Both right and left grew paranoid as the decade of the nineties wore on. The left complained of a “vast right wing conspiracy” while the right considered Bill Clinton illegitimate. Partisan bickering eventually led to Clinton’s impeachment. The impeachment battle left hard feelings on both sides, but served as a precursor for the 2000s. The election battle of 2000 tipped the balance leading to harder feelings on each side. The 911 attacks and subsequent public reaction isolated the neoleft resulting in further radicalization. By the end of the decade, some observers were whispering civil war. This was little more than hyperbole. However, the country appeared splintered politically and culturally with the neoleft occupying the coasts, the right in the south, the plains, and the west, and few areas serving as swing constituencies. The following are the major events of the last dozen years, which further divided the country along cultural and ideological lines.
Bush v. Gore (2000):
Impeachment drove the partisan rancor to a fever pitch. George W. Bush promised to be a “uniter, not a divider” while running for president. He appeared headed toward victory when a DUI charge emerged in the campaign’s waning days. Bush’s five-point lead dissipated leading to essentially a tie with Vice President Al Gore. The contest came down to Florida, which Bush apparently won. The Gore campaign demanded a recount in Democratic precincts only. As a result, the vice president gained on Bush’s lead. The Republicans sued in court fearing vote fraud. Gore managed a statistically improbable comeback cutting Bush’s lead to 537 votes when the Supreme Court intervened.
Bush won the election leaving hard feelings on the Democratic side. The Democrats felt Bush illegitimate and that the Republicans stole the election. On the other hand, the Republicans felt the Democrats tried to steal the election by disqualifying military ballots and attempting to remove the Cuban American vote from the totals. They also questioned the validity of the recount itself. As a result, both sides felt anger in the aftermath. Some theorized that this was part of the Democratic plan. If they won the recount, Gore wins the White House. If they lost, then Bush would be damaged and unable to govern setting up a restoration in 2004.
911 (2001):
Shark attacks and a missing intern dominated the news in the summer of 2001. The Democrats attacked the Republicans for the “Bush recession” which began in 2000. The Bush Administration looked to the economy and hoped to avoid foreign adventures. The dynamic changed on September 11. The terror attacks shifted history, the Bush Administration, and the country. Terrorists murdered 3000 Americans in New York, Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon. After the attacks, Bush’s approval rating reached unassailable heights frustrating the opposition. When people criticized the president, they faced a public backlash. Leftists complained of “censorship” when in reality it was their fellow citizens reacting and not the government. Meanwhile, the country went to war in Afghanistan.
Iraq War begins (2003):
The Bush Administration began laying out justifications for reinitiating hostilities with Iraq. Saddam Hussein used weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the past and could not account for his old stockpiles. Most believed that the dictator still possessed these weapons. Indeed, Hussein later admitted he planned to rebuild his WMD. The U.S. launched the invasion in 2003. Although most Democrats supported the invasion, their base did not. They vociferously opposed the war erroneously believing it illegal. Much of their anger derived not only from the invasion, but also from Bush policies dating to 911. They believed the administration stifled civil liberties and wanted to make a stand. As a result, they began accusing Bush of lying about WMD. Although the charge was false, perception became reality within leftist communities. They began hurling insults at Bush and compared him with Hitler. No president since Nixon or Johnson had faced such attacks. However, the White House did not respond which made matters worse.
Bush re-elected (2004):
The Democrats believed they would win the 2004 election. However, the Bush machine flanked them at every turn resulting in the president’s re-election. It disheartened the left and made administration critics shriller. The campaign attacks on Democratic nominee John Kerry particularly rankled some. Meanwhile, the leftist attacks on Bush slowly angered the right who viewed them as unfair and baseless.
Katrina (2005):
Hurricane Katrina completely undermined the Bush Administration. The natural disaster devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast killing nearly 2000 people. The slow federal response angered many and Bush received the brunt of the blame. State and local officials deftly passed the blame onto the federal government to cover their own incompetence. Nonetheless, the poor federal response led people to question the president’s competence. Meanwhile, his critics accused the administration of not “caring about black people.”
The Democrats recapture Congress (2006):
Hurricane Katrina, violence in Iraq, and Republican scandals at home led the Democrats to recapture the congress for the first time in a dozen years. Their base wanted wholesale changes, but the leadership opted to avoid anything controversial to improve their chances in 2008. Despite this, they continued to attack the Bush Administration, who failed to respond to most attacks. As a result, the Democratic message dominated for much of the next two years frustrating Republicans looking to the White House for leadership.
The Great Recession (2007-2009):
Problems in the banking system exacerbated by the housing bubble collapse thrust the country into the “Great Recession.” The downturn, which had its roots in the early 1990s, spread globally leading to massive government attempts to stabilize and energize economies. Much of these efforts failed. Most people blamed the Bush Administration for the collapse.
When the public recognized the problem in September 2008, it benefited Barack Obama. While John McCain appeared to be gaining on the Democrat, the downturn doomed his campaign. Obama galvanized the left who considered him a messiah of sorts. The hero worship annoyed many Democratic Party regulars as well as Republicans.
Once in office, Obama told the Republican minority that he refused to work with them setting up another series of political battles. By the end of 2011, the president began making a series of procedurely unconstitutional moves, such as making appointments without consulting the senate, which not only alienated the two sides, but made the president look dictatorial.
The Tea Party phenomenon (2009):
The Tea Party’s roots date to the Perot presidential candidacy in 1992. The businessman demanded the government live within its means. The Republican congress balanced the budget in the Clinton years nullifying the movement. During the Bush years, government spending expanded dramatically angering many economic conservatives. Few spoke out, but a brewing insurrection became apparent by 2008. When the economy melted down, President Bush agreed to bailout of the banking and auto industry. President Obama dramatically expanded Bush’s policies resulting in trillion dollar deficits. The Tea Party emerged to combat government-spending excesses and pushed for a return to constitutionalism. The left felt threatened by this movement and tried painting them as racist extremists.
Obamacare (2010):
Few things angered the Tea Party more than Obamacare. It represented a massive government takeover of the health industry leading many to worry that it will bankrupt the country. Depending on the polls, between 55-60% oppose the program, which has since raised the cost of health care. The debate over Obamacare became vitriolic as ordinary citizens shouted down their representatives. The left tried to paint these people as Tea Party types. Some were, but many were not.
Occupy Wall Street (2011):
On September 17, 2011, a group of activists occupied New York’s Zuccotti Park in the city’s financial district. They protested economic inequality and corporate greed. The protesters claimed to represent “99%” of Americans and the movement spread around the country. At first, the group remained peaceful. Over time, they grew violent leading to over 6000 arrests worldwide. Many on the right mocked the movement with Newt Gingrich telling them to “take a bath and get a job.” The increasing violence concerned many Americans. On the other hand, the left has embraced the movement. For example, Nancy Pelosi blessed them while others refused to condemn the violence.
The country is at a crossroads. Ideological fault lines that emerged in the sixties have splintered the country forty years later. It began with the anti-war protests and Silent Majority of the Vietnam era and culminated in the Tea Party and Occupy movements. The ideological split has led to vitriolic rhetoric on both sides and congressional gridlock. It is doubtful President Obama, or anyone else currently on the political scene, will be able to breach the chasm for some time.
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