Are there really only two sides, and are they really symmetric? They are in the sense that in our political system, a 2 party system there are only two choices. One can say you do have multiple choices when third party candidates are considered, but most of those only get on a couple of state ballots and on average only receive 1.5% of the the total vote and none of the big money financing from corporations, wall street firms, lobbyist, mega money donors etc.
There's no doubt we have a great ideological divide regardless of how both sides act. Although recently I would say one side isn't that ideological anymore, worshiping a man instead of promoting their party's ideology. The other side remained constant with ideology. So in that sense things are out of skelter. In the other sense, republicans opposing any proposal made by the democrats and the democrats opposing any proposal made by the republicans, not based on any merits or lack of merit of the proposal, only who proposed goes on. At least since what I term the beginning of our modern political era of polarization, divisiveness and mega, ultra high partisanship.
Trump is a result of the modern era of our politics, not the cause. Political escalation and payback of things done is normal in our modern political era. In 2006 Schumer said the Democratic controlled congress wouldn't consider any Bush SCOTUS nominations if an opening occurred. Payback for than was McConnell not allowing a vote on Garland, escalation. Reid first used the nuclear option for all presidential appointments but excluded the SCOTUS, as payback McConnell then used the nuclear option, escalated it to include the SCOTUS, hence Kavanaugh and Barrett.
Perhaps it's today's party's political leaders we have to thank. Party firsters. Lott and Daschle would never have even dreamed of the nuclear option or denying a vote on a SCOTUS nominee. Neither would have Mitchell and Dole or Baker and Byrd going back further. Straight party line votes never happened under their senate leadership. They do all the time under Reid, Schumer and McConnell. Just using the senate as an example.
Of course, in today's modern political era it is always the other party's fault, the other party is always to blame, not my party. I do however think Trump has thrown a twist into that whereas one party has become fixated on a man, not ideology while as I stated earlier, the other remained constant. Hence you have a valid point in my opinion.
I don't think there is any fixing that can be done until Trump disappears. Then maybe a complete change in party leadership to get back to a previous political era where cooperation between parties is possible, where compromise is more the norm than thinking it is total surrender to the other side. To where each party respects the other and is willing to work with the other where ever possible. We need to get back to where both sides of the aisle respect and acknowledge the others political point of view.
If Reagan and Tip O'Neill can work together to get things done, political leaders of entirely different political philosophies, I don't see why it isn't possible today. Except each party today views the other as this nation's number one enemy instead of a political opponent with a different political point of view.
When Trump goes, completely disappears, perhaps that may be possible. But I highly doubt it. Not without a complete change of both parties leadership. Perhaps the base of each party doesn't want to go back to compromise and working together where possible. Perhaps their present view of the other party being public enemy number one is now too ingrained to change. I have little to no hope of this changing, Trump or no Trump.
