By Zack Ball
The 2018 election was unlike any other before it. Voter turnout was historic as the deep divisions in the political and cultural landscape took centerstage and further confirmed the belief that America is a profoundly divided nation. That there are pulsating differences between the two reigning political parties in the United States is not novel information; however, the unprecedented levels of government and media falsehoods, social hostility, and even violence among the citizenry is cause for momentous concern about the future of the American system. Nonsensical and deeply unfair rhetoric from all sides is fueling an already unstable fire as extremist behavior from both the far left and right is producing a rapid deterioration of civil discourse. In fact, one recent survey found that 24 percent of Republicans and 17 percent of Democrats believe that it is occasionally acceptable to threaten a public official while 20 percent of Democrats and 15 percent of Republicans believe that the country would be better if large numbers of “opposing partisans” simply died today. Do you find that harrowing? You should.
But what exactly is the source of our intense, political disunion? For a glimpse, we take a short trip out to California…
Recently, the Trump administration began efforts to undo Obama-era policies that loosened the legal definition of gender within federal ...
