Political polarization may be the most pressing challenge of our time. Ideological divides continue to deepen - eroding our trust in institutions, corroding public discourse, tearing friends and families apart. Where did this suddenly come from?

-It Didn’t. It has been building for years.

1.) In the 60’s, the centuries old value systems of certain segments of American society gave way to a whole new ideal. The civil rights movement brought in different racial groups and the women’s movement altered the status quo. This absolutely needed to occur to in order to become an inclusive democracy.

2) The ‘trickle down economics’ of the ‘80s created financial rifts with the destruction of unions and blue collar jobs. Then, evangelical Christians joined the Republican Party to fight abortion. Suddenly there was both a financial and religious division in politics.

3) In the Great Recession of 2008, the middle class funded a massive bailout of corporate and urban America. Most of that bailout money did not come back to the middle class. Instead it stayed in the urban financial sectors and CEO’s pockets with staggering salaries- creating an unsustainable amount of wealth disparity. Following the bailout, urban America and the upper elite class experienced a boom as the middle-class and rural areas experienced a bust.

4) Lately, there’s been a noticeable resurgence of nationalist rhetoric often directed towards immigrants communities. This trend reflects a broader demographic shift underway in the US where projections suggest that by 2030 no single ethnic group will hold a majority. These changes have predictably prompted anxiety among segments of our society who have historically held social and political dominance.

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Suddenly, in our two party system’s tug of war, we find ourselves in two camps. We are divided religiously, financially, regionally, politically and racially. Not only are we wrapped in identities that are confrontational, but there are deep beliefs that separate us. By default, the two party system encourages a deepening the divide created by the polarizing ‘ tug of war’.

This is polarization. At its core are the layers of identity mentioned above - creating an ‘Us versus Them’ mentality. One side views those that oppose them as not just wrong, but morally inferior, while the other side sees them as dangerous and a violation. This tribalism leads to cynicism and conflict in which compromise is nearly impossible. And, as demographics begin to shift political power, some dominant segments of America do not see a reason to support a democratic ideal that is failing them.

At it’s worst this leads to a spiral of violence on both sides. Even when the majority on both sides are against such violence, if leaders do not speak out against it, it is easy enough for any match to spark a fire. All it takes is for one side to believe that the other side ‘started it’.

The Mainstream Party’s voice is the best solution to the widening rift. It can bring a sense of shared values to a two party system destined to fracture.

How to do this-

Erasing polarization does not mean dispelling our differences. It means engaging with the other side constructively and re-humanizing the rest of Americans who do not see things your way. It means that we all must recognize that listening just to what we want to hear does little to move our country forwards and leads to radicalism.

It means leaders must speak out against all forms of political violence rather than feeding the flames. A true leader would at least say one sentence to discourage violence, and their silence is deeply problematic.

This includes community forums where everyone listens with curiosity and dialog. This brings neighbors into an understanding in which solutions are generated. Human to human interaction between two oppositions tend to create a third something… a community that is not seen in the trenches of the digital forums or politics. Out of this comes a surprising shared identity and resolution.

It means making sure everyone hears the same facts. News coverage of even something nonpolitical can vary widely from source to source. The discrepancies can be astounding. Studies show that the American public is increasingly consuming news sources that suit their beliefs and politics rather than listening to a source with balance. These studies also show that the public has a hard time distinguishing actual journalism from the tabloid writers and news of bias. When consumer labels educate us about the dangers, calories or ingredients — they help us make better decisions. If such nonpartisan information was available regarding our intake of news, in regards to accuracy and balance, it would help people sort out truth from fiction. It would encourage true journalism again. Most importantly it encourges all sources of news to become more accurate. Lastly this does not tell the public what they can watch, but empowers them to choose more wisely.

Medical professionals tell us that daily anger and anxiety create mental and physical illnesses. If we all turned off the radio when we started feeling anger rise inside, or switched stations when we felt they were creating fear, it would help our health. If , when we feel hate towards another, we all turned off our social media for a day …. maybe the algorithms would change and we could once again see the world as it is. Certainly we would be more at peace with ourselves and each other.

Finally, George Washington warned us that the two party system is “likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines by which cunning, ambitious and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people -” He feared that the two party system would at some point in time prioritize their own agendas over the common good - leading to ‘factionalism, disunity, and erosion of national trust’. The two party system and it’s inherent partisan ‘tug of ‘war’ that creates a widening divide is actually part of the problem.

Even now, families and friendships fracture. The neighborhood barbecue does not occur because of rifts politically, religiously and racially.

The main question to ask yourself is this…

Is this the future that you want for America?

Support us in a fight for a better future - We Can Do This.