America’s Governors Have a New Plan To Overcome Polarization
Source: johnhain, pixabay
Unless you’ve been on a self-imposed media blackout for the past 10 years, you’ve probably noticed that “toxic polarization” is diverting Americans from the pressing challenges we collectively face. So, U.S. governors across the political spectrum have joined together to promote the “Disagree Better” campaign, with tactics and rhetoric designed to build consensus rather than demonize opponents. According to the National Governors Association (NGA), “By breaking the cycle of conflict and personal attacks, Governors aim to remind Americans it’s possible to disagree without being disagreeable.”
While politics at the national level may seem frivolous or performative, governors are under much greater pressure to deliver tangible results, as their actions are felt more directly. For instance, many states have a balanced budget requirement, so when the legislature is held by the opposing party, local politicians have no choice but to compromise on vital legislation.
But the NGA isn’t just issuing platitudes; it has specific suggestions for how politicians (and consensus-minded citizens) can reach across differences and lower the heat on political rhetoric:
Host a service project within your community, potentially with your state legislature from both sides of the aisle and their spouses.
Record an ad with a neighboring governor from a different party, a legislator from the opposing party, or a campaign opponent.
Record a brief civic education ad, explaining that our nation’s founding and the Constitution were designed for people from different backgrounds and with different views.
Write an op-ed with someone from the other party on a topic of common ground.
It also offers a Disagree Better Library, with titles such as “Working Together With Mutual Respect and Dignity” and “Architects, Not Arsonists.”
The NGA says it will host symposia around the country to facilitate political cooperation and celebrate areas that cooperate successfully. Its goal is to create a “permission structure and template for other public officials at every level to follow.”
Utah Governor Spencer Cox (R), chair of the NGA, observes, “We know that conflict resolution takes work and involves difficult conversations. It’s much easier to sow division than to persuade or find solutions.”
Strong Towns columnist Daniel Herriges echoed this theme in a recent essay about communicating effectively with people who hold differing positions: “Nobody’s mind is changed by hostility. Nobody’s mind is changed by shame and moral opprobrium from strangers. Nobody’s mind is changed by being the target of snark and ridicule.” How well you communicate can be as important as the quality of your plans, advises Herriges.
The governors modeled this “better disagreement” at the same February gathering at which this initiative was launched. In an NGA housing forum, Democratic and Republican governors described how their states had similar affordability and supply problems. They also pointed out that many strategies to address these problems have broad bipartisan support.
The campaign already has one high-level supporter in President Biden, who praised the initiative in a White House visit with the Utah governor. “I appreciate Governor Cox’s effort to make the mission of the NGA to get those of us who disagree with one another to listen to one another, to treat one another with a sense of dignity and respect,” he said.
Strong Towns is a non-partisan, bottom-up movement to rebuild American prosperity. If you’re interested in reaching across political divides to strengthen your local community, become a member today!
Ben Abramson is a Staff Writer at Strong Towns. In his career as a travel journalist with The Washington Post and USA TODAY, Ben has visited many destinations that show how Americans were once world-class at building appealing, prosperous places at a human scale. He has also seen the worst of the suburban development pattern, and joined Strong Towns because of its unique way of framing the problems we can all see and intuit, and focusing on local, achievable solutions. A native of Washington, DC, Ben lives in Venice, Florida; summers in Atlantic Canada; and loves hiking, biking, kayaking, and beachcombing.