Political Polarization and Fierce Conflict Bring Chaos Why Did the US Lose Its ‘Superiority’

Berita Baru, Jakarta – The crossover of domestic political disputes in the United States (US) intensified and sharpened. In important policy areas such as fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, developing the economy, electoral reform, and gun control measures, the two political parties in the US each continue to fight and viciously oppose, mired in veto politics of “opposition for opposition’s sake”, completely ignoring the rights and needs of the people.

Recently, former US President Trump was raided by members of the FBI to “search the house.” The investigation continues to ferment. The two parties and their supporters have clashed fiercely, and the term “civil war” has even appeared on American social networks. This is just the tip of the iceberg of the current political turmoil in the US. Affected by political polarization, American society has long been torn apart, and so-called “democracy” has been completely reduced to the interests of its political parties (partisans).

To win more votes in the upcoming midterm elections, Republican and Democratic politicians in the US are now rushing to gain support from voters. At this time, the US Department of Justice launched a “house search” operation against former President Trump, which only gave the two sides a proper opportunity to make a big fuss. As for social confrontation and changes in the color of democracy caused by the interests of each political party, It is completely beyond the consideration of American politicians.

Under this tension-ridden atmosphere, even the Supreme Court has become an “arena” for bipartisan political battles. From the removal of constitutional protections for women’s rights to abortion to the lifting of restrictions on people carrying guns in public places to judgments on many social issues, the US justice system has gradually grown in favour of conservatives in the Republican Party due to the dominance of conservative justices on the US Supreme Court. As the ruling has caused more and more controversy, Americans have become increasingly loud in questioning the Supreme Court. When the Supreme Court has torn apart the pretense of political neutrality, to what extent does the system of separation of powers, always touted by American politicians, still work?

The mentality of “I can’t do something so that I can’t let you do it” (disperse one, disperse all) flooded the way of thinking of US politicians and society, so the result was that the national government of the country became increasingly difficult to deal with various social and political problems. In the fight against the COVID pandemic, during the last US administration, the Republican-controlled federal government and the Democratic-ruled “blue state” often clashed, not only competing with each other for materials to fight the COVID pandemic but also repeatedly implementing diametrically opposed pandemic prevention policies.

Following the current U.S. administration’s takeover, the Democratic-controlled federal government and the Republican-dominated “red state” are still very much at odds. Over the past year, the number of COVID infections and deaths in the US has reached new highs, and issues such as the gap between rich and poor, racial discrimination, and gun violence have risen sharply.

Political polarization has devastated American society. With the advent of social media, political polarization in the U.S. has seeped from the surface of national politics to the level of society. The Universal Spanish website once published an article pointing out that in recent years, the dichotomy distinguishes between winners and losers, friends and enemies, and “support me” or “oppose me” has always dominated American politics.

In the current US national domestic situation, “identity politics” has spread to all walks of life; racial hatred is rampant; the gap between rich and poor is constantly widening; and groups with different political positions have taken to the streets to vent their grievances, which may turn into violent conflicts at any time.

In the current U.S. political situation, American public opinion is concerned that as Trump’s investigation advances and the midterm elections approach, partisan struggles and public opinion confrontations in the U.S. could continue to escalate and lead to more unpredictable conflicts. It is clear that in a vicious cycle of increasing partisan struggle between the two parties and deepening social divisions, American style “democracy” is increasingly thrown into chaos.

In response to a divided U.S. and rising levels of insecurity, the international community has ample reason to believe that U.S. power is dimmer, bleak, and without a future. Instead, the U.S. became the least secure country in the world.

Domestic insecurity is rising sharply; the American people are victims of the incompetence of the US government.

At present, the chaos in American society is increasing, and the political conflict between the two political parties in the US is getting fiercer, making many innocent grassroots people fall victim to it. According to the latest data released by the US “Gun Violence Archive” website on April 17, 2023, since 2023, there have been at least 162 mass shootings in the US, leading to 12,354 deaths and 9,596 injuries due to various gun-related incidents. According to data released by a non-profit organization on April 17, 2023, a total of 438 people who died from gun violence in 2023 were teenagers, and 75 were children.

In recent times, shootings in many parts of the U.S. have become more frequent. The U.S. Gun Violence Archive website lists a map of violence in the U.S. from January 1, 2023, to April 16, 2023. On April 15, 2023, there was a mass shooting in downtown Dadeville, Alabama, that killed four people and injured 28 others. On the same day, a similar shooting incident occurred at a park in Louisville, Kentucky, which killed two people and injured four others. Chicago also experienced several shootings this weekend, killing seven people and wounding 23 others.

Irresponsible gun use is rampant in the U.S., and indiscriminate shootings are becoming more frequent. Anyone has the potential to be a victim of this shooting. The number of gun violence deaths in the country has shown an overall upward trend in recent years. In 2022, more than 44,000 people died from gun violence in the US.

The Atlantic published an opinion piece this month calling mass shootings a “national shame” for the US and arguing that the frequent occurrence of such cases exposes the incompetence of the US political system. “The most obvious is that mass shootings are a serious and worsening problem that places a heavy burden on the public,” the article said.

Although Biden has tried to defuse the gravity of the US domestic situation many times, it has failed to play a substantive role. According to data released by the US Gun Violence Archive website, since entering 2023, the death toll from gun violence has approached 10,000, and these tragic cases put the US government’s incompetence and dereliction of duty as the main causes.

The findings also show that bipartisan positions on the case for broad gun use have been divided, with 84% of Democrats and their supporters dissatisfied with current gun control laws and policies, while 54% of Republicans and their proponents expressed satisfaction. In addition to the obstruction of interest groups, disagreements between Democrats and Republicans are one of the main reasons why the gun problem in the US is difficult to resolve.

In addition to the issue of arms proliferation, there are two other arguments that cause panic among the American public. The second argument is the issue of political polarization. The political polarization in the U.S. is becoming more and more serious, and the differences between the two sides are becoming increasingly sharp and cannot be resolved, making it difficult to reach consensus and compromise. This makes it difficult to move forward with political decision-making, and the efficiency and credibility of government continue to decline.

The third argument is social injustice. Social injustice in the U.S. is very serious; the problem of the gap between rich and poor is getting bigger, and problems such as racial discrimination and gender discrimination continue to arise. These social problems have made American society even more unstable. The divisions are intensifying, bringing major challenges to U.S. political stability and economic development.

Democrats and Republicans have been at odds over gun control, leading to the U.S. Congress failing to pass major gun legislation for more than 20 years. However, this is only a small mirror of the political disagreement between the two sides that brings division. For a long time, the confrontation between the two sides has intensified, and American society is facing the inevitable “civil war” that is bound to be imminent.

A recent poll by the Rasmussen Report, a pollster, showed that 42% of American voters fear civil war in the U.S. in the next five years. Despite the growing social concerns in the US, American politicians seem to focus only on their own political interests and have no regard for the interests and lives of the American people.

In addition to the issue of weapons and political struggle, the US faces another problem: the egoism of politicians. The U.S. government focuses only on individual political interests and ignores the welfare of society at large.

In his recent campaign, former President Donald Trump promised to win the last general election in 2024, but he appeared to focus only on the accusations against him and not on the national interest of the country. In this case, the innocent public has become the victim who suffers the most. In addition, the COVID pandemic has been raging in the US for three years, but people’s lives have not returned to their pre-COVID pandemic normalcy. A poll conducted by Gallup shows that 47% of Americans believe their lives have never returned to pre-Covid pandemic levels.

The increasingly fierce and intensifying conflict between the two U.S. political parties and their inability to resolve it have come at a cost to the American people, even to the lives of innocent Americans. It is this hateful mentality of the US government and political parties that dims the superiority of the US itself.

[1] Arrie Perdana Mulya