Partisanship is Dangerous

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letter to the Editor by Eli D. Elk – 15 Years Old

The past decade has seen a severe increase in the amount of partisanship that exists in our government, as well as throughout the country. As candidates and policies have become more extreme, the political landscape has gotten much more polarized. It seems that there is no longer room for a moderate Republican or a moderate Democrat. The major problem with this is that it leads to both sides becoming resistant to compromise, and compromise is the very premise upon which our entire government functions. Compromise is key to a popular and effective government, and partisanship fundamentally interferes with compromise. Unfortunately, the parties thrive on polarization. Pushing people to the extremes ensures that each party has a hardcore group of supporters that are vocal and financially generous, allowing the parties to stay in power even though a majority of the population is dissatisfied with our government. The electorate needs to make a conscious effort to promote cooperation and compromise. Partisanship is the most dangerous force that contributes to the inability of this country to resolve major issues and whether or not we can overcome it may be an indicator of long term success.