Americans aren't so divided on actual issues
Everything does not have to be a food fight between Republicans and Democrats. Credit: iStock.com
As a nation, we’re a mess. Hopelessly divided, forever fighting, with political leaders who throw gasoline, not water, on the fire.
That’s the conventional wisdom. And there certainly is evidence in anecdotes and surveys of public opinion to support that view. It ranges from a Gallup poll finding that 80% of American adults believe our country is divided on important values to Pew Research Center polling revealing that 72% of Republicans and nearly two-thirds of Democrats say members of the opposing party are more immoral and dishonest than other Americans.
Numbers like that sketch a gargantuan divide.
But as with so much about America, it’s more complicated than that. What’s been described as our fierce polarization seems to have conditioned many of us to respond in knee-jerk reaction when asked about our supposed political foes. Because when talk turns to actual issues, it turns out we agree with each other a lot more than we are given credit for.
Polling in the last few months shows that 84% of adults in the United States believe our racial, religious and cultural diversity is a strength (Kettering Foundation/Gallup Democracy for All Project), 80% say wealth inequality is a big problem (The Economist/YouGov), 72% support requiring a license from local law enforcement before someone can buy a gun (Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions), and 72% support limits on stock trading for members of Congress (Harvard CAPS/Harris). And 9 in 10 do not think our federal government represents us well (NORC Center for Public Affairs Research).
That last number is telling. One way to read that is as a measure of our dissatisfaction with politicians who choose to play to our differences instead of building on our areas of agreement.
Take two of our most contentious issues — voting and immigration. Requiring government-issued photo identification to vote is popular. The Pew Research Center found last year that a whopping 83% of Americans back such a measure as common sense policy. Yet Congress can’t get it done. The current Republican-backed SAVE Act includes the ID requirement but adds a bunch of other measures on which there is not similar overwhelming agreement and which Democrats oppose. The solution seems simple: Pass a bill that requires a photo ID to vote and nothing more, and move on.
On immigration, there has long been general consensus among Americans that our border should be tight and that we should provide a way for law-abiding folks who have been here for years to stay here. Nearly 80% of us say immigration is good for our country, two-thirds say our local officials should help the federal government deport immigrants who are here illegally and have committed crimes, and nearly two-thirds believe our current immigration policies have made Americans less safe. Just this past week, a group of Republican sheriffs and chiefs of police in Florida asked President Donald Trump and congressional leaders to stop rounding up law-abiding immigrants who came here “inappropriately.” As one of them said, “These are folks we need in this country.”
Again, there is an obvious resolution: Deport the bad guys, let the others stay, and create a fair and orderly immigration system going forward.
Yes, there are nuances in some of the support on these issues but there also is strong agreement on broad principles. Let’s build on those and move forward rather than wallow or backtrack because we harp on our divisions. Solve one piece of a puzzle at a time and go from there.
I’m so tired of the political wars. I suspect many of you are, too. Everything does not have to be a food fight. Incremental progress might not be deeply soul-satisfying, but it is progress. And getting things done has a way of leading to getting more things done. That’s a policy all of us can support.
Columnist Michael Dobie is a retired member of the editorial board.
Michael Dobie is a retired member of the Newsday editorial board.
