David Marshall

(10/2022) The passion which fuels politics is not new in America, neither is the subsequent political violence which sometimes occurs. Therefore, it should not surprise us that a North Dakota man was charged with felony vehicular homicide after he fatally struck a teenager with his SUV following what he said was a "political argument". From the day the FBI searched former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, researchers who track extremism have sounded the alarm about an escalation of violent rhetoric from the far-right, including talk of another "civil war" and threats against federal law enforcement.

Former Trump White House advisor Steve Bannon said the FBI was "a new American Gestapo." Words can be deadly. As a result, the threats against law enforcement ultimately materialized in an attempted attack on an FBI field office. An armed man wearing body armor tried to breach the FBI’s field office in Cincinnati sparking an hours-long standoff that ended when he was gunned down after firing at officers. In situations where people are already filled with strong and barely controllable emotions, it does not take much in the way of specific words to provoke them into committing deadly action.

Not only does passion come with anger, passion also creates a strong and sometimes unhealthy level of devotion. For many people devotion is given to the man who one Republican lawmaker refers to as the "Orange Jesus". Devotion to political leaders is not a bad thing in itself but when it becomes exploited and used to carry out political violence, it can be dangerous.

Regardless of his questionable actions, Sen. Linsey O. Graham is fully aware of the depth of loyalty and devotion Donald Trump supporters have toward the former president. Graham said that there would be "riots in the street" if Trump is prosecuted for taking classified government documents to Mar-a-Lago after leaving office. Trump himself warned that if he were indicted there would be "problems in this country the likes of which perhaps we’ve never seen before." He added, "I don’t think the people of this country would stand for it." The attack on the U.S. Capitol shows that Trump has an army which is armed, waiting and willing to be deployed.

The threats from Graham and Trump are a serious call to action for future violence which reflects our nation’s red/ blue, rural / urban and white / black divides. The passion behind politics has always been a fight over control, power, dominance, respect and the desire to be heard and not forgotten. Unfortunately, the obsession of power can open the door to corruption and loss of values. The uneven distribution of power can lead to chaos. We have become a nation that struggles with the need for coexistence. In our politics, too many lawmakers have accepted the belief that "my way is the right way and the only way". How did we arrive to this point? Of course, most things political has its root to our Founding Fathers.

So much is still spoken today about our Founding Fathers in ways where we continue to hold them in high esteem. While they were a group of 18th century revolutionary leaders who united the Thirteen Colonies and led the war for Independence, they were also trailblazers. As trailblazers, they created an unknown path for future generations by establishing the framework for a form of government called democracy.

When the Thirteen Colonies fought a common external enemy in the form of the British Army, they banded together in national unity. When it came time for representatives of the young nation to actually govern, the unity did not last long in part to the running feud and philosophical differences between two men who were members of President George Washington’s cabinet. Perhaps there is no feud more significant to American history than the one between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson.

The Hamiltonian school of thought represented the interests of trade, manufacturing and a well-educated elite which was centered in the industrial North. They preferred a strong federal government In contrast, the Jeffersonian school of thought argued that too much power in the hands of the federal government would lead to tyranny. It reflected an economy based on farming which was centered in the agricultural South. They preferred a limited national government where more power was given the state and local governments. Regardless, democracy is a form of unity with one body (nation) consisting of many parts (states). Each of the parts, despite representing diverse interests and cultures, are interrelated and interdependent upon each other. For that reason, there is always the need to master the art of coexistence.

During Hamilton and Jefferson’s time, the nation was not all industrial neither was it all agricultural. The same is true today. Both men maintained valid points in their respective perspectives in how they saw the function of a central government. The answer has never been one school of thought over the other. The answer is a combination of the two working together. The Founders gave us a system of unity for our government which is the model for the world, but as "We the People" have diverse interests the Founders did not give us the example of how to coexist within the system. There was no love lost between Hamilton and Jefferson and their hatred toward each other left us with an example of political and cultural divisions which still exist today.

Throughout history, these fault lines has led to internal hate including a Civil War. Today, we now have talk of a second civil war. At times, we are able to avoid grave harm and damage to the nation when we have true statesmen stand up and become the "adult in the room".

Unfortunately, the effect often fails to remain longstanding. As president, when George Washington first realized the depth of the two men’s hatred for each other and its harm to the nation, he wrote almost identical letters to them pleading with them to try to get along.

Washington wrote," I believe it will be difficult, if not impracticable, to manage the Reins of Government or to keep the parts of it together: for if, instead of laying our shoulders to the machine after measures are decided on, one pulls this way and another that…" He ended the letter by stating, "And, in my opinion, the fairest prospect of happiness and prosperity that ever was presented to man will be lost-perhaps for ever!"

David W. Marshall is author of the book "God Bless Our Divided America" and member of Country First. Country First is focused on recognizing that Republicans, Democrats or Independents don’t have to be enemies just because they have different experiences and perspectives. To learn more about Country First visit www.country1st.com