Division among Democrats a concern

By: Tyrone Barrozo, Columnist

With the arrival of the new decade comes last year’s problems. One of those problems, that is the continuing division and conflict amongst Americans, unfortunately, does not seem that it will be disappearing anytime soon in 2020.

As the Democratic National Committee continues to scramble to send their best lamb to slaughter for what will inevitably be another media storm that will spawn soundbites and memes a plenty, previous contenders for Old Glory’s crown have decided to chime in on some of the current candidates.

Enter Hillary Clinton who, for some reason, was being interviewed by The Hollywood Reporter for an upcoming four-part documentary series about herself, commented on Senator Bernie Sanders.

“Nobody likes him,” Clinton said. “He was in Congress for years. He had one senator support him… Nobody wants to work with him, he got nothing done. He was a career politician. It’s all just baloney, and I feel so bad that people got sucked into it.”

Side note, for those who proudly still declare that they’re #StillWithHer, these criticisms are directed at a man who spent his university days as one of the leaders in the University of Chicago sit-ins at the height of the Civil Rights Movement and hasn’t compromised his passionate, albeit arguably radical, political views. And Clinton’s comments are simply even more hilarious when she tries to shoot at Sanders, who’s currently on the campaign trail, when everyone remembers that one of the biggest names in U.S. politics who should’ve easily won the hearts of the American people somehow manages to lose the electoral college vote to the celebrity extra from “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.”

Now, what is the importance of highlighting this sort of infighting amongst the DNC? Why should everyone care that Clinton takes issue and seems somewhat bitter with Sanders as a person? Because it seems to raise an issue that I’ve noticed all the way back from the 2016 election: the culture of division amongst Democrats.

In short, I believe that Donald Trump won the 2016 election not because he was the candidate with the most intelligence, the most integrity, or the most patience, but because of Americans’ bickering—specifically Americans who identify themselves as proud liberals—and their unwillingness to render their political beliefs to a more calculated and moderate degree nor be willing to argue. And, by “argue,” I don’t mean a social media shouting match or a Shapiro-esque fact duel for supremacy.

Perhaps this is made a problem with the continual allowance of current news media, at their very worst, instigating unneeded conflict for viewership. Regardless, if America wants a new president in 2020 — which I highly doubt, but I can only hope — everyone must recognize a new definition of “argue” within this context.

With Clinton’s recent venom, I will say that that sort of rhetoric is plain stupid. By mentioning Sanders only to tear him down, not only seems unneeded but also does nothing for her overall professional image for the general public—excluding the vocal minority of zealots who parade for her just as hard as zealots on the right side of the political spectrum. 

Keeping an open mind, relaxing one’s anxieties for the world, and working with both allies and opponents will be the only way to remedy the aforementioned issue of division and, thus, help the nation finally take their first step towards recovery and maybe prove my doubts wrong.