Beware the Enemies of Partisanship

Beware the enemies of partisanship.

“If in the interior of a state you do not hear the noise of any conflict, you can be sure that freedom is not there”
- Montesquieu

When President Obama argued to “reject the politics of division” because “it’s the 21st century, not the 19th century”, I can only hope he was speaking out of both sides of his mouth in order to appease his ingratiating audience. There is no politics, no democracy, no freedom, without division.

That’s why we should treat with suspicion those who continually and pretentiously lament parties, partisans and partisanship (often pretending they are superior because of it) because the contrary to the politics of division is the politics of consensus and uniformity found in totalitarian organization. That our anti-partisan friends can continue to remain aloof from politics and the democratic process because they find disputation repulsive is a stain on their own respectability, not ours, and is a sign of enjoying too much of the comfort and security provided by a free society, where their rights to vote, to dissent, to apostatize, has been protected for them by parties and partisans engaged in common enterprise.

If we look out into the world and history of politics we find uniformity and abject agreeableness only in the shadows of the most repressive regimes. The politics of unity looks exactly like the 2002 Iraqi elections, where all 11,445,638 eligible voters voted for Saddam Hussein. Doing away with division is especially easy for leaders who torture and murder their opponents. Coercion and fear will impel voters to unity long before anything else. Or, like what happened recently in Cambodia, a supposed representative democracy led by the world’s longest running prime minister, they can eschew democracy itself and dissolve any opposition they so choose, parties, partisans and partisanship be damned.

The paradox of an open, democratic society is its apparent disunity, political chaos, and civil strife. These systems are necessarily uneasy given the trial and error that continues there. Add on top of that the freedom of speech and a free press, any division and sign of negativity is notably amplified, whereas in repressive societies the silence of muzzled and suppressed voices gives an odd appearance of social harmony.

That might be comforting to our friends, but as Plato noted, the penalty for refusing to participate in politics is that you often end up being governed by your inferiors. So while the fence-sitters congratulate themselves on the sidelines, refusing to determine their own future, their fellow citizens are left to pick up the slack where they refuse to put in the work. This is not a position of enlightened superiority, but of fear, self-seeking and laziness.

Instead, we should protect and even promote the “politics of division” at all costs, hold it dear to our hearts as the only method which with our societies can learn from their mistakes and overcome them. To suppress that leads to violence, repression, and the resultant mind-numbing conformity of theocracy and totalitarianism. Beware the enemies of partisanship: their hatred for the political and democratic process, with all its chaos, vitriol and disappointment, could break the slow advance towards freedom and enlightenment.

LesMis

I say we keep dividing ourselves more and more until we're two warring factions that hate each other's guts so much that we resort to violence against each other. That's what freedom is all about, hating other people so much we want them locked up. It's only freedom if we have it and they don't, right?

We're doing a great job of that so far, our country is definitely headed in the right direction. Now if only we could hate the other side even more, then everything will be perfect.

a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

I say we keep dividing ourselves more and more until we're two warring factions that hate each other's guts so much that we resort to violence against each other. That's what freedom is all about, hating other people so much we want them locked up. It's only freedom if we have it and they don't, right?

We're doing a great job of that so far, our country is definitely headed in the right direction. Now if only we could hate the other side even more, then everything will be perfect.

I'm sure you do say that. Of course, pretending to be aloof of the process only contributes to its debasement.

That's not what freedom is all about, actually.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

That’s why we should treat with suspicion those who continually and pretentiously lament parties, partisans and partisanship

Exactly - the alternative is to have the likes of Vlad wiping the floor with his minimum 79% winning margin over any other political opponent stupid enough to run against him and still think they can eat and drink stuff without consequence.

There is one particular member that flogs this partisan BS in every thread but its obvious to everyone that they bat for the democrat-liberal mindset every. single. time.......whilst attempting to point out all the obvious flaws of conservative-republicans and never taking his own team to task - ever.

It's pathetic and weak.

In 2020, I encourage Trump to run as an independent so as to start a completely new party based upon his already clear preference of Capitalistic Libertarianism.

You, my friend, are a true asset for ATS - a beautiful mind whose contributions always challenge the ego.

a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

The Human Species has another 50,000 years to go before it's even possible 😎

a reply to: Sublimecraft

I find that, at least on the internet, those who pretend to be above the political process merely use it to disguise their partisanship. When you criticize their party or side in particular, they can return with the old appeal to hypocrisy, "both sides do it".

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

There's a difference between unrelenting partisanship and people simply having different opinions. The kind of partisanship we have today is not healthy

a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

OMFG - and here you are, right on cue.

I want you to enter a liberal-generated conservative bashing thread and absolutely hammer the OP and all like-minded posters like you do with every conservative-generated liberal bashing thread.

The problem is, that you can't do it with any degree of consistency because you yourself lean left.

a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

There's a difference between unrelenting partisanship and people simply having different opinions. The kind of partisanship we have today is not healthy

It's the sign of a healthy, free society, where competing interests can engage peacefully in the democratic political process.

a reply to: Sublimecraft

These threads are much more common and popular than the alternative. If you're honest with yourself you'll admit that. Look at the front page right now and tell the which way the majority of the threads lean. Now check back in a day or two and see if that changes.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

There's no such thing as peace in the current political climate. There's a difference between healthy debate and outright hate. We have the latter right now.

a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

There's no such thing as peace in the current political climate. There's a difference between healthy debate and outright hate. We have the latter right now.

I mean in the sense of an absence of violence and war, not tranquility and quiet.

Yes we do have hatred, and its committed by those who have little faith in freedom.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

How long do you think that will last? We have both Democrats and Republicans begging for someone to fire the first shot.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope


"All compromise is based on give and take, but there can be no give and take on fundamentals. Any compromise on mere fundamentals is a surrender. For it is all give and no take."
-Mahatma Gandhi

a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

How long do you think that will last? We have both Democrats and Republicans begging for someone to fire the first shot.

I believe the first shots have already be fired.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

So things aren't peaceful then? If shots have been fired then your idea of "peace" isn't exactly a reality.

originally posted by: 3NL1GHT3N3D1
a reply to: LesMisanthrope

So things aren't peaceful then? If shots have been fired then your idea of "peace" isn't exactly a reality.

I never said there was peace.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

Ok Les, sure you didn't.

It's the sign of a healthy, free society, where competing interests can engage peacefully in the democratic political process.

I know your game so I'm going to opt out of the circular arguments.

originally posted by: 3NL1GHT3N3D1
a reply to: LesMisanthrope

Ok Les, sure you didn't.

It's the sign of a healthy, free society, where competing interests can engage peacefully in the democratic political process.

I know your game so I'm going to opt out of the circular arguments.

Good, I was tired of watching you attempt to misrepresent what I said.

Partisanship is only for the peons. There's too much money to be made for our "leaders" to be at each others necks. They all hang out, laugh and vacation together.

It's only the regular people who believe in the division and foster it amongst themselves. With the people in power it's just theater, and a means to an end. Which is more money and the only thing rich people crave more than money, power.