The 2018 midterm elections were notable not so much for the so-called “Blue Wave” that washed over the House of Representatives, but instead for the way in which the results demonstrated how politically polarized we are becoming as a country.
Liberal areas in the northeast and on the west coast supported Democrats more strongly; and states where President Trump did well in 2016, like Indiana and Missouri, voted more Republican. That’s why the next Congress will give us divided government.
At a time when we mourn the loss of former President George H.W. Bush, we also reflect on the ways in which principles like compromise, bipartisanship, and collegiality have seemingly disappeared from our modern politics.
It’s too bad, because while we have political disagreements with others, we should always remember that first and foremost—ahead of the partisan labels or political beliefs—we are Americans first.