It’s GOP gaslighting that’s now dividing the nation | READER COMMENTARY

Don't blame liberalism but the willingness of Republicans to misrepresent reality that's polarizing Americans.

I was surprised and a little shocked by the description offered by letter writer Sam Faddis of a “standard narrative” of political conflict in the United States (“The United States is divided, but not in the way you think,” May 6). Faddis apparently believes that the United States is in the midst of a class struggle between “the American people” and “self-important … white liberals [who are] isolated from reality.” He apparently thinks that we have finally achieved that illusion of a “post-racial society.”

A little historical perspective may be helpful in understanding where we are today. Historically, the “standard narrative” has been that the Republican Party represented the interests of the wealthy and of businesses, and the Democratic Party represented the working class. Republicans sought to reduce taxes, especially for themselves, and reduce regulations on businesses.

The Democrats, meanwhile, brought us programs like Social Security and Medicare and supported funding for education and the protection of the environment. All of these were programs that benefitted the middle class, and all of them were originally vehemently opposed by Republicans. The Democratic Party was, admittedly, late to supporting the Civil Rights movement, but since the late 1960s, the Democratic Party has been one of the strongest advocates for Black economic and political power. Again, this was in opposition to Republicans whose policies have hurt urban areas that are majority Black and have diluted Black voting power.

Much has changed over the past decade, and new political alignments are forming. But much remains the same. Republicans still support lowering taxes on the wealthy and eliminating regulations on corporations. Republican policies will only lead to further disfranchisement of Black people, a dirtier environment and, more recently, restrictions on women’s right to control their bodies. The most fundamental recent change in the Republican Party has not been in its essential ideology. It has been the party’s success in gaslighting a large segment of the population through conspiracy theories and outright lies — and through the rise of a messianic cult of personality that has made many social differences appear less relevant.

— Alexander O. Boulton, Baltimore

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