Unity: HOW???
I listened to about as much as I could handle of the 2nd impeachment debates. Can’t any of the Representatives just go up and say, “Yeah, ten people already said the same speech I prepared, so I’ll spare you. I yield my time.” The Democratic boilerplate speech was “Remember last week when the awful thing happened? Trump started it with his words. There must be consequences.” The Republican boilerplate speech was “I thought we wanted unity. Impeaching the President would be divisive. Also, what about Black Lives Matter protesters?” I could rant for pages upon pages about how terrible the Republican speeches were, but for this I want to focus on the calls for unity.
Plenty of others have written about how the Republicans calling for unity now, after their supporters stormed the capital, wanting to skip past having any consequences to their actions, is classic gaslighting straight out of the abuser’s playbook. They’re right, and I don’t have anything to add to that.
I’m writing about how to actually move back toward unity. There are some things that our political world, and our society as a whole, has lost sight of that I’m desperate for us to return to.
1) Compromise is not a dirty word. To get something, you give something. Our American government is not designed for sweeping change, and that’s frustrating sometimes. But wouldn’t it be great if sometimes Congress passed a bill that everyone was more or less happy with, because each side gets something they really wanted, and gave up something they could live with to get it?
2) Partisanship must come with principles. Each of us needs to have a clearer idea of Lines That We Will Not Cross. Then, when someone on our side crosses that line, they lose support. This blind loyalty to team has to stop—this is politics, not college sports. Democrats are way ahead of Republicans on this (see: Al Franken, John Edwards), but everyone could do better. It’s insane that it took the events of January 6 for some Republicans to finally denounce the President, and it’s still so few of them.
3) Save demonization for the demons. If someone tells you a person or group of people is irretrievably corrupt, put on your skeptical hat, because most of the time whoever is telling you that is trying to keep you from doing your own thinking. Yes, some people are irretrievably corrupt. As are some groups of people. But people who want to control others have learned that by turning something into a moral issue of Right and Wrong, they are able to reach farther and influence more, so tons of things are turned into binary moral issues when, in fact, they’re morally complex. To fix this, I think we need to depopularize the tactic. When someone tries to get you morally outraged, turn it off and seek a more neutral source. Don’t give them that shortcut to controlling your feelings.
This feels like outrageously wishful thinking. At the same time, it’s common sense. Damn it, how is common sense wishful thinking?
