Lib and I were invited to speak to the Transylvania Partners for Democracy, a group reminiscent of the Committees of Correspondence of 1773, which were established in North Carolina and other colonies to distribute communications to all colonists before the Revolution.

Then, as now, patriotic citizens felt threatened by the violence, angry partisan rhetoric, and divisive politics. Many of those at our event were especially concerned about what might happen in a new Trump presidency.

They wanted us to discuss a variety of topics, particularly the November election and our perspective on the current state of affairs. We told them that events were changing so quickly that it was difficult to keep up, let alone understand their impact. For reference, our program was presented before Biden’s NATO press conference, his subsequent campaign rally, the horrific assassination attempt on former President Trump’s life, and Judge Eileen Cannon’s pro-Trump decision to dismiss the documents case or the RNC convention.

Heads nodded in agreement when we told them that this presidential election had one candidate who couldn’t tell the truth and another who wouldn’t face the truth. They kept nodding when we suggested that a large number of voters would rather mark their presidential election ballots by voting for “none of the above.”

I reported that a reliable source told me that internal polling among candidates showed that Trump’s 9.9 percent margin of victory in North Carolina had increased to 11.9 percent after Biden’s disastrous debate performance. The current war going on among Democrats only improves Trump’s chances of victory.

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There is genuine unrest in the NC Democratic Party. Some speculate that no Democrat will be elected to the State Council at the state level, with the possible exception of Secretary of State Elaine Marshall. There is fear, because of gerrymandering and the confusion within the Democratic Party, that the current split of seven Republicans and seven Democrats in our congressional delegation could easily become 11-3 in favor of the GOP. And the loss of a seat on the Supreme Court could leave the Republicans with a 6-1 majority on our highest court.

If true, such a scenario would also elect Mark Robinson as our next governor, Dan Bishop as attorney general, Dave Boliek as accountant, and homeschooler Michelle Morrow as our next Superintendent of Public Instruction. Spurred on by the Republican red wave, even larger GOP majorities in our General Assembly would continue and expand the culture wars we’ve seen in recent legislative sessions. And rest assured, their continued dismantling of traditional public schools will only become more acute.

Many North Carolina residents believe this reality would be similar to Armageddon. It is no wonder that the Brevard event attracted about 100 people.

Our Transylvania partners were very interested to learn more about Project 2025, the blueprint designed by former Donald Trump advisers and appointees in collaboration with the Heritage Foundation and the Koch brothers. The 900-page document, “A Mandate for Leadership,” offers “both an agenda for government and the right people in place, ready to execute that agenda on day one of the next conservative administration.” Trump says he knows nothing about Project 2025, yet his name is mentioned 312 times. It doesn’t pass the test of truth to think he knows nothing about it. And if that’s not what he’s planning, why wouldn’t he loudly denounce it and deny what it says? In fact, not a single major Republican has denied its existence or intent.

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Let us state categorically and emphatically that no violence is justified or acceptable… especially not in election campaigns. The attempted assassination is a graphic illustration of the violence and hyper-partisanship evident today. Party leaders on both sides agree that the angry, divisive rhetoric needs to be toned down, but so far there has been little evidence of de-escalation. No one wants to be the first to extend the olive branch and urge followers to tone down the tone of our politics.

Back in the day, before television and mass media became so dominant (and before we even knew about social media), summer was the time when camp meetings and tent revivals came to town. Evangelists called us to self-examination and repentance, to a new commitment to our behavior.

We could use such a revival right now. Is it possible that, regardless of our political, racial, sexual or other affiliations, we can call a truce on all that divides us and recommit ourselves to finding the greater things that unite us?

Those who cherish democracy in our republic are right to be concerned. We should all be Partners in Democracy, and loudly call for a return to the days when we could genuinely disagree without violence, disagreement, or division.

Where we are now is not healthy.

Tom Campbell is a Hall of Fame broadcaster and columnist from North Carolina who has covered North Carolina public policy issues since 1965. Contact him at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Tom Campbell writes about divisive rhetoric in politics