Yard signs in navy and red flags that whip in the air with blocky names declaring 4 more years, hats with Make America Great Again boldly displayed. For some, this political merch is just another way politics bleed into everyday life, maybe annoying but relatively harmless.
However, many see these signs as a warning.
Something has changed. It has gotten harder and harder for people from opposing political parties to agree to disagree about their views as political polarization increases all over the country. Discomfort with those who show intense loyalty to the opposing political party has become more widespread according to The Pew Research Center, there has been a rise in people viewing not just the disagreeing political party in a negative light but also its supporters. A striking difference is the change since 2016. According to The Pew Research Center in 2016, “47% of Republicans and 35% of Democrats viewed the opposing party as immoral in 2016. In 2022, it was up to 72% Republicans and 64% Democrats.”
Political ideology has become even more entrenched in people’s moral beliefs than before, making it harder for those with opposing views to agree, especially as views become more and more radical on both sides. With the rise of more radical views from politicians like Florida Governor Ron Desantis, policies have been proposed and passed that pose a clear danger to the freedom of Americans.
These excerpts from The American Presidency Platform from the 2024 Republican Party platform are clear examples of these rising dangerous ideals floating around the current political landscape. In chapter nine of the republican party platform, section five is titled “5. Republicans Will End Left-wing Gender Insanity”. To further support the narrative of queerphobia in the republican party, simply look at the policies passed by republican politicians in the past few years. The Indiana Senate Bill 350 which according to the Indiana General Assembly said “Provides that a unit may not regulate behavioral health and human services that are: (1) licensed or certified; or (2) exempted from licensure or certification; by the behavioral health and human services licensing board.”
This bill may sound harmless or a bit confusing. However, it means that the practice of conversion therapy (a pseudo-scientific form of counseling that attempts to turn a person straight) cannot be legally banned in Indiana. This is just one example of a Republican bill passed that actively harms the LGBTQ+ community just in Indiana alone, with the organization American Civil Liberties Union having tracked 44 anti-LGBTQ+ bills passed into law just in 2024. For members of the LGBTQ+ community, the republican party is not going after their policies but their very right to exist.
When it’s someone’s rights on the line, politics become increasingly personal, making it much harder to simply agree to disagree about an issue, especially for those whose these rights belong to.
According to the Survey Center On American Life, an organization centered on producing impartial research said, “In the 2024 presidential election, the gender divide among young voters is twice as large as it is overall. A majority of young female voters back Vice President Kamala Harris, compared with less than half of young male voters.”
With the overruling of Roe v. Wade still fresh in many minds, it could be a reason so many women have flocked toward the Democratic side of the political spectrum. The overruling of Roe v. Wade has had serious consequences, with some women losing their lives to the ban. One said woman was 28-year-old Amber Thurman, who was named the first woman to die from being denied life-saving care because of the bans.
She is just one of an ever-growing number of women who lose their lives because of the pro-life politicians who overturned Roe v. Wade.
In an article published by Newsweek, Thurman’s family gave this statement, “We strongly condemn the Republican platform that seeks to further restrict women’s access to necessary healthcare under the false guise of protection. We are grieving an unimaginable loss that no family should have to endure.”
Women have died because of the restrictive policies the republican party continues to push. For many of them, this election has become more than just political; it is personal. Tied to their morals, yes, but also it is tied to their fear of losing their right to healthcare.
In the past, Republicans and Democrats have been able to find compromise. When it comes to a strong central government or a weak one or an increase or decrease in tariffs, it is possible. But when there are human rights on the table, compromise is not an option.