"Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand." Matthew 12:25

An imagined Q & A between a junior devil and a higher-ranking one.

"Question, your grand evilness: How are we going to destroy this powerful nation?"

"Easy, you little pipsqueak. Set the two parties against each other to the point where the whole nation is divided."

"Question, your majestic darkness: How do you make sure people pick a party and hate the other party?"

"Don't be stupid, little idiot. People are sensitive to truth. A little truth makes lies easier to believe. So, what you do is you divide truth between the two parties. Each party has enough truth that it will attract people. Neither side will have the whole truth, of course. Just enough to get people to join ranks on one side or the other. And then, inspire people to speak and write hatefully of anyone on the other side."

"Question, most potent officer of mayhem: What's the worst thing that could happen to this diabolical plan?"

"It's obvious, you ignorant little newb. People might somehow decide to have respect for opposing viewpoints, to do onto others as they would have done unto themselves, to love truth and compassion, and their neighbors as themselves, even if the neighbors are the opposite political party. It would be as if they actually followed the directions of the Book so many of them claim to believe in."

"Question, lord of evil: It seems unlikely, but could it ever happen?"

"You dare question the cunning of this plan? Those things can happen only if individuals actually start changing the next time they are about to post a hateful comment on a web page, say how stupid the other side is, or rant angrily about how everyone else is destroying the country. The moment they start thinking about their own role in the destruction of the country, we simply inspire them to get angry and hate again."

"In other words, your darkness, this is a surefire way to destroy this country."

"Exactly."