Politicians Are Always Political

I have been watching news reports of the efforts to curb the virus and more recently the efforts to ease restrictions to reopen the economy. Initially, I sensed a wave of nationalism that united all of us against the growing pandemic. This unity lasted for about three days after the first cases were discovered in a Seattle nursing home. Our Governor began to blame the Trump administration for lack of preparedness. As the outbreak spread to ravish New York, Governor Inslee found an ally and both Governors blamed the federal government for all their problems. The President, in turn, handed the responsibility back to the states. Political lines were beginning to emerge. When some of the states began to ease up on the-stay-at home order and open their economies, they were applauded by Republicans and chastised by Democrats. How did a global flu virus epidemic become a partisan issue?

My first answer was the hatred Democrats seem to harbor for President Trump. Anything the President says or does is automatically attacked by Democrats and their allies in the liberal national press. The more I thought about it, however, I decided it is more than that. The coronavirus became a partisan issue because everything is a partisan issue. The party in power, the “Ins”, have the responsibility to govern while the “Outs” are responsible to criticize and make sure the “Ins” don’t run amok. That is the natural order of a two-party system. Thus, left-leaning Democrats are supposed to oppose the right-leaning Republicans and pull them to the center. This worked very well for over two hundred years. Then it began to break down as both parties drifted to the extreme ends of the political spectrum leaving the middle vacant.

When the virus began to threaten a significant number of Americans, liberals (who tend to be Democrats) looked to government to save them. Government is the answer to all problems. Government is supposed to protect us from poverty, natural disasters, old age, and threats to our health. Conservatives (who tend to be Republicans) expect government to promote a national infrastructure wherein free enterprise can flourish, then stay pretty much out of the way. Conservatives didn’t want the President nor the Governors to exercise far reaching powers restricting their freedoms. Conservatives are less likely to sacrifice economic well-being for safety. Conservatives would rather open up business before the virus is eradicated.

The President and the governors were all playing to their power bases. If you examine Governor Inslee’s actions, it becomes obvious that his agenda favors King County liberals. He closed churches but left pot shops open. He prohibited elective medical procedures but allowed abortion clinics to remain open. The rhetoric, however, has been ratcheted up to the point that it is harmful to our country. The President uses his tweeter to attack all who disagree with him. When protestors disagreed with our Governor’s decision to extend the stay-at-home order, he called them “mean spirited.”

Our nation was born in conflict and disagreement. It is not mean spirited to disagree. We have lost the ability to compromise. We need to relearn how to listen and work toward the middle. We cannot survive as two warring camps.

(Frank Watson is a retired Air Force Colonel and long-time resident of Eastern Washington. He has been a free-lance columnist for over 20 years.)