OPINION: We need to bridge the political divide

Since the early to mid 1800s, Republicans and Democrats have had somewhat different ideologies, but in today’s world, both parties have drifted so far away from each other that anyone still in the middle is scolded by both sides. Both parties are partly at fault, as no one in Washington wants to work together to solve the nation’s problems, such as medicare, immigration and gun control.

In a June 2018 article from Science Magazine, over 55 percent of adults from both sides of the political spectrum said that they have negative feelings about those on the other side of the aisle. According to a 2016 survey from the Pew Research Center, 60-70 percent of both Republicans and Democrats say that people in the opposite party are often closed-minded, immoral and lazy.

Regarding the overall political divide, History teacher Robert Muller said that both sides of the spectrum need to come together. He said, “Really simply, we have digressed to tribalism, or the concept that all we need to do is follow party lines, on whatever issue,” Muller said “It’s dangerous because people won’t work together and move forward. People are too focused on party lines.”

In order to bring together both sides, we need to ask ourselves why we are so divided, and work together to bridge the gap between both political parties. We need to have a civil discussion as to how both Republicans and Democrats can work together to better America. We need to figure out what news can be trusted.The best way to find what’s true is to view various news sources from both sides of the aisle.