HomeOur EffortsReduce Polarization

Today, it seems that the American public is divided over almost everything. It doesn’t matter whether we’re discussing economic, foreign, or social policy, or if we’re talking about immigration or racism or reproductive rights: more often than not, conservatives and liberals will disagree, Republicans and Democrats will disagree, and “red states” and “blue states” will disagree.

Political polarization is increasingly intense, and our resulting politics are nastier than most of us can ever remember. There are many reasons for this. One is the social, political, and economic divisions that came to define the Trump era. Other reasons include the rise of identity politics, growing religious diversity, growing racial and ethnic diversity, decreasing trust in a usually deadlocked Congress and a politically-divided Supreme Court, more of us living in politically like-minded communities, widespread gerrymandering, lower journalistic standards, and the dissemination of untrustworthy political information. And we haven’t even mentioned the Internet, Facebook, or Twitter.

SC WIL believes that cooperation and respectful conversations can help decrease partisan tensions. That the other party isn’t always wrong. That we can disagree on some issues and still respect each other. That we can find common ground on certain issues. That saving our local newspapers will help readers focus on their communities instead of turning to political partisanship to decide their political choices. That people working together can make our state a better place to live and work for all citizens.

Decreasing Partisan Strains

 A study by the Political Parity program, a nonpartisan platform that aims to elevate the number of women working in Congress and in state capitols across the country, bolsters our belief that cooperation and respectful conversations can help decrease partisan strains. 

The study, titled “Sex, Bipartisanship, and Collaboration in the U.S. Congress”, found that “women are more likely than men to value and contribute to a collegial work environment. In times of gridlock, obstructionism, and inefficiency, we shouldn’t underestimate the role that such collegiality and comity can bring to the legislative process.”

The study goes on to say that women in Congress “deliver more federal spending to their districts and sponsor more legislation than their male colleagues.” But perhaps even more important, having more women in Congress “can send a strong signal to the American public – and perhaps to potential candidates – that women’s presence on Capitol Hill contributes to making the political arena a somewhat more civil and pleasant place to work.”

And then, of course, there’s the matter of simple justice and democracy. Electing more women “brings to political institutions a greater sense of democratic legitimacy,” the study found. This “democratic legitimacy and simple justice that more women in Congress would bring to the political arena…are important in their own right…”.

We agree, and we’re working to make democratic legitimacy and simple justice a fact at all levels of government throughout our state.

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