We’ve got this all wrong

Politics is a competition
To be won or lost
The victor, the vanquished
The winner, the loser

The focus is on the wrong people

Instead of choosing the best
We bet with our votes
On unbending ideologies
And ancient dogma

The noise of marketing is deafening

We should be focused us
We the people
A perfect union
Of all of us

Different, but united in peace

There is no peace
When we’re driven to win
Regardless of the cost
A union divided is weak

Where is the common ground?

Life versus choice on the right
Poor versus rich on the left
Religious morality on the right
Liberal equality on the left

A chasm in-between

A mother of six, no money for seven
The seventh born in the wrong zip code
A belief system outdated and tired
The huddling masses decrying difference

There are no absolutes beyond

Justice
Truth
Mercy
Love

Ignoring these, the chasm grows