COMMON GROUND
(This essay was updated on December 4 and posted as a new essay)
Our book club, composed of women with progressive views, recently discussed the possibility of meeting with Republican women in our fair city. We are outnumbered 5 to 1 by the far right within the borders of our town, most of whom enjoy being in the top 1% of income. If we were able to peek into the houses of some of those wealthy Republicans, we might find some women who vote differently than their husbands. Our purpose would be to discuss shared values, as polarization has reached such an extreme that people are afraid to talk to each other when they know there are opposing views.
Bringing people together has been on my mind for a while, and was first brought to my attention by a woman who identifies as a Democrat. I dreamed last night that I approached the mayor about bringing people together with different political viewpoints to find common ground. He seemed open to the idea but wanted to ponder it before taking any action.
I had not been living here long when I was warned by one of the leaders in our town that I would be shunned if I made my political views known. He and his wife had supported a Democratic candidate years ago, then suddenly found themselves not invited to parties after hosting a fundraiser for the candidate. They are now firmly entrenched in the Republican Party. My mind did flip-flops as I try to understand how they compromised their beliefs to be accepted by the townspeople. I responded that I would never change parties to be popular. Besides, falling on a sword on principle is how I roll.
During the two years I've lived in Horseshoe Bay, I have been asked to serve on several non-political boards. I was elected the Llano County Democratic Party Chair. My picture has appeared numerous times in local newspapers along with articles I've written about our political activities this past year. If I have not been invited to parties due to being a high-profile Democrat, I'm not aware of it.
One of the local boards I serve on is composed of Republicans. We good naturally tease each other about our respective political positions. In spite of approaching political issues differently, we genuinely like and respect each other. Last week, I was asked by a fellow board member if I would have a political debate with him. He had negative experiences with Democrats in that the discussions would invariably end with name-calling by the Democrats. I immediately responded, "Oh, reallyThat'sexactly what happens to me when I've entered into political discussions with Republicans!" "Besides," I explained, "No one ever convinced someone to change their political beliefs as a result of a debate. So, why waste our time?"
I sometimes read comments that people make on various news sites like NYT, CNN, Washington Post, Austin American Statesman, Texas Monthly, and pages of people I respect (Dan Rather, Bill Moyer, the Palmer Report, Michael Moore, and John Pavlovitz). While one might assume that it's loaded with comments from progressive/liberal individuals, you would be surprised at the number of people who go to those sites to give their opposing viewpoints. Often, it is filled with anger and name-calling on both sides.
I think it's important to hear what people are saying from both sides to reach conclusions based on input from extremes. I believe there's still a chance that we can find common ground. I'm confident we share many of the same values but differ on how programs should be funded.
Consider this: Perhaps there are too many people abusing entitlement programs. Perhaps some people have claimed a disability that can actually work. Maybe we should increase job training programs and provide child care while we train people to get them off public assistance. When people become too dependent on the government, they lose initiative and motivation. Perhaps we have become too lax on illegal immigrants. Immigrants make this country great, but they need to enter legally, and we need to make it easier for those who are suffering to come to this country. Perhaps we've given too many tax breaks to corporations while they take their businesses to another country. Maybe we need to close tax loopholes. Perhaps the wealthy need to pay their fair share in taxes. People are living longer, so maybe they should start collecting Social Security when they are 70. (I didn't want to continue working past age 66, but I was capable of it!) Perhaps the CEOs of pharmaceutical and insurance companies don't need $10-20 million a year in salaries while people requiring medications or insurance coverage are forced into bankruptcy. Perhaps healthcare should be non-profit with limits on wages at the top of those organizations. I think people on both sides are tired of the rich getting richer and seeing large chunks of their income going toward programs they don't support. And finally, I would be surprised if everyone didn't agree that there should be term limits, limits on campaign ads, and a ban on lobbyists "buying" members of Congress. These are the issues where we can find common ground. If we keep going to the extreme on both sides, I fear that we're setting ourselves up for a revolution. No one wins if that happens.
I'm willing to begin a discussion on fundamental values with people seeking to understand and be understood. I'm uninterested in hearing others tell me what I believe. Conversely, I don't want to assume I know the core values of others. Let's stop with the name-calling and demonization of the "other" side.
Our book club, composed of women with progressive views, recently discussed the possibility of meeting with Republican women in our fair city. We are outnumbered 5 to 1 by the far right within the borders of our town, most of whom enjoy being in the top 1% of income. If we were able to peek into the houses of some of those wealthy Republicans, we might find some women who vote differently than their husbands. Our purpose would be to discuss shared values, as polarization has reached such an extreme that people are afraid to talk to each other when they know there are opposing views.
Bringing people together has been on my mind for a while, and was first brought to my attention by a woman who identifies as a Democrat. I dreamed last night that I approached the mayor about bringing people together with different political viewpoints to find common ground. He seemed open to the idea but wanted to ponder it before taking any action.
I had not been living here long when I was warned by one of the leaders in our town that I would be shunned if I made my political views known. He and his wife had supported a Democratic candidate years ago, then suddenly found themselves not invited to parties after hosting a fundraiser for the candidate. They are now firmly entrenched in the Republican Party. My mind did flip-flops as I try to understand how they compromised their beliefs to be accepted by the townspeople. I responded that I would never change parties to be popular. Besides, falling on a sword on principle is how I roll.
During the two years I've lived in Horseshoe Bay, I have been asked to serve on several non-political boards. I was elected the Llano County Democratic Party Chair. My picture has appeared numerous times in local newspapers along with articles I've written about our political activities this past year. If I have not been invited to parties due to being a high-profile Democrat, I'm not aware of it.
One of the local boards I serve on is composed of Republicans. We good naturally tease each other about our respective political positions. In spite of approaching political issues differently, we genuinely like and respect each other. Last week, I was asked by a fellow board member if I would have a political debate with him. He had negative experiences with Democrats in that the discussions would invariably end with name-calling by the Democrats. I immediately responded, "Oh, reallyThat'sexactly what happens to me when I've entered into political discussions with Republicans!" "Besides," I explained, "No one ever convinced someone to change their political beliefs as a result of a debate. So, why waste our time?"
I sometimes read comments that people make on various news sites like NYT, CNN, Washington Post, Austin American Statesman, Texas Monthly, and pages of people I respect (Dan Rather, Bill Moyer, the Palmer Report, Michael Moore, and John Pavlovitz). While one might assume that it's loaded with comments from progressive/liberal individuals, you would be surprised at the number of people who go to those sites to give their opposing viewpoints. Often, it is filled with anger and name-calling on both sides.
I think it's important to hear what people are saying from both sides to reach conclusions based on input from extremes. I believe there's still a chance that we can find common ground. I'm confident we share many of the same values but differ on how programs should be funded.
Consider this: Perhaps there are too many people abusing entitlement programs. Perhaps some people have claimed a disability that can actually work. Maybe we should increase job training programs and provide child care while we train people to get them off public assistance. When people become too dependent on the government, they lose initiative and motivation. Perhaps we have become too lax on illegal immigrants. Immigrants make this country great, but they need to enter legally, and we need to make it easier for those who are suffering to come to this country. Perhaps we've given too many tax breaks to corporations while they take their businesses to another country. Maybe we need to close tax loopholes. Perhaps the wealthy need to pay their fair share in taxes. People are living longer, so maybe they should start collecting Social Security when they are 70. (I didn't want to continue working past age 66, but I was capable of it!) Perhaps the CEOs of pharmaceutical and insurance companies don't need $10-20 million a year in salaries while people requiring medications or insurance coverage are forced into bankruptcy. Perhaps healthcare should be non-profit with limits on wages at the top of those organizations. I think people on both sides are tired of the rich getting richer and seeing large chunks of their income going toward programs they don't support. And finally, I would be surprised if everyone didn't agree that there should be term limits, limits on campaign ads, and a ban on lobbyists "buying" members of Congress. These are the issues where we can find common ground. If we keep going to the extreme on both sides, I fear that we're setting ourselves up for a revolution. No one wins if that happens.
I'm willing to begin a discussion on fundamental values with people seeking to understand and be understood. I'm uninterested in hearing others tell me what I believe. Conversely, I don't want to assume I know the core values of others. Let's stop with the name-calling and demonization of the "other" side.
Let it begin with me.
UPDATE on 2/5/2023: How naive of me!
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