this post was submitted on 19 Dec 2024
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How Estrangement Has Become an Epidemic in America (time.com)
submitted 3 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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He’s a father of a 28-year-old son and he’s hurting. A retired police officer, he proudly voted for Donald Trump every time he ran and never hid his political beliefs from his family. “My son and his wife say that since I’m a fan of Trump they’re no fan of mine and cut me off,” he said. “Now I can’t see my only grandchild who I was so close to. It’s crazy and it’s tragic.”

It’s also increasingly common. The 2024 election spatchcocked the nation, widening a rift that was exposed in 2016 and put in an even sharper gulf four years later. Now, the hyper-partisan politics in the shadow of the 2024 election is breaking the bonds of families to a greater extent than ever before.

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[–] [email protected] 50 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Like so many problems in modern America, you can trace it back to Reagan.

Back in the day, it was important for politicians to try and maintain a civil tone with one another in public, no matter how much they despised each other behind the scenes. Reagan publicly used 'Liberal' as a pejorative and implied that those who disagreed with him weren't really patriotic.

[–] [email protected] 38 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I just want to point out that McCarthyism existed before Reaganism. But he was a big fucking fan of it.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 days ago (1 children)

And the Federalists and Democratic Republicans were wildly confrontational.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Calendar on Adams in 1800...

"Ye will judge without regard to the prattle of a president, the prattle of that strange compound of ignorance and ferocity, of deceit and weakness; without regard to that hideous hermaphroditical character, which has neither the force and firmness of a man, nor the gentleness and sensibility of a woman."

That's just one example of many quotes from that time. There was some wildly vitriolic mud slinging in early American politics.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 days ago

You stop at "mud slinging"? Mofuggas brought guns to a fistfight on congressional/senatorial floors. "Mud" ain't the half of it, and anyone who's not familiar with this history is gonna be doubly surprised when these psychos today cosplay as their favorite fictional version of said founders. 😶‍🌫️

[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 days ago

Nah, the absolute god king and bastard father of ratbag politics is richard fucking nixon

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 days ago (2 children)

These days, it's more like they're literally buddies behind the scenes while expressing partisan vitriol in public for show. It's fucking gross.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

One thing people don't realize. Back in the day, travel was difficult. Elected officials would stay in Washington for months at a time. Members of Congress [R and D] routinely hung out together. These days they spend the weekends in their districts courting votes.

Another problem is the weaponizing of C-SPAN. Before 24 hour coverage a speech on the floor was routinely ignored. A Memeber could talk down a Bill on the floor, knowing his local paper would cover it, and then make a quiet deal behind the scenes. Now everyone is forced into intractable positions.