Our divided nation: How the American middle can slow polarization and unite our nation | Opinion
2:30 AM on Sep 18, 2022 CDT
In this editorial, and in a series of editorials and commentaries that we will publish in coming months under the title The American Middle, we are going to examine the causes of our polarization. We will look at political, social, technological and media structures that exacerbate our divisions, often to the profit and power of others. We will look at the ways polarization is distorting our communities and hurting our democracy.
We can resolve our political differences. But we might not be able to resolve them until we reform, diminish or remove the structures that are elevating polarization.There is nothing wrong with taking part in politics, or being interested in political questions. People have opinions, and they should vote those opinions.comes from ancient Greek and referred to eligible citizens who failed to take part in the communal work of politics.
But the messages in the noise don’t reflect how most of us really think. Most of us don’t wholly buy what the major political parties are selling, nor do our sex, race, religion or other identifying characteristics easily define our thinking as individuals. Republican legislators around the country have raced in recent years to place ever greater restrictions on abortion in anticipation of the revocation of federal abortion rights. Then, they were surprised when rock-red Kansas rejected a constitutional amendment that effectively would have led to a ban on all abortion in the state.
While his party’s base treated him with disdain, most Americans, in fact, agree that the law Cornyn helped pass was the right thing for the country. Pew research indicates some 64% of Americans approved of the law, with 32% strongly approving. Even among those who identified as Republicans, more approved of the law than disapproved. More than 6 in 10 people, meanwhile, would like to see stronger gun legislation from Congress.
What that tells us is something most of us already understand: It is possible to believe we can treat people humanely, expand legal migration and secure the border. The choice isn’t binary. There is space for serious reform, but that reform is hard to achieve because political leaders, the party machines that support them and the polarized media that profits from division are unwilling to accept any deal that could be interpreted as offering the other side a quid pro quo.
But the recognition of the impact of extreme weather alone as a starting point of agreement may help explain why President Joe Biden’s climate-focused Inflation Reduction Act got the support it needed to pass from Democratic senators in Republican-leaning states. And it suggests there are areas of policy agreement that we can work toward, including expansion of renewable energy.Most Americans want it to be easier to vote, from automatic registration to making Election Day a national holiday.
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