Has This Nation Lost Its Mind?

A year or so ago, a Russian scholar predicted that in the next decade, the United States would fracture into six separate nations. I'm not so sure he's a nutcase anymore.

• Apparently, a lot of parents do not want their kids listening to a speech from the President of the United States because it could lead their children to "socialism." Yeah, that socialist ideal of taking responsibility for your own education will destroy this country. Unfortunately, several school systems capitulated to this vocal minority. Washington County would not allow schools to show it at all; Frederick County let the individual schools decide, leaving the teachers and principals high and dry. Funny, I seem to remember having to sit through several of President Bush's speeches in high school. I must have missed the outcry.
  
• The town-hall meetings/shouting matches. Nothing more needs to be said.
• Frederick County Commission John Thompson has proposed that Frederick County secede from Maryland because not enough money comes back to Frederick County. Yeah, the great state of Frederick. From my experience of living most of my life in Frederick County, I'm not convinced the state will be viable, even ignoring all of the constitutional issue of it actually happening.
• In what may be an unprecedented event, a congressman shouted, "You lie!" to President Obama during his speech last night. If he had done this while a fellow representative was speaking, rules of the House specify that he would most likely to be censured. However, there are no rules for the president, probably because previous generations could not imagine a time when a representative would have so little respect for the office. But, never ones to turn down a political opportunity, the Democrats have seized on the fundraising opportunity.

Unfortunately, the last point gives the media an excuse to avoid the hard work of investigating the health-care proposals and fact checking, and lets them focus on the "gentleman from South Carolina." This brings me to my hypothesis regarding one of the major causes to the "unrest" in the United States. The media do not focus on the facts of the issues. They focus on the horse race. They spend much of their time on polls and who has gained ground in the polls, what the people think, and who should be worried, rather than whether the people's feelings are founded in fact. There was even a poll out today on how people felt about health-care reform immediately after last night's speech. Really?

Since people focus on the horse race, and most people identify with one party or the other, they may feel they have a stake in the outcome. Therefore, their side has to win, regardless of the consequences. While competitiveness is sometimes appropriate, it cannot be the end-all in politics in a republic. Either the "my side has to win all the time at any cost" feeling or the republic must give. They cannot coexist. Unfortunately, I fear the former may have the upper-hand at the moment.

But, I am but a doctoral student in applied math. What do I know about politics?