OPINION: Political Rhetoric Has Become Too Extreme
By Dawson Beard, Skyline Editor
ALPINE – It’s an election year, and that means that local, state, and federal politicians are all reaching for the proverbial brass ring of winning their respective elections. That also means ramping up the fear mongering, mudslinging, and inflammatory rhetoric to appease their constituents, sway undecided portions of the electorate, and prey on ignorant voters.
The depths to which politicians are willing to stoop in order to curry favor with their party and voter base is, frankly, abhorrent. I believe political rhetoric turned extreme in 2015 when then-candidate, Donald J. Trump burst on the political scene. Since then, political rhetoric evolved to the detriment of the American people. A few specific examples come to mind when I think about political rhetoric post-2016.
The number one instance of inflammatory political rhetoric that has made Democrats a broken record over the last two years has been the labeling of President Trump as a “threat to democracy.” I can’t help but roll my eyes when I hear this, because it is simply not true. Our system of government includes checks and balances on all positions of the government. If Trump is to win in November, there are people who genuinely believe that there will never be another election. Saying things like, “Trump is a threat to democracy” only serves to undermine the strength and resolve of our Constitution and government systems. It’s also humorous to me that the people who are calling Donald Trump a “threat to democracy” are the same people who threw democracy out the window and forced Joe Biden out of the presidential race even though he was democratically elected to be the Democratic nominee. Make it make sense, Democrats!
Arguably, this type of rhetoric is also what led to the multiple attempts on the former President’s life in the recent weeks.
This is a bit of a sidenote here but think about it. If you keep telling the American public that [insert name here] is a threat to democracy, and that he’ll be a dictator, and that we will never have an election again if he wins, don’t you think someone will hear that and take it upon themselves to be the hero of the republic and eliminate the so-called “threat”?
Another piece of irresponsible and extreme rhetoric comes from the other side of the aisle, as Republicans have labeled the record number of border crossings under the Biden-Harris administration as an “invasion.” I’ll tell you what an invasion is:
An invasion is the occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in 1939; An invasion is what Russia did to Ukraine in 2022; An is invasion is what happened on D-Day when the United States, United Kingdom, France, Canada, and Poland landed on the beaches at Normandy to take European land back from Nazi Germany. I could go on and on without ever mentioning our domestic border issues.
Invasions in most peoples’ view involve a foreign entity waging war on and/or forcefully occupying the land of a certain area. These events ultimately lead to countless casualties, endless war, and global devastation. While what is happening at our southern border is an issue, it is by no means an invasion. Calling it an invasion, and thus labeling illegal immigrants as “invaders,” dehumanizes the vast majority of migrants who, while they are breaking the law, have pure intentions. It’s funny to me that those on the right like to cite the edge cases of illegals murdering American citizens to bolster their claims, but then turn around and criticize Democrats for citing edge cases when it comes to issues like abortion (sexual assault, incest, and life of the mother). Consistency isn’t exactly a priority in modern politics.
Unfortunately, political discourse and the ability for two people of opposing viewpoints to have a civil conversation about their beliefs is largely a thing of the past. Gone are the days of Mitt Romney congratulating Barack Obama on his wedding anniversary at the start of a 2012 presidential debate; gone are the days of respectful disagreement between candidates only to ultimately find some middle ground in some instances; gone are the days of respectful and mature politics. Extreme rhetoric has taken over the conversation.
