Opinion: A new chapter in a divided nation

Tensions have been high over the past few weeks, and rightfully so. 

Walmart has removed guns from several locations amid civil unrest. Businesses have boarded up windows in fear of potential post-election riots. Politicians have gone to drastic measures to fund both candidates, as this election was estimated to have cost a colossal $14 billion dollars, easily doubling the cost of 2016.

Countless Americans discarded sleep on election night as they anxiously anticipated new updates. It has been difficult for many to remain patient, as the surge of mail-in ballots has resulted in additional time needed to count votes.

Many past US elections have been notoriously contentious, but this year has been especially discouraging to see this much hate and hostility from both Democrats and Republicans.

A quick scroll through any social media platform is an easy reminder of how divided we are as a country. Mocking, insulting, and threatening others have become commonplace online. Anyone who attempts to de-escalate uncivil discussion often finds themselves being labeled as ‘part of the problem’ and further criticized for not standing up for one side or the other.

I think we all could learn from the example of our Utah senator. That’s right, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney has remained one of the few politicians who has honored his role with integrity, upholding his duties with a clear conscience.

As of Saturday, November 7th, Biden was projected to win Pennsylvania and Nevada, securing the former vice president’s victory by surpassing the needed 270 electoral votes.

Moments after the winner was announced, Sen. Romney tweeted: “Ann and I extend our congratulations to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. We know both of them as people of good will and admirable character. We pray that God may bless them in the days and years ahead.”

One would think that this kind of class and respect would reflect on other republican senators, but as usual, Romney stands in the minority.

Of course, he has taken a lot of heat from both the right and the left. In December of 2019, he voted to convict President Trump on the first article of impeachment: abuse of power, resulting in praise and admiration from Democrats, and utter dismay from fellow Republicans. Romney’s vote to confirm Amy Coney Barrett as Supreme Court Justice pleased Republicans, but disgruntled Democrats.

In the days following the impeachment trial, he received unsurprising reactions from strangers. “You ought to be ashamed!” Was yelled at him by a stranger in an airport. “Traitor!” Was another shout from a car window during a trip to Florida with his wife. Despite the backlash, Romney has remained undaunted, as he values character and moral standards over popular opinion. 

On October 13, he released a statement on Twitter concerning the state of politics. In it, he profoundly writes, “I’m troubled by our politics, as it has moved away from spirited debate to a vile, vituperative, hate-filled morass, that is unbecoming of any free nation—let alone the birthplace of modern democracy.”

He continues, “Leaders must tone it down, leaders from the top and leaders of all stripes. Parents, bosses, reporters, columnists, professors, union chiefs, everyone. The consequence of the crescendo of anger leads to a very bad place. No sane person can want that.”

My thoughts on the current state of our politics: pic.twitter.com/oYY4zlX6ZP

— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) October 13, 2020

The statement garnered over 64 thousand likes and 25 thousand retweets. Still, many Democrats and Republicans alike condemned the senator for trying to appeal to both sides. “Name a more useless politician than Mitt Romney,” tweeted Will Chamberlain in response to the statement.

As we enter a new chapter of American history, I hope that we might “lower the heat” as Romney suggests.

We have the opportunity to start fresh, on a clean slate. No matter what your politics are, everyone agrees that civil discussion should be the norm. A person’s character should not be judged by where they stand on the political spectrum. There is no reason for families to be torn apart as a result of a difference in political opinion.

There is no denying that our country will most likely stay strongly divided, but I truly hope that we will pay less attention to meaningless denigrating and insulting on social media. It is the federal and local government’s responsibility to aid the American people as we recover from a very troublesome year, and it remains our responsibility as citizens to respect the rights, beliefs, and opinions of others.

Brayden Rigby is a sophomore studying Journalism. He enjoys writing of any kind, and spends most of his free time running and swimming.

brayden.rigby@usu.edu