May 11, 2023 4 min read

In many ways, we live in a political world that operates more on denial than possibility, and to be honest, it’s killing democracy.

Candidate quality has been replaced by ideological purity on both sides, while virtual cottage industries have sprung up around the idea of replacing the “loyal opposition” with an immovable one.

Consider this: An entire branch of environmentalism exists on one word – no.

They say no to new industries because industries take up space and, even if it doesn’t pollute, the idea that something, however implausible, might go wrong becomes an automatic disqualifier. In their world, the unemployed can freeze in the dark while breathing perfect air.

The jobs and industry Pennsylvania brought to fruition in Beaver County at the new Shell “cracker” plant have been under attack from the moment the project was proposed. A proposed “hydrogen hub” was rejected by these pressure groups and I’d bet most of their members don’t know what it is or how it works.

The natural gas industry pulled sections of my district into a new era of wealth and good employment by replacing coal with something that burns cleanly enough we power our kitchen stoves with its open flames.

The narrative of an energy source that brings both wealth and has actually reduced our greenhouse gas emissions simply doesn’t fit with their view that humankind’s very presence on this planet is somehow an affront to nature. They raise millions of dollars on this atmosphere of constant panic.

This just-say-no worldview has hamstrung Congress and immobilized state legislatures. It makes news when anything gets done at all, whether that something is good, bad or indifferent. Things have become so polarized that we’re surprised when we get anything done.

Things that have nothing to do with the true role of government are now somehow in play. So-called “hot button” issues such as abortion, gun control and gender identity find their way into disputes that have nothing to do with them.

This isn’t new. In 1988, a candidate for the California water commission opened his campaign speech by announcing that he favored the death penalty.

On the Republican side of things, I’m guessing that our fixation on the 2020 elections cost us the 2022 elections. At least some of them.

And the intraparty fights that have emerged – in both parties – have pushed each side to the margins. That is to say, the GOP has gone farther to the right and the Democrats are now so far to the left that the Democratic Socialists of America now control some county parties here in Pennsylvania and are on the verge of seeing one of their own elected to the top job in the state’s second-largest county.

If you take a look at surveys from the Pew Research Center, you’ll find charts that show a vast middle that lacks control over the nominating process but is then faced with a choice between two equally unappealing extremes.

That’s not conservatism as we know it and it’s not liberalism as we understand it.

It’s a recipe for failure and we’re seeing it in action in almost every institution of government.

Pennsylvanians on both sides of the aisle have long agreed, for instance, that our Corporate Net Income Tax rate of 9.9% was keeping out new business. We voted to lower it, but in ways that give competing states ample time to adjust their rates in ways that keep us at a competitive disadvantage.

These are very real results of the left-right polarization that has reconfigured party alliances. Democrats are now gaining favor with big business and high finance, where woke culture suits their fashion. Republicans are increasingly drawn to the blue-collar, hands-on private sector labor unions that once counted on the other party to support them in their quest for a living wage.

And the majority of American voters will likely stay home this year as the activists on both sides elect their judges and local elected officials. We draw much of our future statewide leaders from the ranks of these local politicians.

It’s time for both sides to tone down the rhetoric, lower the volume and acknowledge that government only works when we find consensus. It’s out there. We just have to stop seeking momentary political advantage and respect the idea of real progress.

Tim O’Neal represents the 48th Legislative District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, which includes Washington and other communities in Washington County.