The Political Arena

            The post is detailed the Political Arena because the setting of politics has become exactly that: an arena. It has become a boxing match without the bell to end a round and so the fighters have been stuck in the first round for over five years. In fact, Round one began during the 2008 Presidential campaigns and ever since the political parties have been hitting each other (often below the belt) in order to gain some upper hand in a fight that won’t end.

            The 2008 Presidential election campaigns began these battles as the charismatic Obama began sweeping support out from Republican strongholds. Virginia, the Carolinas, and even Georgia and Texas showed significant shifts to the Democratic Party. During the campaign, the Republican Party reacted by ferociously shifting to the far right. While many would debate this and claim that the Democrats had shifted far to the left, they would find it difficult to back up this claim with solid facts and examples from the last 5 years of the Obama administration. Obama has, in retrospect, been a right-to-moderate president who started off with moderate-to-left campaign promises.

            The fear and angst with which the Republican Party responded to Obama’s growing popularity brought about an inevitably endless struggle: the struggle to prove that they were right. Posters were flung up which promised a communist dictatorship if Obama won. Political analysts who were usually respected as moderate-to-right commentators ended up claiming that an Obama presidency would create a mire of American freedom and would push America into an inescapable crevasse of socialism, communism, reverse racism, and generally every weird change one could think of.

            The sad truth for most Republicans was that this did not occur. Their predictions fell short and the Obama presidency began with modest success and no radical change in policies. This became a double attack against Obama and his administration. Rather than gain the support of moderates, the far right began to attack everything Obama did and pressure any and all Republicans to reject any proposals. The left (and I avoid saying “far left” because that is sparse in America today) began to feel betrayed by Obama’s constant consideration of the Republicans.

            The result is what lies before us today. A Congress that is more unpopular and ineffective than ever before and an administration that keeps trying to gain a majority of annoyed and upset Americans. This battle has become our past and our present. Let us hope that it does not become our future.