Unless you've been living under a rock, you've heard about the spectacular failure of the Democrats to push voting rights legislation through the United States Senate. On the other side of the aisle, Republican state legislatures have been more successful in passing legislation to curtail the access of people of color to the ballot box.
From my perspective, it seems that both parties have given up on trying to persuade folks to support their candidates and policies and have instead focused their energies on enhancing/protecting the access of their voters to the ballot box! In fact, it seems that ALL of the political energy in the United States is now focused on making sure that the folks who support you and your party have a leg up on the folks who support the other guys and their party.
Apparently, folks in both parties have decided that there just aren't enough persuadable folks left to bother with traditional notions of campaigning. It's all about stoking the anger/hatred of their supporters for the other side. This has become even more important than trying to gin up enthusiasm for one's own candidates or policies. In fact, Republicans appear to have given up on even putting forward a positive agenda of their own. For them, opposition and obstruction to/of the other guy's agenda seems to be enough!
If you're wondering if all of that sounds very negative, defeatist and dangerous to the health of a democratic republic, I believe your anxiety is justified. In fact, I believe it's always a bad sign when people retreat into defensive postures. When that happens, incessant fighting and stalemate ensues (and isn't that exactly what we're all currently witnessing?).
