Leadership Quote by Ed Gillespie

The move here is classic politician jiu-jitsu: take a widely felt anxiety (polarization) and redirect the blame upward. Gillespie’s “I don’t think” softens what is actually a hard accusation, letting him sound reasonable while implying that the real problem isn’t voters, it’s an “elite” narrative machine. That word does heavy lifting. “Elite” is deliberately vague enough to mean cable-news bookers, coastal donors, professors, party insiders, tech platforms, or any combination the listener already resents. It’s less a demographic than a convenient antagonist.

The phrase “would have us believe” sharpens the edge. It suggests manipulation, not misreading: division isn’t just observed, it’s sold. Subtext: your everyday experience is being overwritten by people with incentives to inflame conflict - clicks, fundraising, status, ideological purity. Gillespie positions himself as the translator of the “real” country, a candidate who can see past the manufactured drama.

Context matters because this line thrives in moments when institutions are broadly distrusted and political conflict is also a product. Post-2016 especially, polarization became both diagnosis and content. Saying we’re “not as divided” offers emotional relief while quietly delegitimizing critics: if division is exaggerated by elites, then warnings about racism, democratic backsliding, or policy stakes can be framed as performative hysteria.

It’s optimistic on the surface, but it’s also a power play: recast disagreement as theater, claim the role of adult in the room, and invite voters to join a larger “us” - against “them.”