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Op-Ed

'Spartacus' Wannabes Are Embarrassing Themselves in the Senate

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With the recent death of Arizona Senator John McCain, his funeral was an outpouring of grief from those on both sides of the aisle. McCain’s former political rivals and long-time friends came together to mourn the passing of an undeniably great man.

In his life, McCain was a political maverick who often stunned Capitol Hill with his acts of bipartisan cooperation with his fellow senators. This was especially commendable in the last decade of his life, as America’s political landscape became increasingly polarized.

In his eulogy of his friend and long-time political adversary, former Vice President Joe Biden ended his address on a poignant note, with “We shall not see his like again.”

If one were to look across the political landscape of Washington, you would see just how right Joe Biden was in his conclusion.

The very idea of bipartisanship is on life support, as Capitol Hill’s true colors emerge in the confirmation hearings for Brett Kavanaugh’s potential appointment to the Supreme Court.

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The proceedings descended into what can only be described as a complete farce, as interruptions and political grandstanding took precedence over the senators’ duty to serve their long-suffering constituents.

A new generation of mavericks is needed in Washington, perhaps now more than ever before. New blood, who are capable of reaching across to those on the other side of the aisle, to break bread and attempt to work together, to heal the wounds of a profoundly divided America.

There are however, those who continue to seek to widen the divide, often against the will of the American people who elected them to their office in the first place.

A recent CNN poll showed that 53 percent of Americans believe that there is “not enough cause right now for Congress to begin hearings into whether or not President Trump should be impeached.”

Democrats on the other hand by a margin of 66 percent to 29 percent, believed that there was currently sufficient cause to begin hearings into President Trump’s impeachment.

This is perhaps one of the best illustrations of the political fault lines that now run through the fabric of American society.

Many don’t take this political divide seriously, wanting to press on full steam ahead with Trump’s impeachment, regardless of the potentially serious consequences for the rest of the nation.

In an August Rasmussen poll, 31 percent of American voters believed it was “likely is that the United States will experience a second civil war sometime in the next five years.”

A Civil War may not be likely, but the poll strongly illustrated exactly how divided the United States is, for nearly a third of voters to believe that America’s political situation could deteriorate so seriously, that it would end in a major armed conflict with their fellow Americans.

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This extremely disturbing fact only further reinforces the need for there to be a new generation of mavericks like John McCain to help put America back together again.

In reality however, America’s political divide widens further every day, as politics is increasingly defined by partisan political grandstanding and elected officials in search of their “I am Spartacus” moment.

Tarric Brooker is a freelance journalist and free speech advocate. He also runs a political and current affairs website at avidcommentator.com.

The views expressed in this opinion article are those of their author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by the owners of this website. If you are interested in contributing an Op-Ed to The Western Journal, you can learn about our submission guidelines and process here.

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