Unity

Here are some reasons unity, or “going bi” is eluded to so much in US politics.

During a pandemic, after Trump, and in a country composed of states, it is not that off-kilter to pay some lip service to the concept. Of course the unity of states doesnt imply political unity, but hey, it rhymes, good TV. It’s a feel-good word, like marshmallows, chicken soup, Sunday morning.. School is out. Whatever…

Sometimes the use of the word is tactical, you mention unity, if the other guy does not go for it, now he is the asshole. Small effect, but maybe worth a try for some.

Sometimes it is used bcz pol has no inclination to deliver anyway, you ask for unity, you dont get it, than you immediately blame the other side as a cover for you not doing anything.

There cld be some old cultural aspects involved; we talked abt during Pemmican Wars Brits had to step in and merge two companies. If such things happened more than once, maybe it became “the legitimate thing”, “the grown up thing” in the eyes of the US political class, persisted in its DNA, at the very least, as a lip-service, verbally.

But the most obnoxious form of unity talk starts from the Washington Consensus, post-politics mentality that emerged, a Frankenstein of the post Berlin Wall, TINA world order. After the whole damn Berlin Wall collapsed on their heads, Dems in abject fear started running around, looked for a new place to go, lurched right, tried to outdo Reps in their own game. Reps balked, and radicalized on 4G (Green, Gays, Guns, God) to differentiate, so the Clinton years had insane amt of drama. These issues were moral, ethical issues not political, unresolvable, so intense fighting persisted, became entrenched. Hannity vs Maddow, people screaming at eachother, theather, junk-food politics are all the descendants of that era.

Now into this environment, in the eleventh inning steps in a certain politican and asks for, you guessed it, unity, comity. It can sell.. “Im a uniter not a divider” etc. But thinking of the causes, for the Dems especially, we know they r in no position to seek unity, their leaving a major ideology unattended for years, and trying to displace another is what caused the shitstorm to begin with, not to mention Trump’s rise.

Then what are we left with? A spin, on top of a big mistake, on top of a generational shift -now defunct-… Meh.