Bill Greener: Why America’s Political Divide Keeps Growing

The Myth of the Sleeping Centrist

Last week, I attempted to use hard data in an effort to disabuse folks of the notion that there was a sleeping giant number of centrist voters that was available to change the trajectory of our elections. Even if this mythical group existed, there is no existing structure to mobilize it. Finally, as history has long demonstrated, moderates are moderates in everything, most especially involvement and engagement in electoral politics.

A Divide That Has Become Real

At this point, all of this adds up to a situation where the divide between the two parties has never been more real or severe. In the past, there was largely a consensus between the two parties as to the goals to be achieved, and agreement on what we wanted the country to become. The debate was how best to get there.

This is not to argue that there were no real differences in policies in the past. At the same time, both parties took pride in being broad-based. Note: nothing would make this old man happier than to see people under the age of 60 actually learn something about our nation’s political history. From personal experience, I can attest to there being many voters who believe the ideologies that currently define the two parties have always been pretty much as they are today. Nothing could be further from the truth.

When Both Parties Had Big Tents

The Republican tent was big enough to include pro-choice voters, big enough to include Nelson Rockefeller and Jacob Javits—two genuine liberals—and Barry Goldwater, basically the Founding Father of modern conservatism. Among Democrats, segregationist Strom Thurmond and former KKK member Robert Byrd served as Democratic Senators at the same time as Hubert Humphrey, a patron saint among liberals. Today, that would be an impossibility.

The Fight Over What America Should Be

No, the divide in our nation goes beyond competing ideologies. No longer is there agreement as to where we want the country to go. Instead, we have rigid divisions based on what sort of America is to be desired, what the country should look like. On issue after issue, there is zero possibility to meet in the middle.

Perhaps no issue better demonstrates the division than immigration. Using excessive language here to make the point, so please do not take this literally. Among Republicans, their voters believe we should round up all illegals and send them home. Among Democrats, it is all of us should adopt two. Find me the middle ground here.

A Cultural Divide Beneath the Politics

On issue after issue, the same dynamic evidences itself. On the one side, you have those who believe the culture, history, and traditions of our country are fundamentally good and to be preserved. Let’s call them the Western civilization people. On the other side, there are those who believe the country now, and in the past, is best defined by our considerable shortcomings and desire to have America look (composition of the population) and be more like the rest of the world. Not quite sure what a fair label is for this group, but I believe it accurately describes them.

While having a dog in the fight, my purpose is not to argue for one side or the other. It is to recognize that the battle lines are real and deep. Show me an example of where it has been possible to find a genuine compromise on an important issue. The debate has been reduced to winners and losers.

The Filibuster and the Loss of Common Ground

Republican Senate candidates in contested primaries this year are promising to end the filibuster—a rule that requires 60 votes to approve most things in the Senate (the most notable exception being judicial candidates). In the 2024 election, Democratic Senator Schumer promised to end the filibuster. It is absolutely true that the filibuster slows down things. At the same time, it is the only remaining tool in the legislative process pushing elected officials to seek common ground. No doubt, whoever controls the Senate after the 2026 elections, we will see the elimination of this tool. My view is that this is unfortunate, not because I am some sort of centrist. I am not. At the same time, I do not prefer lurching from one point of view to another. A little stability is a good thing.

A Future of Winners and Losers

The pressure within both parties is to nominate and elect those who are willing to “stand up and fight.” Put another way, there is no chance for a respectful conversation between the two sides. Their dreams of what a great country should be and do are too different to allow for it.

Common Sense: America is staring at a future where our divisions will only continue to increase. There is absolutely no incentive for politicians on either side of the divide to moderate their views. That can make you happy or sad. No matter, that is the reality of things.