In the past century and a half, America has had its share of political crazies. Mostly they were of the loony left (a phrase not known then) and mostly they were on the fringes of power.
However, when we look at the political landscape today, it seems as if those who occupy that territory are increasingly popular and influential.
A trip down memory lane (history) will show the increasing influence of those who advocate policies that must have our Founding Fathers turning over in their graves. Just a sampling of these and a list of their descendants should frighten those of us who believe that the republic we were gifted just might be in peril.
Populism was a potent force for change in the 19th Century. Beginning with the advent of the Know-Nothing Party in the early 1850s, it morphed into the movement in the late 1800s to unite workers, farmers, and other disaffected groups. The Populist Party even had a major impact on national politics, as William Jennings Bryan, a Populist, ran three times for President as a Democrat. Because populism usually decried the faults of the capitalist system, many wondered if our way of life was threatened.
When World War 1 ended in 1918, three events made the American Dream seem further away than ever. One was the world-wide pandemic known as the Spanish Flu. Millions suffered and many died from this, even closing down businesses and schools at times. At the same time, two events associated with politics took place. With many soldiers returning home from the armed services, a recession took place, and it hit the minority communities hardest. Race riots in the late teens and early 20s shook America. This was coupled with the ‘Red Scare’, the fear of Russian Communism coming to America and taking over, which made the federal government respond with the Palmer raids on suspected Commies from 1917-1920. Again, many citizens were apprehensive about the continued existence of the republic when those three events converged.
Another era when our way of life was in peril was the Great Depression, which lasted from 1929-1939. Because of the disruption in business and private lives, radical ideas and events took center stage. The Bonus Army debacle of 1932, where veterans of World War 1 marched on Washington, D. C. to demand bonuses promised by 1938 and occupied part of D. C. but were dispersed by the regular Army led by Douglas MacArthur, the Dust Bowl, and millions displaced by bankruptcy caused confidence in the nation to fade. But, as with previous low points in our national life, we survived. World War 2 ushered in a period of prosperity, even among the historically disadvantaged — farmers, African-Americans, women. Post war economics were not as bad as post World War 1, and the 1950s saw peace, prosperity, and national strength.
Then came the 1960s. Those of us who lived during this time watched as disaffected young people, minorities and a disastrous war in Vietnam shook the foundations of the nation. Assassinations of powerful leaders marked this decade; these included Malcom X, John Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert Kennedy. Riots devasted at least 158 American cities in 1957 and culminated with the violence-plagued Democratic National
Convention in 1968. The 1970s were a time of a ‘national malaise’, according to our President, Jimmy Carter, but we revived and thrived under the leadership Ronald Reagan.
A great divide began in the 1990s, between liberals and conservatives, with the polarization surrounding the presidency of Bill Clinton. This was exacerbated by the contentious 2000 election of George W. Bush. A short period of unity was achieved because of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 11 September 2001, but the beginning of endless Middle East Wars in 2002 and 2003 once again split the political world. Racial relations got worse rather than better with the election of Barack Obama as President in 2008.
But the wheels came off the amity bus when Donald Trump won the 2016 election for the Presidency. He survived two politically motivated impeachments, but the chasm between left and right deepened, partly because many on the left expressed hatred for the President. This was extended to those who supported him, and just this past week Trump voters were characterized as ‘enemies of the people.’ To add to the deep chasm between in the electorate, a sizable part of the voters believe the 2020 election was stolen from Trump and given to Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate.
In the Congress, no bipartisan legislation is possible, as the Democrats hold a historically slim advantage in the House and the Senate is evenly divided.
Polls have shown that a sizable minority holds favorable views of socialism, a system which has failed in every country where it was in authority. We have two Islamic members of Congress, and a ‘squad’ of far-left legislators in the House. Our national debt now eclipses 31trillion dollars and continues growing at over a trillion per year.
With leaders who refuse to cooperate with the other party, with many who feel the last election was riddled with fraud, and with no national leader who seems to be able to heal the rift, I fear what will happen in the future in my country. It is past time for all those who believe in the power of prayer to put aside differences and ask God to heal and bless our nation once again.