Talking Politics? Look for Common Ground

Six weeks until the election and our country seems to be getting more and more divided. In one of my favorite scenes from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, as Butch and Sundance are being chased by the Sheriff’s posse, Butch says in great exasperation, “Who are those guys?” In the same way, when I hear people with such strong and entrenched ideology, I start to wonder, “Who are these people?”

Everyone seems to be taking a defensive posture – trying to promote their own beliefs and protect their own interests. Before we can start to heal our rifts, we have to get to know and understand each other. Weren’t the town halls gripping? Real people explained how they have been affected by laws, government programs, and the downturn in the economy. Beyond the Constitutionally protected groups, it seems that there is a very large group of people who do not fit into any of those special groups. They feel forgotten and disadvantaged, and are starting to ask, “Hey, what about me?”

Let’s take jobs for example. Do you know anyone who has been out of work? Do you understand what it is like to be unemployed or underemployed? Losing an income affects every aspect of your life. Your career loses momentum, your savings become depleted, bills continue to add up, and the dream of retirement gets put on hold. Most importantly, you lose your place in society – no workplace, no co-workers, and no meaningful work. It is as hard on the psyche as it is on the budget.

If you had been trained in a field and had worked hard all your life, done all the things that your company required, and then lost your job because of downsizing or plant relocation, how would you feel? With no hope of finding a job in a community where hundreds of your co-workers are now looking for jobs, what would you and your family do? Sell your home in a depressed real estate market and start over in a new community? Move away from the very support group – family and faith community - that is keeping you afloat? These family issues are heart-rending.

Unfortunately these issues are not uncommon. Can you understand why people are looking for a champion to help them find jobs and increase their earning power? Their shared problems are unifying them. People are speaking with such anger and vitriol that they can’t communicate. The comments on Facebook are hateful and close-minded. Instead of talking through the issues, we are following the example of our Congress and just taking sides and digging in. Our democracy can work better than this.

We have political parties to set agendas, but we vote as individuals. The real danger here is that we lose our ability to communicate and find common ground in sound policy. We have to separate fear from fact and make decisions for the common good. At the end of Election Day, will we feel as though we have leaders who will understand our problems and work toward solutions?

We have to know where the real danger lies. At the end of the movie, Butch and Sundance are getting ready to make their get-away, not realizing that they are surrounded by dozens of Bolivian soldiers. Butch is convinced that the only one who can catch them is Lefors, a famous lawman. When Sundance assures him Lefors isn’t there, Butch is relieved. His final words are, “Oh, good. For a moment there I thought we were in trouble.” The rest is history.

Perhaps it isn’t the candidates who are endangering our democracy, but our own decisions to dig in rather than to talk and learn from each other. The Presidential debates should help us know how each candidate would lead us. But the reality is that our democracy depends on us – We the People. I hope that our discourse will be civil and productive. Let’s start really listening and talking to each other!

Blessings,
Barb