It feels more like a reverse psyop, like “look we are wearing masks now, isn’t this what you wanted”?

As long as the sides keep reducing common ground, the farther away from government for the people, by the people we go.

Tell me more about how "the sides" are reducing "common ground"?

Again, let's think of two children fighting over their shares of a cookie. Child A says he should get all of the cookie. Child B says that wouldn't be fair, the cookie should be split evenly, half and half.

The adult in the room decides to promote common ground, and gives 75% of the cookie to A and 25% to B.