Back in the early 1990s, during President George H.W. Bush’s time and the Desert Storm conflict, political conversations felt very different. Families, neighbors, and even strangers in bars or barber shops could talk politics without the hostility we see today. There was a gray area then, room for disagreement without condemnation.
When his son, George W. Bush, took office, the U.S. entered Iraq on claims of weapons of mass destruction that never materialized. While Saddam Hussein was undeniably a brutal dictator, many Americans felt misled. That moment deepened mistrust in our leaders and planted seeds of cynicism that linger today.
By the time President Obama was sworn in, the political climate was shifting again. Social media was becoming the new town square, but instead of fostering civil debate, it amplified anger and hate. Political arguments became louder, more public, and harder to escape. The space for middle ground grew smaller as people increasingly chose sides.
The rise of Donald Trump brought polarization to a peak. I am not a Trump supporter, but I don’t hate him either. I believe he has done some good things. Even many who opposed him acknowledged policies like the First Step Act for criminal justice reform, lowering prescription drug costs and the strong pre-pandemic economy that lifted wages across the board. At the same time, I was not a huge fan of Joe Biden or Kamala Harris either, which often left me feeling politically homeless. But despite some common ground, insults and labels became weapons. Those on the left were mocked as “libtards,” while those on the right were branded “MAGA extremists” or worse. People I know personally cut off family members and lifelong friends over politics. Conversations turned into battles, and compromise became a dirty word.
Today, the divide feels wider than ever. Political violence and extremism are no longer unthinkable. We’ve seen deadly riots, mass shootings and even attempts on leaders’ lives. The Capitol riot in 2021, the unrest following George Floyd’s death in 2020 and the recent attempt on Trump’s life all remind us how far rhetoric has escalated into action. The assassination of Minnesota legislators in their homes, the firebombing of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s residence, and the murder of Charlie Kirk at a speaking event show that violence is touching leaders from every corner of public life. These tragedies are not partisan, they are American losses, and they have left deep scars on our national spirit.
I’m 53 years old, and I have never seen such division in this country. The loss goes beyond politics, families fractured, friendships destroyed, communities weakened. Our children are watching and learning from us, and what they see is a nation that too often answers disagreement with hate, disrespect, and worst of all violence.
And yet, I remember what it felt like on Sept. 11, 2001, when the country realized we were under attack. In that moment, it didn’t matter if you were Democrat or Republican, we were all Americans. For months and even years afterward, strangers spoke to each other with empathy. People held doors open, forgave mistakes and treated each other with patience and kindness. It was, for all its sorrow, a time when the United States truly felt like the greatest place in the world to live.
I long for those days to return, so my daughter and my granddaughter and all American families can experience a country where people cared for one another with no regard to which side of the fence you were on, where road rage was rare, and where respect was the default. Would it be so hard to be kinder to one another without throwing around political labels and slurs? Without killing each other? Perhaps if we all tried, we could help shift the landscape back to what it once was, a nation where empathy outweighed anger, and where being American meant caring for each other above all else.
I am not just a Democrat or a Republican, but foremost a son, brother, cousin, uncle, husband, father, grandfather, friend and an American who loves this country deeply. I pray and hope that we, the adults, the parents, and most of all, the leaders of this country put aside the political nonsense and focus again on what really matters: building a nation worthy of the next generation.
This is a contributed opinion column. Eric Bankos is a lifelong resident of the Lehigh Valley. The views expressed in this piece are those of its individual author, and should not be interpreted as reflecting the views of this publication. Do you have a perspective to share? Learn more about how we handle guest opinion submissions at themorningcall.com/opinions.
https://www.mcall.com/2025/09/24/opinion-we-were-all-americans-once-and-could-be-again/
