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Just 96 Days Left: The Terrible Gibberish of Unity

By Mark Grueter

“A political party only truly exists when it is divided against itself.” - Hegel

Everybody knows the Democrats are uniters and the Republicans are dividers and that uniters are good and dividers are bad. We know this because 20 or so Democrats stand up in front of the podium every day to tell us. They also tell us repeatedly that John Kerry and John Edwards will unite the country. On the floor nobody seriously listens to any of these speeches, caught up as they are with small talk, celebrity watching and trying to stay awake. Journalists pretend to do interviews, then sit down and pretend to take notes. The only story being that everybody delivers the same message with the same clichés. It seems stupid of me to point this out though because it’s so obvious. But what else is there to write about?

John Glenn bragged about how this convention is the best ever because “dissension” had been totally purged from the scene. What they seem to aspire to is a one-party state where all march in unison, singing songs. No diversity, no argument, just agreement. And for all of their self-proclaimed deep thinking and sophistication, it’s surprising Kerry and his wife never reach conclusions that divide.

The overrated speech by Barak Obama assured us that Americans are not divided anyway. We’re already united, says Obama, because we all coach little league, know gay people and “worship an awesome God.” (And, for good measure, John Kerry will “reverse climate change”). Dennis Kucinich insists, “We are left, right, center. We are one.” So if we’re already united anyway, what’s the point of talking about the need to unite us?

John Edwards recognized the obvious existence of divisions when he spoke of “two Americas” – the powerful and the unpowerful. Of course, the divisions go well beyond that, but at least he recognized the existence of divisions; divisions that were not created by George W. Bush, by the way. Divisions have existed since the beginning of time. Our government, for instance, was deliberately divided by our founders between three separate branches so that one idea or party would not rule. The whole point of opposing authoritarian regimes is that they attempt to make everyone the same. Politicians who promote consensus, conformity and unity do so in order to maintain control and thwart dissent. They should instead realize that faction and division are healthy for democracy and necessary for intellectual growth.

The plain fact is that Americans are divided by race, sex and ideology, but isn’t that what America is supposed to be about? A celebration of diversity? Many common values exist but should we not be promoting a diversity of views and values, not trying to get rid of them?

The number one problem with this country is the general lack of interest in public affairs, the lack of interest in debate and discussion in general. It’s why we have such dismally low voter turnout rates compared to all other industrialized countries. The three subjects that are off-limits for any social conversation in America - religion, politics and sex – are three of the only things worth talking about. But the Democratic Party is now promoting an absolute reverence for civility and the establishment of the trend toward commercial, cultural and political homogenization.

Edwards gave the same speech he always gives, one that lacks poetry but appeals to sentimentality, the trump card of every good poser. All of these mindless clichés about optimism and hope are used because, the pollsters tell us, Americans respond enthusiastically to this sort of stuff. If that were true, Kerry/Edwards would be running away with the election, something they are far from doing. Edwards speech was, however, like Obama’s, very well read from the large teleprompter placed in front of his face.

The growing divide between rich and poor is obviously an injustice. But class divisions are a reality that will certainly not go away if Kerry/Edwards win, something John Edwards himself recognized in practice if not now in theory. Many people are content to talk about the redistribution of property, but John Edwards went out and did it as a trial lawyer, taking as much money away from rich people as he possibly could. Republicans accuse him of “class warfare” because of this, as if they aren’t fully and openly engaged in class war themselves. Is not the whole point of capitalism a struggle between individuals over resources? But on Wednesday night Edwards spoke of building “one America” as if that were possible, or even desirable.

Mark Grueter is a writer living in New York City. He can be contacted here.

© 2004 Me Three