NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — Among the 31 words in the Pledge of Allegiance is the word “indivisible.”
You know how it goes, “one nation under God, indivisible…”
After this election, are we indivisible?
For many Biden believers, there is relief and joy. On the other side, Trump supporters are adopting “stop the steal”, a phrase rooted in the unfounded claim that President-Elect Joe Biden won the election through some type of fraud.
Biden recently reached out to them.
“For all of you who voted for President Trump, I understand the disappointment tonight. I’ve lost a couple of times myself. But now, let’s give each other a chance,” said Mr. Biden on Saturday.
That may be a tall order said University of New Orleans political scientist Ed Chervenak.
“The state of the union today is that we are evenly and deeply divided,” said Chervenak.
Chervenak likens the political divisions to warring tribes. He said we’ve long been skeptical of politicians, but we’re increasingly projecting that skepticism on each other.
“That’s just kind of who we are as Americans. We always kept government at arm’s length and not to trust them. The concern is the lack of personal trust, interpersonal trust between individuals, and that’s what’s being damaged,” said Chervenak.
Oddly though, in these tribal-like times when politics are dividing neighbors and even family members, Chervenak said it will take a politician to get us through this.
“It’s going to have to start at the top. It’s going to have to start with our political elites in Congress. They have to lead by example in terms of bargaining and negotiating. If they continue to demonize one another, that’s just going to filter down to the electorate,” said Chervenak.
“It would have to do with some form of leadership. Everybody is looking for a leader. They need guidance,” said Cal Williams.
Cal Williams is a student at the University of New Orleans. He says he believes the nation is capable of uniting again, but it may take some type of crisis or catastrophe to do it. So far, a pandemic hasn’t brought us together, and more than 70 million Americans don’t have faith that Joe Biden can change that.
