Former President Barack Obama’s ex-Secretary of Defense said that extreme political polarization is the country’s greatest threat.
During an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday, Robert Gates was asked by host Margaret Brennan what he thought was the greatest danger to the U.S.
“I think it is the polarization in the country,” Gates answered. “We’ve always had polarization in America. If you go back to the Jefferson, Adams presidential race in 1800, the things that were said in that election would fit right into a current political environment.”
The comments were made after the two discussed the debt ceiling and the struggle in Washington, D.C., for leaders on both sides of the aisle to work together to resolve issues.
“But what’s been different, more recently, is not just a measure of paralysis, as indicated by the debt ceiling, but a level of meanness and a lack of civility among our politicians, or the- the sense that somebody who disagrees with you is not just somebody you disagree with, but is an enemy, is a bad person,” he continued.
“This lack of civility is I think, something new and- and really is pretty pervasive in the Congress,” he added. “And it sets a pretty bad example for the rest of the country.”
Gates said that political leaders shouldn’t “demonize people who disagree with them” and Republicans and Democrats should find better methods to cooperate.
This comes after administration officials revealed earlier this month that President Joe Biden has no plans to negotiate with Republicans over the debt limit, even after Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned that Congress may only have until June 1 to avoid a disastrous economic downturn.
The approach reflects the White House’s belief that they cannot create a model for the opposition to use the debt ceiling as a political negotiating chip. It also shows continued confidence in the fact that Biden still has the upper hand in a debt ceiling staredown and that a crisis point was only a matter of when, not if, the two sides would come to blows.
For months, the president has vowed not to engage in debt ceiling negotiations, calling Republicans’ demands for concessions “hostage taking” that might damage the country’s global reputation and economic stability.
