Since the earliest days of warfare and politics, “divide and conquer” has been used by military and political leaders to achieve and hang on to power. Julius Caesar famously used it in Gaul, and Niccolo Machiavelli endorsed it in “The Art of War” as good counsel for despots.
At its core, “divide and conquer” forces the people to make hard and unnecessary choices. “You’re either with me or you’re against me” is what we often hear from our leaders. It is a tactic favored by the extremes of both the Republican and Democratic parties as they try to harden their bases. But it gets old.
In the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, there are bipartisan caucuses that are poised to weigh in on some of the tough but necessary legislation that will move the nation forward. And in the Pennsylvania Legislature, a bastion of political partisanship, a group of Republicans and Democrats has been working to streamline administrative practices for the benefit of all.
Those are good signs, but too many of our leaders are still forcing average Americans to pick a side on the big issues facing the nation, and it serves no one but them. These are false choices based on the false narrative that there is no middle ground. Maybe the right side of these issues is in the middle.
You can be relieved and grateful that George Floyd’s murderer was convicted in Minneapolis and still support the police — those good officers who protect us from evil every day. It is possible to reject the reckless notion that we should “defund the police” and still fight for the reforms that will lead to all Americans being treated fairly.
No one needs to choose election security over making it easier for all Americans to vote, but those who will profit by dividing want us to believe that we have to pick one or the other. Most recent calls for election reform include thinly disguised hurdles to keep minorities and the poor from voting. Let’s increase security along with access to the ballot.
It is possible to support the Second Amendment and also be in favor of reasonable gun reform. You might have a hunting license or a license to carry and still be sick to your stomach every time you hear about another mass shooting or rage killing in America. You can support reform — background checks and red flag laws and bans on weapons designed to kill humans — without weakening the Second Amendment.
Finally, “Black Lives Matter” is not to say that all other lives do not matter. It is just an important reminder that Black lives matter, too. There is no need to counter that, because “Black Lives Matter” and “All Lives Matter” are not in competition. Only those who want to keep us divided want us to believe that they are.
If we guard against the false choices that we are often urged to make, we may finally get back on track. Machiavelli’s advice for tyrants should be a warning for the rest of us: “One who deceives will always find those who allow themselves to be deceived.”
