The Divided States of America
There was once a time when being a politician meant dedicating oneself to serving and uniting the people. Today, the idea of being a true public servant seems to be long forgotten.
In 2004, at the Democratic National Convention, former President Barack Obama shared a message of unity and empathy that transcended political divisions, emphasizing that government exists to serve everyone, not just the privileged few. He reminded us of the common good that unites us all:
"If there's a child on the South Side of Chicago who can’t read, that matters to me, even if it's not my child. If there's a senior citizen who can’t pay for her medicine, that makes my life poorer... It's that fundamental belief—I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper—that makes this country work... there's not a liberal America and a conservative America—there's the United States of America... We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America."
Just two decades later, at a time when the political divide is at a high, unity has become an afterthought. Now, instead of attempting to unite, President Donald Trump seeks to deepen the divide by vilifying the opposing party, inciting political violence, and shifting blame instead of taking accountability. But to him, unity is a threat; division is his power and his platform.
This divide is clearest in the ongoing government shutdown, the longest in American history. Since early October, Congress has failed to pass funding bills needed to keep federal programs running. One of them is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which provides food for more than 42 million Americans—roughly one in every eight people. Instead of working to resolve the impasse, President Trump has chosen to weaponize it. He declared that he would halt all food stamp payments until Democrats agreed to his terms to end the shutdown.
Using hunger as a bargaining chip is simply evil. Access to food and water is not negotiable—it is a basic human right. By holding that right hostage for political leverage, President Trump is stripping away the humanity of those he swore an oath to serve.
In 1944, during another era of rising political intolerance, former Vice President Henry A. Wallace warned us of this very danger, labeling it fascism. He described a fascist as:
"one whose lust for money or power is combined with such an intensity of intolerance toward those of other races, parties, classes, religions, cultures, regions, or nations as to make him ruthless in his use of deceit or violence to attain his ends."
Wallace’s words are eerily relevant today and remind us that fascism never announces itself. It grows quietly, when those in power use fear to divide and vilify those who disagree—as we see today. Yet the strength of a nation has never rested in its leaders, but in we the people who have a moral responsibility to build a society that includes everyone, bound by the common good. In times when leaders seek to divide us, we must remember that we are people before politics.