WASHINGTON: Partisan hostility has long been a feature of politics in the United States, but the divisions between Republicans and Democrats are getting deeper in recent years.
As the country heads towards next year’s presidential election, the situation is growing more acrimonious, with an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden and the indictment of former president Donald Trump on charges of trying to overturn election results.
Recently, Republicans in the US House of Representatives have been on the warpath, starting proceedings to try to remove Mr Biden from office over his family’s business dealings.
Republican US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said: “These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption, and they warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives.”
With Republicans unable to produce any definitive evidence so far, the White House has branded the move as a “political stunt” and “extreme politics at its worst”.
Some long-time Washington observers said that this is an example of just how serious the hostility between both parties has become.
“Now, we have a Republican Party that has completely fabricated and manufactured an impeachment inquiry without a vote of the full House based on not a shred of evidence that the president has done anything wrong,” said Dr Allan Lichtman, distinguished professor of history at the American University.
“We haven’t seen anything like that, really, in well over 150 years of US history.”
However, Republicans are also accusing the Democrats of playing politics. Former president Trump’s alleged involvement in the US Capitol riot in Jan 2021 is one of the issues that has seen him criminally prosecuted.
He has said these charges are politically motivated.
President Biden’s son Hunter Biden, who has been indicted on three federal gun charges, is alleging the same wrongdoing.
His lawyer is accusing the prosecutor of bending to “improper and partisan interference” from Trump-supporting Republicans.
Some analysts believe this level of bitterness may lead the next generation of voters to reject party politics.
“Given that these young voters are coming into an age where we’re more partisan polarised than ever before in history, we’re seeing a lot in the data that’s turning these young folks off to party politics,” said Dr Gabriel Sanchez, a David M Rubenstein fellow in governance studies at The Brookings Institution.
“What I’m curious about is over time, will they maintain that weaker attachment to either party which in theory could make them a little bit more malleable in elections.”
In the shorter term, things do not look set to cool down.
“Traditionally, we like to think, especially here in the United States, we’re the shining city on the hill, the beacon of democracy. But of course when things aren’t working here, it’s really hard to explain,” said Professor Todd Belt, director of the political management programme at the George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management.
“But even when the American people are really tired of the partisanship in Washington, a lot of these members, especially in the House, are in districts that are very heavily gerrymandered.”
This means that members do not need to worry if they would be affected in a general election, he said. Trump, Biden fight next year’s battle now in blue-collar Michigan
“They are more interested in keeping members of their party happy than they are in appealing to members on the other side,” he added.
“So the person who can get them unelected is the person from their own party who might take even more strident positions. I don’t see it improving in the short run.”
However, by the time Americans cast their ballots in November 2024, the level of acrimony could become unprecedented and lead to concerns of whether politics could once again incite violence in the US, said observers.
Source : Channel News Asia
