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In much of my writing, I try to talk to those who consider
themselves uninterested in "politics". I think there are a lot of
reasons people aren't interested, its complicated of course,
but I think its important you at least understand the wedge.
By definition, a wedge divides. I grew up calling a sub a wedge, because you wedge as many ingredients into the bread as you can, but one meatball too many... and it falls apart.
The political wedge is important to understand, and to recognize it for what it is.
There is a lot of strategy that goes into effectively utilizing this tool.
The basic idea: find a crack, drive a wedge deep enough to expose a divide, presenting two options that cannot coexist. The argument cannot be resolved.
What happens when they drive the wedge too deep though? Other cracks develop. Those cracks become political opportunities to exploit, and further divide.
When they place the wedge, they can frame the argument, choosing where the dividing line in the discussion can be exploited to their advantage.
The contraception "issue" is a perfect example of how the wedge works... The president needs more backers for Obamacare before the election, as polling shows consistently that the majority of the country is not supportive of the plan. The dems need to make it a winning issue.
The strategy: get people to support different pieces of the plan by presenting a false argument. ie. If you are "for contraception", then you are pro "women's rights"...
therefore, you now support the national health plan because it supposedly meets those two standards.
They then point the finger at those who oppose the plan, and say they are now apparently anti woman's health. Who would agree with that side? That side must be extreme, right?
The Democrats now have another "wedge issue".
What does the GOP do in response? They now have to argue from a defensive position, trying to protect a religious institutions' right to choose, while trying to avoid being labeled with the false narrative that they are anti-women for doing so.
They counter with a new "wedge" to combat it and rally support, pointing to freedom of religion (which is the law of course...), and to support the health care plan is to infringe on religious freedom in the country.
The argument gets complicated, the media takes sides, and many people get confused and say "whatever", who wants to argue over this garbage...
So those who were galvanized by the debate take sides and "energize the base" of each party.
Everyone else "in the middle" who educate themselves through entertainment media alone, hear random biased and extreme headlines, and pick sides with limited information.
The wedge technically worked. People took sides, but many more wedges will be placed as we head into the general election, attempting to wedge more people towards the left or the right.
therefore, you now support the national health plan because it supposedly meets those two standards.
They then point the finger at those who oppose the plan, and say they are now apparently anti woman's health. Who would agree with that side? That side must be extreme, right?
The Democrats now have another "wedge issue".
What does the GOP do in response? They now have to argue from a defensive position, trying to protect a religious institutions' right to choose, while trying to avoid being labeled with the false narrative that they are anti-women for doing so.
They counter with a new "wedge" to combat it and rally support, pointing to freedom of religion (which is the law of course...), and to support the health care plan is to infringe on religious freedom in the country.
The argument gets complicated, the media takes sides, and many people get confused and say "whatever", who wants to argue over this garbage...
So those who were galvanized by the debate take sides and "energize the base" of each party.
Everyone else "in the middle" who educate themselves through entertainment media alone, hear random biased and extreme headlines, and pick sides with limited information.
The wedge technically worked. People took sides, but many more wedges will be placed as we head into the general election, attempting to wedge more people towards the left or the right.
Where was the crack? Where did they find a place to drive that wedge?
Some religious institutions did not choose to pay for insurance plans that covered contraception and the morning after pill, because they believe it is not something they should support.
That does not mean that women can't get it, but they would have to pay for it themselves.
The health plan mandates that it must be covered, with no co-pay, even by those who find this to be a moral dilemma for themselves.
That does not mean that women can't get it, but they would have to pay for it themselves.
The health plan mandates that it must be covered, with no co-pay, even by those who find this to be a moral dilemma for themselves.
Most people don't like these divisions, so they try to avoid it all together. They don't choose sides, because many times they don't want to choose the extremes presented as the only options. They become disenfranchised or choose to be uninformed.
Although the wedge is effective, it divides us, and we are in a world where we need to look for places to agree rather than focusing on our divisions. A leader unites the team around common interests, and in this country freedom has always been the ideal at its core.
The two parties are very divided though about the course they would like to take in this country moving forward.
The only solution is for you to fully understand the actual goals of the two parties. A more informed electorate will heal these divisions. A dumbed down population though may not be prepared to pick up the pieces when it implodes...
Although the wedge is effective, it divides us, and we are in a world where we need to look for places to agree rather than focusing on our divisions. A leader unites the team around common interests, and in this country freedom has always been the ideal at its core.
The two parties are very divided though about the course they would like to take in this country moving forward.
The only solution is for you to fully understand the actual goals of the two parties. A more informed electorate will heal these divisions. A dumbed down population though may not be prepared to pick up the pieces when it implodes...
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