Hillary Clinton Voters Embrace Obstructionism
Hillary Clinton voters have recently been documented as embracing the obstruction of Donald Trump’s policies rather than accepting current political norms in a new poll. Fifty-four percent of Clinton voters agreed that the main priority under a Trump presidency is for his opponents to do everything they can to stop his policies from becoming validated. Conversely, 31 percent of Clinton supporters said it was more important for Trump’s opponents to abide by the current political norms.
This revelation is an interesting development because of the experiences a Democratic White House had with the Republicans in Congress over at least the past eight years. While Obama led the country, it was convenient for Republican opposition to complain about the entrenched position of right-wing legislative members. Now that the tides have turned, polling has shown that Hillary Clinton voters are ready to do the same things they have lamented over for over a decade.
There are multiple examples of a GOP Congress creating problems for Obama and his administration. One of the most recent instances is their determination in blocking Merrick Garland from being recognized as the next Supreme Court justice. Senator Jeff Merkley from Oregon made his concerns known in regard to the unprecedented measure to strip Obama’s administration of their nomination.
“There’s no legitimacy to a Supreme Court justice in a seat that’s been stolen from one administration and handed to another. We need to do everything we possibly can to block it … it won’t be DOA unless the American people understand that this is the theft of the court.”
These tactics were not new to American politics, but obstructionism was apparent early on in the Obama administration. Joe Biden was warned in the early days of their leadership that bipartisan support would be generally impossible.
“I spoke to seven different Republican Senators who said, ‘Joe, I’m not going to be able to help you on anything. The way it was characterized to me was, ‘For the next two years, we can’t let you succeed in anything. That’s our ticket to coming back.'”
Although there is a negative perception on this particular method of politics, Democrats have recognized its efficacy in creating a political climate that favors conservative thought. Hillary Clinton and her voters, regardless of their true understanding of obstructionist success, have taken up the mantle of this political procedure. It isn’t far-fetched to believe it is merely a reactionary measure to combat the power of the established counterpart.
These details provide a problematic context for the survey structure used for polling. The other main option for Clinton voters besides opposing all policies proposed by Trump is accepting the current political norms. It has been many years since bipartisan cooperation was seen as a possible way to run our government. With this being the case, it can be perceived that Hillary Clinton voters are in fact following the norms of the time.
Even though there’s confusion in the poll, in which the two main options for Clinton supporters aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive, the intentions are clear. Hillary Clinton’s backers are convinced the only way to gain successful political ground is to completely oppose the policies of the Trump administration. A potentially hypocritical approach, it is difficult to blame those willing to entrench themselves. Our current political climate within the two-party system has changed. Cooperation has been lost among the juxtaposed sides with a future of compromise bleak. Hillary Clinton and her supporters are merely falling in line with the socialization of the American population over the past couple of decades.
[Featured Image by Andrew Harnik/AP Images]
