It is sad to watch what is happening to America. Everyone is so angry.
I think there is a silent majority of those who would prefer to see another way.
If the extremes on each side could, for a moment, see their own contributions to our country’s dysfunction, that would be a start. You can’t solve a problem until you recognize it first.
To my Republican friends, I say this: America is tired of the chaos, the brute force, the lies, the theatrics, the corruption, the cruelty and the ugliness. You have allowed yourselves to be taken over by the billionaire class who are happy to manipulate us all. While they keep us all distracted, they are siphoning up all the goodies. Your members of Congress seem completely spineless, incapable of standing up to the excesses of Donald Trump. The executive branch is run by people who claim to be Christians but preach a message of hate.
To my Democratic friends, I say: You totally blew it in the 2024 election with your tolerance for open borders and the push to allow boys who think they are girls to compete in girls’ sports. The call to “defund the police” in the aftermath of the George Floyd murder was an instant loser. “Wokeness” goes way over the heads of everyday Americans and was a recipe for electoral disaster. Democrats seem to get that now, but their only message now is “We’re not Trump.” That’s not good enough.
Many liberals make big bucks taking advantage of bureaucratic systems ill-equipped to root out corruption. In Los Angeles, we have the “homeless industrial complex,” with designated nonprofits raking in huge money while producing few results. In Minneapolis, we have the Somali day-care scandal. On either side, the list goes on and on.
Making matters worse, our media outlets have become cheerleaders for one side or the other, contributing to the division. Most Americans have their favorite media outlets, based on their political persuasions. But. this means most Americans are getting just half the story, because today’s outlets conveniently overlook inconvenient truth that run counter to the official narrative. All this division generates eyeballs, ratings, campaign contributions. People are making fortunes cashing in on the outrage machine.
Many in the middle just want to see common sense prevail. But moderates are prone to be moderate in temperament, not just their politics. It’s hard for those who value reasonableness to stand out in today’s cacophony of hate. Many centrists remain quiet, avoiding conflict, hoping to avoid getting caught up in the crossfire.
But there are structural issues, too. Primary elections tend to reward the extremists on both sides. It’s the extremists who turn out in big numbers during low-voter turnout elections. When the extremists become the candidates who go into the general election that will follow, our choice is between two extremists.
In many states, voters can only vote in primary elections if they are registered with one of the two major parties, Democrat or Republican. This helps lock in the two-party stranglehold — disenfranchising Independent voters. And yet self-described independents now make up 45 percent of the electorate, far outstripping both Democrats and Republicans, whose parties are tied at just 27% each.
If we truly believe in democracy, we should let every properly registered American citizen vote in every election.
It’s hard for candidates with crossover appeal to rise, but once in a while, one of them busts out. Just as bad ideas can come from either party, so can good ideas. If enough of these maverick politicians can survive, it will encourage others to try. Maybe in our lifetime we’ll see a viable third party rise.
People are sick of the status quo. It feels like America will soon arrive at its “enough!” moment. If we can self-correct — starting by addressing the root causes of all of today’s anger — there is hope. If we can actually solve problems, maybe the level of anger will go down. Let’s hope it’s not too late.
That’s what OUR NATIONAL CONVERSATION is all about. We hope to get people talking about what ails America, with the hope common sense will eventually find its voice. If people are exposed to all sides, that will help get America back on the road to recovery. It’s time for a revolution based on common sense and decency. Check us out at https://www.ournationalconversation.org/.
OUR NATIONAL CONVERSATION is largely powered by youth — America’s future leaders. Gen Z is inheriting a difficult world. ONC is here to give them a fighting chance. Interested in helping out? Send me an email: editor@ournationalconversation.org. I look forward to hearing from you.
Jeff Hall, Editor & CEO