We have reached a new era in American politics--one in which parties and politicians promote not necessarily the best policies, but rather policies that are different for the sake of being different.
Imagine a Major League Baseball team (e.g. the Orioles) stuck in last place in the AL East in mid-August. They are almost mathematically eliminated from playoff contention; it is just a matter of time.
The Orioles are tired of losing. So they lobby MLB's owners and Commissioner Bud Selig to change the rules of baseball, such that the team scoring the fewest runs wins. Not only that, but these rules would apply retroactively to the start of the season, meaning the 40-82 Orioles' record would now be 82-40, while the first place Yankees (70-51) would drop to last place, at 51-70.
With a majority of teams owning losing records, Major League Baseball votes to overturn the longstanding rules of the game, making winners out of each team that scores fewer runs in a game. These teams therefore have sacrificed the integrity of America's Pastime in favor of self-interest: winning. They care not about traditions or values or anything else that has made Major League Baseball what is it. They care only about themselves.
In the political realm, this practice has become commonplace in recent years. In this election cycle alone, we have witnessed Republican leaders criticize nearly every one of President Obama's decisions, from contraception to ordering the killing of Osama bin Laden to embracing American-made products.
I worked in politics/government for nearly a decade and had a book published on politics and grassroots mobilization. I understand why parties seek to differentiate themselves from the opposition. I can relate to the need to draw clear distinctions, so that voters understand where each side stands.
But yesterday's distinctions are today's complete bastardization of principles. Politicians say things that they don't believe simply to differentiate their views from an opponent. Voters who side with that politician take to the airwaves to promote the hell out of that ridiculous policy. The politician double-downs on his/her support. And in time, America runs the risk of enacting such policies--laws stemming not from great minds with an eye toward solving problems, but from nakedly competitive minds with an eye toward saying anything that will differentiate them from "the other guy."
These actions contribute not only to the dumbing down of America, but also to the terrorization of America--leading us closer to a nation with laws that further restrict women's rights, LGBTs' rights, legal immigrants' rights, and yes, even teenagers who wear hoodies and walk around carrying skittles and iced tea.
These differentiators are as hurtful to Americans as the hypothetical teams that force Major League Baseball to change its rules--not to improve the sport or fans' enjoyment, but to meet their narrow objectives. The Politics of Differentiation might help politicians in the short term. But it is wholly destructive in the long term.