After collecting everyone’s responses, I am most interested in where the overlap is. Where is the common ground?
Here are some of the common ground subjects they brought up:
Affordable healthcare
Providing a better education for our children
Separation of church and state
Making our communities safer
Providing a better pathway to legal immigration
Affordable homeowner’s insurance, especially in FL
Keeping gas prices lower
Safer schools
Growing old with dignity
A desire to bring people together and remember we are all Americans
Also, I was surprised to hear that all three of our conservative-leaning interviewees said, in their own words, that they were pro-choice. Of course, this is only a small sampling, but it makes me wonder how many Republicans are actually conservative when it comes to the economy, yet liberal when it comes to abortion rights.
One thing that it seems people on both sides of the aisle agree upon is that we need to move beyond a two-party system. Having only two choices is part of what’s so polarizing in America. If there were a third, viable party, it seems like it would solve a lot of problems. Another thing people agree on is that social media makes the “great divide” even worse. People get caught up in an “echo chamber” effect, sharing memes and not fact-checking.
In conclusion, there’s definitely a deep division, but there are glimmers of hope for common ground. If we can maintain civility in our conversations, whether they are in person, through text messages or through social media, we will make progress on this. I think the (above) list of basic priorities is a starting point for this common ground.
I’m thankful to the six individuals who took the time to explore this topic with me.
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Krista Martinelli is a journalist and enjoys her activities around Wellington. She is the founder of AroundWellington.com, which has been running for 18 years. She has two teenage kids. She can be reached at: aroundwellington@gmail.com