Re-uniting A House Divided
Face-to-face Meetings of Braver Angels
Here’s how we can take a stand against toxic politics and bridge the hyper-partisan divide. Let’s start engaging in give-and-take with people in our communities, in a structured environment, to listen to each other and see if we can find common ground. It’s a way of showing respect, seeking understanding, and at the same time renewing our democracy.
This is the mission of Braver Angels, a cross-partisan, volunteer-led movement and non-profit organization. It brings politically diverse people together. These groups are active in all 50 U.S. states, with more groups in urban areas. They also meet online nearly every week.
If you are concerned about how politically divided the country is, you can help create a Braver Angels group in your area. Here’s how easy it was for me to organize one:
A couple of weeks ago, I posted “Neighbors Can Bridge the Political Divide” to my local Nextdoor.com group. More than 50 people responded in the affirmative. Our first meeting is in the works for September. We’ll choose co-chairs, one a Democrat (blue) and the other a Republican (red). Independents and unaffiliateds are also welcome. Representatives from Braver Angels of North Carolina will be there.
Dennis Koehler sees the need for local groups because “I only have a couple of good friends that are in an opposite corner that I can have reasonable and meaningful dialogue with. Let’s do this!!”
“I am a conservative libertarian who votes red,“ confided Wendy McGee. She has never encountered hostility about her politics from real people face to face, she says, only online. “The press, fake news, and media mob want to see us all stay divided…So I strongly encourage people to stop depending on ONE news source…. When it’s all said and done, love your neighbor regardless of which party they support. I have great friends on the left, on the right, and in the middle. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for any of them, and they feel the same about me.”
John Bonitz is eager to be involved. “It's fascinating to me that in our modern era, so many issues defy ideological lines. For example, as a lifelong environmentalist, I'm thrilled to find common ground with fiscal conservatives that suburban sprawl is a Ponzi scheme.
“I love it when I can agree with Libertarians and developers on the need to abolish minimum parking rules for infill development in Downtown. And I'm on cloud nine to find common ground with fans of competitive markets that solar and wind power are cheaper than fossil fuels and that monopoly utilities are harming all of us when they invest in dirty energy. Let's have these conversations!”
Take a Free, Brief Online Course on Bridging the Divide
Braver Angels currently offers five 40-minute online courses on depolarization designed to improve your skills. Check them out.
Teaching About Race in Public Schools
I have been amazed by the common ground found among liberals and conservatives, Blacks and Whites, Democrats and Republicans on 1) teaching about race in schools; and 2) problems in public education as exemplified in two recent discussions by Braver Angels of Central North Carolina.
Building A House United
"Independents and unaffiliateds welcome."?! I guess the focus on bringing together partisan Republican and Democratic is a start, and each having a chair of their own partisan party, is one way to organize these conversations. But "the unaffiliated and independents" comprise more than either party's registration, and we are less likely to be locked into a habit of voting for one party. How about taking the approach that projecting and growing the voices of the plurality middle, who are frustrated by the intransigence of both left and right, as the way forward? Encourage them to come, rather than welcome us as afterthoughts, and make us the chairs rather than partisans. Just sayin'.
Braver Angels helps people truly listen and understand each other through cross-party dialogue, easing the current political division. Face-to-face communication is far more powerful than online arguments, and loving your neighbor as yourself is the key to resolving differences. I hope more people will join such actions to make society more united and rational