Culture Wars

In today’s increasingly polarized world, voter apathy is a growing problem for liberal democracies. 

The extremes have leaders, passions, and clear objectives.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the United States, where the culture wars that have been years in developing, have taken over the political discourse of both extremes.

The main problem there is that the extreme right is united, enjoys a clear leader (Donald Trump), controls a major political party (Republican), and has its own ubiquitous propaganda machine (FOX News, Breitbart, and others). 

Its goal is to establish a white protestant nation by making it harder for the extreme left and the center to vote. 

Republican legislatures are passing laws making it difficult if not impossible for black voters, who usually vote Democrat, to vote. By gerrymandering districts to ensure that Democrats can’t vote or win, they are taking over completely the ability of voters to have a voice in elections and make an impact in electoral results. They are limiting the number of polling stations in Democrat (especially African American) neighborhoods, and requiring voter identification that many poorer voters have difficulty in obtaining, 

Republican leaders have bought Trump’s messages of dividing people, destroying democratic institutions, legitimizing the traditional racism of many Americans, vilifying the liberal media, and promoting hatred of immigrants who don’t fit their concept of a “real” American. 

This strategy seems to have won over the Republican party. It is now Trump’s Party, adhering to his vision and goals.

Education and science are depicted as elitist, and individual liberty is only acceptable when it fits the Republican mold. Those with lesser education and fewer possibilities of success in a fully integrated society identify with this vision and follow leaders who espouse it.

The Democrats operate in a different reality.

They have a variety of leaders who espouse different goals. Senator Bernie Sanders, President Joe Biden, and Senator Joe Manchin represent various wings of a divided party. Up until now, the extreme left and the center-left and center-right don’t have a clear leader or message. President Biden has been stymied by Sanders on the left and Manchin on the right, and members of Congress are left to decide whom to follow each time a major issue is discussed.

However, reports that the Supreme Court is about to overturn Roe vs Wade and remove right of women across the U.S. to obtain an abortion, may well be the Republicans’ biggest political mistake in years. They have handed Democrats an issue around which to galvanize the passion of their voters and one that unites all wings of the party. Finally, the Democrats may have an overriding issue that can unite them in the lead-up to the November elections.

As the mid-term congressional election gets closer, Republicans are united behind well-defined messages, with Trump literally deciding who will win the primaries in most Republican constituencies. Indeed, although the overturn of Roe vs Wade may be a major element in Democrat campaign strategy, it will also cement Trump’s hold on the Republican party and its candidates since he got abortion done.

The strength of both extremes in the United States leads me to conclude that no form of political consensus will be achievable in the foreseeable future. Politics will continue to be a zero-sum gain where the public good is all but ignored.

The result may well lead to the United States losing its position of guiding light for democracies struggling to fend off the authoritarianism.

Keep reading: Antisemitism as a Weapon of War

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Edición: Laura Espejo