A House Divided

Abraham Lincoln said: "A house divided against itself cannot stand."

This statement is true on a good many accounts. When people are set against each other, they cannot cooperate. They cannot work towards a common goal. Instead, they work to undermine and discredit the other. I believe whole-heartedly in his statement, and off of it will I base this post.

I will try my best not to voice any opinion in this post, but simply to point out a striking similarity and possibly an impending difficulty. The Republicans and the Democrats run American government, they work in the Senate and the House of Representatives and pretty much run the entire system. It is from them that a President is produced, and it is from them that deals are passed etc. However, they are brutally set against each other. The recent crisis in Washington reflects this. Have these two parties ever been so set against each other that they are willing to fight to the bloody end for the sake of a relatively minor deal? Have they ever been so against compromise between them? Under President Reagan, the debt ceiling was raised something like 18 times. According to a firsthand account (my parents) there was very little debate on this. The Republicans and Democrats simply examined what they thought was best for the country at that time, put party inclinations away, and made a decision. Why can't we do that today?

As I read a Civil War book, Battle Cry of Freedom, I was startled by how similar the actions of the Confederate and Union politicians resemble the actions of modern Republicans and Democrats. I am not saying that a secession is likely, but it is alarming how divided our government is. Can we stand "united" when we cannot decide to raise the debt ceiling? "United we don't stand" is more like it. Never have the difficulties in our government alarmed me as they do now.

When Abraham Lincoln said that a house divided cannot stand, I believe he was right. In his case, he was, and a massive war resulting in thousands upon thousands of American casualties resulted. Does history repeat itself? Can a divided house stand now? I do not know, but I wish to bring to the attention of any/all of my readers how strangely similar the unwillingness to compromise just before the Civil War, and just recently in the debt 'crisis' has become.

What do you guys think? Delusion theory? Possible Theory? Let me know in the comments, please. Don't worry about controversy, this a controversial blog. However, I will not tolerate insulting and/or fallacy ridden posts, such as those in the "Odyssey Dawn" comments below; be polite guys. Any such posts will be promptly removed. Once is all I need. Twice is too many.

Thanks for reading!