There were a couple of revelations in the recent State of the Union address last week that really stand out.
I’m not referring to the cancer patient becoming an honorary Secret Service agent, or the arrest of the ISIS member responsible for Abbey Gate, or the other accomplishments and aggrandizing laid out by President Trump.
I am, however, referring to the classless reaction, or more accurately lack of reaction, by the Democratic Party members in attendance. The only real reaction was from Texas Rep. Al Green, who threw a hissy fit and was eventually escorted from the chamber.
There also were the little signs held up by some Democrat members with cute protest phrases, but that weak wave has immediately become the butt of jokes across social media.
Another revelation was that the national media still hasn’t glommed onto the fact that the president really was elected, a fact largely lost on the Democratic solons as well.
What I find that it means is there is no way, at least as far as I can see, that the two political camps will ever come to terms, and that there is no way that the two groups will ever be convinced that they don’t have the right solutions, and the other guys can only bring the world to ruin.
That means our country, and our government, are on a see-saw,
and depending on who is in charge, will either liberal to excess or liberal in moderation, but at no point, will it ever be united, and the people — you remember, the people whom the government is for — will be pawns in the power play, bystanders as the country becomes mired in debt, division and dysfunction.
The media, of course, will be complicit with the liberal-to-excess crowd, as was shown when MSNBC host Nicole Wallace attempted to insult Trump by referencing the Jan. 6 events and cancer survivor DJ Daniel’s desire to be a police officer.
It used to be that when the dust settled after an election, the country would come together and generally head in the same direction. It also used to be a thing that the president was respected, at least outwardly.
Now, there is no solidarity, no trust, no attempts at bridging gaps — it’s either our way or no way. That kind of government is no government; it’s an elite class of people fighting over the largest piece of a pie that the American citizen — relegated here to the role of serf or prole (as Orwell put it) — does not have access to any of it.
If the country cannot find a way to become one, it will break apart. Abraham Lincoln said “A house divided against itself cannot stand,” and while he was referring to slavery, it still is true today if you substitute any form of public policy.
Time to grow up, congresscritters, and remember that the people run the show.
Tony Farkas is the editor of the Trinity County News-Standard and the San Jacinto News-Times. He writes opinion articles and his views don’t necessarily reflect those of this newspaper. He can be reached at tony@polkcountypublishing.com
