The Radically Contrasting Narratives of America

I have always found the US Republican and Democratic Party Conventions to be a grand political tradition. They help fire up their supporters, introduce new rising political stars, share their policy plans with voters at large, and create excitement and energy in their politics. They generate a stylish buzz. As a former politico, I love watching them. I also wish we had something similar in our Canadian political world.

However, this year, the portraits that these conventions painted was most disturbing. What emerged, like never before, were two radically contrasting narratives of America. Testimony to a bitterly divided and polarized country, where people prefer their own tribe, readily dismissing, and demonizing the other side. These fractures have been building for a number of years but now, they’ve reached a rather dangerous threshold. 

President Biden calls it an “inflection point”, and “a fight for the soul of the nation”. But it’s more than that. It also impacts their capacity to effectively lead the free world, and to be the kind of neighbour we desire, given the criticality of our relationship. It’s a precarious moment for the geopolitical landscape. People are closely watching how this all unfolds in the US, especially its adversaries.

These huge chasms must be bridged, for both domestic and global imperatives. Without it, American society runs the threat of a debilitating implosion. And a potentially very violent one. Many political observers argue that these internal divisive forces already constitute a greater threat to national security and prosperity than from their traditional external foes. That’s no exaggeration. After all, every empire in history has had a best-before-date. Eventually, they all crumbled, often from within.

I fervently hope that the US will renew itself before it is too late. They’ve done it in the past. But today, the crevices are too formidable for one party alone to solve. A bridge requires a foundation on both sides. In this regard, the onus is clearly on the Republican Party to break its cult-like addiction to Donald Trump, and reject his reliance on spreading fear, mistruths, anger, and hate. To repudiate his constant ridicule of people. To dismiss his gutting of allies and international alliances.

In other words, Republicans need to again embrace and sustain the values that once defined the Grand Old Party. To choose standard bearers that more closely resemble past nominees like Ronald Regan, Bob Dole, George H. Bush, John McCain, and Mitt Romney, people of character, who furthered the public good. And to renounce potential successors like Donald Trump Jr. and JD Vance, who are fuelled by the same vitriol that defines Donald Trump. 

Until that happens, how can America possible ease their divisions and develop an all-inclusive path forward? 

Simply put, a new Republican guard is urgently required. It will be indispensable for their national unity. Yes, Trump could still win the election, but that would only exacerbate the existing tensions, especially considering that he would “let loose” in his second term.

Now don’t get me wrong. The Dems are not without their faults and missteps. However, in the early nineties, Bill Clinton moved his party towards the center, leaving behind the hard left ideology that for many years defined a sizeable chunk of their base, and taunted their opponents and civic leaders alike. To the dismay of the Democratic old guard, he adopted policies, including on welfare reform and NAFTA, that attracted the support of Republicans. This transformation created a healthier politics, where compromise and working across the aisle were met with public approval.

A similar shift took hold in Canada when Jean Chretien led the Liberal Party and, in the UK, while Tony Blair headed the Labor Party. They moderated the more jagged edges of their respective policy platforms. They avoided extremes. They sought consensus. They found common ground. They led by personal example. That’s what good leaders do.

Yet, today’s Republican Party is content to embrace the extreme fringes of the political spectrum. They desperately need to change course, if America is to heal. They must return to a collective leadership that projects decency, honesty, and empathy, and be laser focused on the national interest. Imagine what this would do for a spirit of bipartisanship and a more civil discourse? Imagine one America, and a more vibrant democracy? Imagine a united America stepping up its international stewardship? Imagine what it could do for Canada-US relations?

Most importantly, for us Canadians, this is not just a leadership lesson for the US. Far from it. It also applies to Canada’s current political culture, where mistrust between parties is increasingly becoming the rule, where our national conversation is becoming more toxic, where public reactions to politicians are becoming more abusive and violent, and where, in the process, our democracy is rendered more fragile.

Too naïve, you say. Perhaps. 

However, last week at the DNC, Michelle Obama passionately talked about the “…contagious power of hope, the anticipation of energy, the exhilaration of once again being on the cusp of a brighter day.”

She’s so right. Hope beats despair every time. Indeed, if we can’t bet on hope, life becomes infinitely more difficult, if not impossible, including our politics.