You think that we'd be tired of it already. After years of stone-throwing in the halls of Congress, one would assume that both the Dartmouth campus and the American public would be sick of it. But no -- we, the people, still find it within ourselves to heave bricks at any form of reconciliation between the red and blue of America. Perhaps the vitriol hurled in Congress is merely a symptom of something larger -- a disintegration of the civility of political discourse everywhere -- including here at Dartmouth. Campus debate continues to degrade into angry shouting matches with substance giving way to the mundane political potshots of old. Friends are friends, but when politics enter the conversation these days, even the best of mates typically lunge for each other's throats.
The divide I speak of is not always overtly recognizable. Rather, its presence is like the Hanover air around us. That is, its existence is usually slight. At certain points of the year, however, it is downright uncomfortable. Since the Democratic takeover in November, this divide has begun to hibernate. The only signs on campus that such a divide even exists is manifested in the seemingly innocent Bush jokes made by teachers in class, The Dartmouth Review's repertoire of controversial articles or the consistently dull political slogans glued to the walls of Facebook (my favorite being "99% of Republicans make the rest look bad." Real clever). But do not fret my fellow Big Green, the sharp divide that we all loved so much in October 2004 will be upon us before you can say "Donald Rumsfeld steals candy from little children." When the 2008 elections are all said and done, don't be surprised to once again hear the sharpening of pitchforks and calls for President John McCain's head.
Democrats recently took back the House and Senate, immediately vowing to flush the halls of Congress of its sour partisanship. Despite narrow Democratic majorities and past Republican attempts to freeze Democratic participation in the legislature, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made it clear that they intend to include their cross-aisle rivals in the 110th Congress. Considering the cut-throat atmosphere that has dominated our nation's Capitol as of late, this pledge appears to be sincere. Having grown up in the Washington D.C., area, however, I know that the likelihood of a Pelosi-Hastert "kumbaya" moment is slimmer than my chances of making it to drill this winter.
Even slimmer is the chance that the trend will subside at Dartmouth. In my three years at the College, it has become painful to watch the political antagonism that consumes campus each time a controversy makes its way north. Whenever the campus is gripped by disagreement, the political forces at Dartmouth take aim in debilitating fashion. Liberals from all corners attack the Republican agenda, citing conservatives' "Empire Strikes Back" attempts to ruin the planet and topple the meek. Conversely, when the left-side of campus embraces empathetic aims (as we saw this fall with regard to the Sioux), we can expect the same old rhetoric from the other side: "Hippies and Soy Milk and Tree-Huggers, Oh My!" Liberals are destroying the moral fabric of our great nation, but the Republicans are greedy, oil guzzling advocates of Satan. So where does it end?
It is no great mystery that the Dartmouth campus slants to the left. The campus also possesses a powerful, active conservative body. While we should applaud the political activism of our student body, must we be so militant every time an election storms into town? Despite popular belief, both sides of campus want what is best for America -- they just see different means to the same end. It appears, however, that we always attribute ill motives to the other side despite our inability to look into their minds or to judge their hearts.
Despite the tone of our elected officials, it is about time that we begin to act civilly towards one another. If college students cannot find it in themselves to respect the political inclinations of others, how can we expect elected officials to do so?
