Americans are the most divided we’ve been since the Civil War. Perhaps the best example of this is Donald Trump. The middle ground is all but gone from American politics. Everyone that pays attention to politics considers themselves either a MAGA diehard or a Never-Trumper. In 2020, only eleven percent of voters were undecided six weeks before the election. In 1992, twenty-five percent of voters made up their mind in the last few weeks.

A large part of this is the news that people are watching. Fifty years ago, there was no such thing as “left-wing news” or “right-wing news.” The news reported the facts and nothing else. Then, they discovered that they could make more money by telling people what they wanted to hear. Now, people choose the news they want and dismiss everything else as “fake news.” News networks are moving to the political extreme out of fear of losing viewers to even more extreme outlets. 

Perhaps the only thing more polarizing than the media in this day and the age is the politicians themselves. Twenty years ago, both parties stood firmly behind the president as he led the country through the aftermath of the September 11th attacks. Members of both parties stood on the steps of the Capitol building to sing “America the Beautiful.” Now, politicians that work with the other party on important issues get attacked by their own party. Donald Trump accused his rival President Joe Biden of cheating rather than accept defeat. He claims he’s the target of a ‘political witch hunt.” On the other side, Biden is accusing Republicans of attempting to “destroy this country” over the debt ceiling vote. He calls those that support Trump extremists. 

The middle ground in politics is gone. The media is polarizing this nation. The politicians themselves are doing everything they can to increase this divide. The center has disappeared, and we must do something to get it back.