Editorial
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel
July 17, 2024
Enjoy the quiet while it lasts. The attempt on Donald Trump’s life led to calls from every corner of the nation to “lower the temperature in our politics,” as President Joe Biden put it in a prime-time address from the Oval Office on Sunday.
The two campaigns might — however briefly — tone down their rhetoric, but they have no control over how the nation’s political divisions play out on the digital landscape.
From the moment shots were fired at a Trump campaign rally in Pennsylvania, fact-free conspiracy theories from both sides of the political divide started flying on the internet, reminiscent of the old maxim, “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is lacing up its shoes.”
We, as a nation, might have a chance of moving toward civility in politics if the two campaigns would lead by example. But they won’t. Politics is about the path of least resistance. Fear is the most potent weapon in the rhetorical arsenal.
Besides, how can Biden or Trump make a case for unity to a country that has already endured months of hearing gloomy predictions about what will happen if the other side wins?
Already there are calls for Biden to stop arguing that Trump presents a threat to democracy. If Biden were to do that, does anyone believe Trump would stop insisting the last election was stolen or that Biden has weaponized the justice system?
The assassination attempt has led to a brief detente — an acknowledgment from both Democrats and Republicans that political discourse in this country is in the ditch. But if both parties think the other side is primarily responsible, nothing will change.
We, as a western Colorado community, have more insight into the nature of modern political discourse than most.
First, Colorado Mesa University has established its Civic Forum with a goal of “striving to understand both sides of an argument and treating those we disagree with in a civil manner.”
The Civic Forum’s “Dignity in Dialogue” speaker series brings in guests to talk about history, civic engagement, individual freedoms, equality, social justice and other current events to spur critical thinking and give participants an opportunity to explore thought-provoking themes with civility.
Second, a group fed up with extremism has taken root in Mesa County. Restore the Balance has built a strong membership of folks who are sick of political gridlock created by hyper partisanship.
“Extremists of all kinds attract supporters and money by appealing to fears and resentments, amplifying divisions instead of truly addressing problems.” That statement is listed as one of RTB’s core values.
RTB came into existence at a time when Tina Peters and Lauren Boebert were making national headlines for their extremists views. The fact that neither is politically relevant in Mesa County lends credence to the idea that RTB has had a moderating effect on discourse here. But RTB is often a target of blistering letters to the editor on this page, underscoring the difficulty of changing anybody’s mind about where the roots of extremism lie.
In his address from the Oval Office, Biden said, “We need to get out of our silos, where we only listen to those with whom we agree, where misinformation is rampant, where foreign actors fan the flames of our division, to shape the outcomes consistent with their interests, not ours.”
We agree with the president. In spite of active local campaigns encouraging folks to see a bigger picture, too often we retreat to our ideological corners.
We said this before, but the key to stop demonizing the opposition is getting to know our neighbors. Seeing them as people first, regardless of political orientation, is a sound first step in recognizing that they’re fellow Americans. From there, it’s a matter of rediscovering the ties that bind us. There are many.
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