My first meeting as a senator, my first day, they were already talking about the next election. Part of that's the permanent campaign, part of that's a word I've been using more frequently, 'tribal.' Our politics has become tribal: It's us versus them.

Summary

In this quote, the speaker, who is a senator, reflects on their first day in office and notes that the conversation immediately shifted towards the next election. The speaker attributes this phenomenon to two factors: the permanent campaign atmosphere in politics and the increasing tribal nature of politics. By using the term "tribal," the speaker suggests that modern politics has devolved into a dichotomous "us versus them" mentality, where loyalty to one's own political group often takes precedence over collaboration and dialogue.

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