polarized nature of American politics has resulted in a stalemate in Congress with neither group willing to compromise. This has resulted in the need for the other branches to step in and govern where Congress is unable to:

• Presidents now resort to governing via executive orders, knowing these orders can be overturned by their successors. This has tarnished our reputation on the global stage, making us appear unreliable at best and easily influenced at worst.

• The Supreme Court of the United States now finds itself in the position of making legal decisions by interpreting existing laws, often not directly related to the specific cases at hand. Consequently, it has become entangled in the same partisan politics that have eroded public trust and confidence in Congress.

The 118th Congress has been presented with a unique opportunity to address the shortcomings of previous sessions. This time, a minority of the Republican caucus’s more extreme members have paralyzed the caucus itself. Their actions have forced concessions and further hindered the processes that the caucus should uphold, given its majority status.

It is in this fractured political landscape that I propose a different path. Instead of sitting back and watching the Republican Caucus tear itself apart in an effort to replace a Speaker who was constrained by the extreme minority of his caucus, Democrats should be reaching across the aisle. They should seek to build a coalition against the extremes and elect a Speaker who will genuinely represent all members of Congress.