The Dangerous Ground of finding Common Ground

Krystal Ball

This got me thinking. 

Hey, wanna get in trouble with me? Stop hating on  your neighbor with the Trump flag, sticker and or tee shirt. Stop hating on the Bernie Bro, Biden voter or other despised lefty. Go talk to them or more importantly, listen. We just might find how absurd the "this nation is so divided" narrative is. Sure, sure, there are real differences. My agnostic self has many issues with people I know to be in the Christian Right. Could we still relate on too much money in politics? Poverty is a problem? or something else? 

It seems a lot of us agree the country is going in the wrong direction which is vague but at least a starting point. What direction should we be going instead? Where's the agreement? Too many jobs going over seas leaving huge swaths of the population behind condemned to poverty and despair. Our infrastructure is in decay and falling apart from neglect. Our healthcare system provides good care but navigating it and paying for it are twin nightmares. I think there can even be agreement on protecting the environment. No one likes shitty, smelly and flammable rivers! Just shouting, "The climate is changing you dumb asses!" might make you feel better for a moment but does nothing to address the problem. Here's another one- forever wars. People all across the political spectrum mostly recognize these for what they are, money making ventures for war profiteers. I think you would have to dig pretty deep to find people who buy the WMD argument for invading Iraq. Who among us can explain why we are still in Afghanistan almost 20 years after 9/11/2001? Bin Laden was killed a long time ago and the Taliban were crushed (but refuse to be killed off completely). I'd add we can all agree on how bad our veterans are neglected upon their return.

If we could solve the problem of massive income inequality, I think many other problems would melt away. Remember friends, the dominant discourse (America is so divided), always serves those at the top. There are more. "Work hard to get ahead," serves those we work for. "Keep a good credit score," serves the bankers. "Guns don't kill people, people kill people," is good for gun makers and the NRA. Remember when the NRA used to be sane? I'm a gun owner who will have nothing to do with them now. That reminds me...

Few of us are deep red or dark blue. Most of us are a mix making us nearer to the middle of the political spectrum. Do some Trump voters have legitimate gripes? Yes. So do Bernie voters. Both groups have been forgotten by cookie cutter Democrats and Republicans.

Whatever you do, don't give in to despair and apathy! That only benefits the powerful.