Several years ago, when our political system began to devolve into hardball politics, I became concerned, since civil discourse seemed to be placed on a back burner. When it further devolved into personal smears, name-calling, and negative campaigning I became quite worried about the future of democracy in America. Now it seems to be coming near the bottom of that slippery slope, being reduced to bare-knuckle politics in which winning at any cost is the watchword, when anyone who would enter the political ring must be prepared for a no-holds-barred contest. Potential candidates must be willing to be confronted by a right-wing opponent and their supportive minions. In such a contest there is little regard for character or the positions on issues, or concerns for a healthy society.
It has become a politics of intimidation, of forced solutions, of “might-makes-right.” And that “right” that such “might” produces has little to do with civility, with morality or even with decency. Furthermore, it finds shelter and sustenance from one of our two political parties. And such strategies continue the dismantling of our entire political process, not to mention undermining our democratic heritage. Its goal is divisive rather than unifying.
Have we come to the point of accepting that winning at any cost is an appropriate method of choosing how we will be governed?
At the bottom of that slippery slope such bloody, bare-knuckle politics that is willing to forego civility and decency in order to win politically, will result in authoritarian leadership and the final destruction of democracy in this nation.
Bob Passi
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Baxter
