Anyone who knows me well would say that I’m not one to watch Fox News. However, I find myself tuning in from time to time while scrolling through channels. As someone who is both interested and involved in politics, I find it both fascinating and important to look at the other side. In our current climate, where how the press portrays the news is questioned and “fake news” is now a household term, it has become more important for citizens to understand how information is being conveyed to us. In the times I’ve watched Fox for half an hour, I’ve seen multiple instances of pundits promoting the “we won, get over it” mentality that has been assumed by many in the Republican party. The rise of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders signals to both parties that business as usual was simply not cutting it for the average voter in their respective bases. The GOP’s mentality of “stop your whining; we’re going to do what we want” unfortunately perpetuates the issue of politics as usual, and threatens to alienate voters going into the midterms.

The early days of Obama’s presidency were similar in some ways to what we’re seeing now. A unified federal government had just been elected, and a candidate who was seen as far-off at first found their way to the Oval Office. At the time, the idea of two to four years of Democratic control scared many conservatives, but those voters did not feel the Republican party was the conduit by which their concerns could be heard. Thus, the Tea Party movement was born. Both sides acknowledge that the Tea Party was effective in their tactics. The current Trump opposition movement has mimicked the strategies that worked against Obama: flooding congressional offices with calls and letters, public confrontations with members of congress, and rallies that brought a sense of unity to those dissenting. The movement left the Republican party frazzled, and the outcome of the 2010 midterms would have been very different if the Tea Party had not established themselves as a major player. The GOP had no choice but to reshape its identity, and that rebuilding process has not come to a close. The massive field of Republican primary candidates showed that ideas and leadership are still being contested within the party. Donald Trump’s rise signaled a continued frustration with politics the way it is now. Moments of dissatisfaction and in-fighting will continue to leave the Republican party on shaky footing, and the current “we won, get over it” mentality will do them no good.

This election sent a clear message: politics as usual is not working. But that dissatisfaction did not start just last year. The 2010 Tea Party wave started a new era of resistance in Washington. The 112th, 113th and 114th congresses rank as the three least productive congresses in terms of bills passed into law. During that time, many Republican leaders found themselves in a vulnerable position. As the Tea Party pushed the GOP more to the right, we saw more partisan division and a failure to act on some of the most important issues facing the nation. Political stunts, like the government shutdown, may energize some in the party base, but ultimately demonstrate a dysfunction in Washington that is a turn off for many voters. The Obama presidency was undoubtedly hindered by fierce Republican opposition. But this opposition has left the Republican party in an almost eight-year identity crisis that has stemmed their growth. Some GOP leaders quickly jumped behind Trump for the sake of their party while publicly denouncing his ideas. As the Democratic party and liberals engage in acts of resistance, we cannot forget the division that could result.

Pure unity is not healthy for our democracy, and neither is pure resistance. The parties constantly crave a sense of unity and buy-in among voters, but they are searching for that in a system where it does not exist. The “we won, get over it” idea sends a message of blind unity that the people have simply rejected. Instead, the parties could benefit from reengaging their bases in all levels of leadership. As the resistance against Trump grows, we cannot simply engage in resistance. The Democratic party is at a crossroads, and now is the time to engage. Question what it means to be a Democrat, and have an active role in how we move forward. Call out injustices in society, and do not put your name behind something because someone tells you to. We will find moments of unity and moments of division, and we will only be better for it. In order to reform our parties and move forward as a nation, we must engage the system in new ways.