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A Crisis of Partisanship

In the unfortunate political climate of the day, partisanship tends to overshadow common sense and common decency.

Over the decades, both Democrats and Republicans have been guilty of putting their party’s interest above that of the public.  Never before, however, has partisanship risen to its current level. Blatant abuse by elected officials and the heads of governmental agencies of their official positions has become the new normal.

It would be disingenuous to state that both parties are equally guilty.  There is no past precedent or current equivalent for the extent and manner in which Democrats, since the election of Barack Obama, have exploited their official powers for partisan purposes.

Presidents have previously used the IRS to inappropriately surveil opponents. But the Obama Administration went far beyond that. As The Cato Institute notes,

“…the IRS in 2010 compiled a “be on the lookout” (‘BOLO’) list to identify organizations engaged in [opposition] political activities. The list included words such as ‘Tea Party,’ ‘Patriots,’ and ‘Israel’; subjects such as government spending, debt, or taxes; and activities such as criticizing the government, educating about the Constitution, or challenging Obamacare. The targeting continued through May 2013, with no consequences other than Lois Lerner, the chief of the exempt‐​organizations unit, being held in contempt of Congress—and then being allowed to peacefully retire despite erased records and other cover‐​ups.“

Obama also initiated overbearing federal measures to silence opponents, using the concept of “disinformation” to censor critics. Fox and others have noted  how  a Obama-era interagency organization ‘blacklisted’ Americans in attempt to curb ‘foreign disinformation’

The abuse of power and censorship legacy has been expanded upon by Biden. As Townhall notes, the current  “administration [engages in] blatant and hostile partisanship. When Biden does happen to think clearly on a given day, he immediately turns to vilifying and scapegoating Republicans like they are enemies of the state and not just fellow Americans. Biden’s fleeting moments of lucidity merely serve to score political points with his left-wing base, treating the Republican Party like it’s some rogue state or terrorist group.If you check the record, Biden’s rhetoric is deeply disturbing in a way that even his mental decline could never be. It is vitriolic and hateful, dividing a nation that he claimed to be unifying. Lest we forget: Biden’s inauguration address referenced “unity” nearly 10 times, and yet he’s governing as a divider of political parties. Even Barack Obama was less divisive.”

Even seasoned political observers have been stunned by the extent to which Biden has used his official position to attack his opponents. Most presidents have periodically criticized their opponents in their various remarks.  For the Biden Administration, it has been the central focus.

The Wall Street Journal notes that Biden has already revealed that the White House strong-armed platforms into more censorship than they considered justified—prompting the judge in one case to declare that the administration had made “arguably the most massive attack against free speech in United States’ history.”

The Federalist presents the issue succinctly.  “Democrats have arrested, prosecuted, and raided their enemies. the Democratic Congress and administration have written a vicious battle plan… The Biden administration has made clear they’ll prosecute their political opponents every chance they get. That means that despite Republican … Kevin McCarthy’s threat to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland accountable … he will only be empowered to hold Garland accountable under a Republican administration (unless he complies with Republican congressional oversight, which he won’t)…. Arresting an administration official after he’s left office is a dangerous precedent, but it’s one Democrats gleefully set this past year.”

The historical context is frightening.  Biden is following a playbook used by other leaders during the 20th century. Replace his phrase “Maga” with Hitler’s “Jew,” or Lenin’s “bourgeoise,” add to it the penchant of those dictators to censor and arrest their opponents, and the danger of the current President’s partisanship becomes clear.