“We the people” must begin asserting ourselves. This is what President Joe Biden’s speech brought home to me on Jan. 6.

America has become a nation of vocal political extremists, both Republican and Democrat. Although these ultras hopefully comprise only a minority of the country, their leaders dominate and spread propaganda very effectively through TV, radio, newspapers, and magazines, amassing ever enlarging followings. Included in these groups are jaded politicians. It is unclear who came first, the extremist American citizen or the radically partisan politician? But either way, the system appears self-propagating. And with much of the press looking to further its own particular agenda of cornering business market share via overzealous, headline-grabbing reporting, the 30,000-foot view of the country is lost. For me, this is what Biden’s speech was all about.

Whether some in our country are extremist Republicans closely following in the footsteps of Donald Trump, a wannabe dictator who cozies up to Russia, North Korean, and Saudi leaders, disdains the bulk of the U.S. population calling us “losers” if we are not millionaire/billionaires, and is truly interested in only one thing, himself, or some are ultraist Democrats advocating for socialism and ridding the country of capitalistic drive, the majority of U.S. citizenry is probably moderate. And it is this last group, composed primarily of individuals who are socially enlightened but fiscally restrained, that is, as Biden put it, currently at battle for “the Soul of America,” but even more importantly, at war for Democracy. The problem is moderates, as citizens, are ignored by the press and, as politicians, are not considered “exciting” and do not gain traction in Congress. We appear to be on a self-sustaining merry-go-round. Extremists remain the most vociferous, and many give big money. Both these traits attract politicians who feel taking highly biased views on subjects will bring them fame, fortune, and election. And, unfortunately, it is these same individuals who make the rules.

“We the people,” many of us the moderate, silent majority, whether we be Republican, Democrat, or Independent, must stand up, assert ourselves, and seize our nation back from the ugly partisanship that has overtaken it. Not doing this, as many experts of international history have attested, will spiral our American Democracy into disaster and collapse.

The writer is a resident of Niantic.