EDITORIAL

Does democracy have any hope of surviving in such partisan times?

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In many ways, this past week showcased the interminable partisanship and incivility at the heart of the nation. In a climate where national leaders refuse to speak to one another, or even shake each other’s hands, and where ideologues refuse to endorse even the most basic of commonly held principles because their opponents promote them, one wonders whether democracy has any hope of surviving.
Even the National Prayer Breakfast — one event meant to unite the nation — fostered division. An opportunity for prayer under the same God became a spectacle of attacking the other side. While it’s true that politicians rarely inspire esteem or moral righteousness among their constituents, there was a time when both sides of the aisle embraced the same American ethos. The very motto of the nation — E pluribus unum — envisions unity through diversity. Leadership demands magnanimity, not haughtiness. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (Jam 4:6). Until our leaders get that, the nation will continue to suffer.