What binds us? What do we all have in common anymore?" Justice Clarence Thomas asked in a rare media interview aired on Fox News in 2017. "We always talk about E Pluribus Unum," Thomas said, referring to the traditional motto of the United States which translates as "out of many, one." "We need more unum. We have the pluribus."
The media headlines of the past year suggest that things have gotten a lot worse since 2017—and both Thomas and Fox played a part in the divisiveness. But if you look beyond the headlines, including those on Newsweek, a different picture emerges. Even in what feels like an angry, factionalized society, there are signs of unity.
Take the Supreme Court, a lightning rod in America's cultural and political storms. The highest court was less divided and less divisive in its 2022-23 term. (To be fair, not much could be as divisive as the Court's decision, in the previous term, to overturn Roe v. Wade.) The nine justices were unanimous in nearly half of their decisions, more than double the proportion of the previous term. Liberals and conservatives voted together on most decisions that were not unanimous, including half of the 12 that were decided 6-3, a vote that could reflect the Court's partisan split.
In one significant 6-3 case, the Court rebuffed an attempt by Republican politicians to put state elections outside the scope of judicial review in Moore v. Harper, to the relief of most Democrats and moderate Republicans. And while the six conservative justices got no liberal support when they effectively ended race-based affirmative action in college admissions in two cases involving Harvard and the University of North Carolina, the ruling itself was largely popular. Poll after poll has shown that majorities of Americans do not support the use of race as a factor in college admissions.
While the Supreme Court's public approval rating swung back and forth, Americans were united in their dislike of Congress. According to an average of polls on website FiveThirtyEight, Congress has a net disapproval rating of 60 points, worse than either Joe Biden or Donald Trump, two historically unpopular candidates for president. That reputation was deserved: Congress passed just 27 bills last year, the fewest since the Great Depression.
All the political noise made it easy to miss the evidence of common ground. Republicans and Democrats voted together to avoid a catastrophic default by raising the debt ceiling, even though the deal cost Kevin McCarthy his job and Joe Biden a lot of political capital. Huge bipartisan majorities acted to avoid a government shutdown in November, with the House voting 336 to 95 and the Senate 87 to 11. Both Republicans and Democrats cracked down on bad behavior in their ranks. George Santos was expelled from the House over falsehoods and fraud, while Rashida Tlaib was censured for her inflammatory rhetoric over the Israel-Hamas war.
Outside the Beltway, consensus is being forged faster, creating unlikely coalitions on some of the most heated issues of the past few decades. Red-state voters increasingly agree with blue-state politicians on legal protections for abortion. In Ohio, which voted for Trump before and after he fulfilled his promise to install Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade, 57 percent of voters supported a ballot measure to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.
"Ohio is not a fluke," said Ryan Stitzlein, the vice president of political and government relations for the national group Reproductive Freedom for All, after the vote. And it wasn't. Democrats campaigning on abortion rights swept state elections in Virginia, humiliating Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin in his bid to control both chambers. In Kentucky, another state that twice voted for Trump, Democratic Governor Andy Beshear campaigned on abortion rights, ignoring the counsel of national Democrats, and won reelection. By November, Trump had distanced himself from the strictest abortion bans; he blamed Republicans for losing votes on the issue and, according to Rolling Stone, was planning to run as a "moderate" on abortion.
On immigration, the shoe was very much on the other foot. Blue-city mayors now agree with red-state governors that waves of migrants crossing the southern border represent a crisis that Joe Biden needs to address, immediately. "Don't yell at me. Yell at D.C.!" said New York Mayor Eric Adams after busloads of migrants from Texas overwhelmed his city. In city after city led by Democrats, mayors decried the White House's immigration response, using lines that Texas Governor Greg Abbott, the mastermind of migrant busing, would have quoted with pride.
The crisis changed the political calculus in Washington. Senate Democrats stayed in town into the holidays to negotiate border restrictions that were decried by immigration activists as a Trump-style crackdown. By the new year, even Biden, who made reversing Trump's draconian immigration policies a touchstone of his 2020 campaign, had moved, telling reporters that he was waiting for Congress to authorize new funds to deal with the border crisis. Polls say most Americans see Biden's border policy as his biggest weakness, after the economy.
On these and other political issues, the media headlines fail to point out a growing consensus. Both Democrats and Republicans are wary of China. Neither party wants to cut deals with Iran. Both court labor unions, though in different ways. Both Biden and Trump have presided over record U.S. oil production—although neither will admit it, for different reasons. Fewer and fewer politicians talk about repealing and replacing Obamacare as more and more Americans sign up for the program. Both sides of the political divide now talk about "free speech" in more nuanced terms than they did at the height of what conservatives called "cancel culture." The October 7 attack on Israel changed that.
Some "unum" is more obvious. Taylor Swift rocked the U.S., the world and even the NFL. Her Eras Tour concert in Glendale, Arizona (which temporarily renamed itself Swift City), did more for the local economy than the Super Bowl held in the same stadium. There hasn't been such a ubiquitous cultural touchstone since Friends, as the mourning over Matthew Perry's death in October reminded us.
Curious about signs of unity that we might have missed—and wondering if we were alone in our optimism—we invited our readers and columnists to share their own thoughts. Here's a sampling of their views, lightly edited for space and clarity.
"My genuine belief is that most Americans don't really think much about politics, and to the extent they do, they are largely united in the agreement that they dislike it. As a nation, we are far more concerned with celebrity gossip and sports than we are with culture wars or wonkish policy debates. That's why the average American could almost certainly name more of Pete Davidson's former lovers than they could members of Congress. Most of the division that we see is manufactured and amplified by a media ecosystem that primarily feeds off of anger and fear. This is particularly true for cable news, which thrives off of a constant stream of outrage porn that rarely befits the designation of journalism. Even so, the fact remains that the overwhelming majority of Americans don't ever tune in to these outlets. For example, the most successful shows on Fox News, the leader in cable news viewership, only commands an audience that is about one-third the size of the most popular sitcoms on CBS. As a college professor who has taught overtly political topics for years, I've also experienced evidence of this united spirit of indifference toward politics that most Americans innately possess. In a classroom of 35 students, maybe four or five on average will routinely speak up and express strong opinions about anything political. The other 85 percent of the class just sits back and hopes they don't get called on."
—Nicholas Creel, assistant professor of business law at Georgia College and State University
★Seeing students and their parents mingling together on school nights gives me hope that we’re figuring it out. ▸ Helen Andersson
"While it feels like Americans and their political parties are only getting more and more divided, 2023 had its moments of unity. Who would have imagined in 2022 that Taylor Swift fans and NFL fans would have anything in common? And yet, both of these came together in 2023 to cheer on the Kansas City Chiefs...or to catch a glimpse of Tay Tay in a superbox, sort-of, once-in-a-while watching her boyfriend and tight end Travis Kelce's games. So what if this unlikely fan pairing will only last until Kelce and Swift break up? So what if Swifties abandon the Chiefs games as soon as a jilted Tay Tay writes a song with a title like "#### the Chiefs!" (Taylor version)"? The message is: if these two groups can unify, however briefly, we all can, too."
—Danny Cevalos, NBC News and MSNBC Legal Analyst and a criminal defense attorney
★This kind of rhetoric has been around since the founding of the nation. Americans have always taken full advantage of their right to ‘free speech.’ The only difference now is there is no limit to the space available to comment. Opinion prior to the internet and social media needed to fit within a newspaper or magazine column. Today, social media provides anyone — and I mean anyone — unlimited space to express their opinion. You need neither education on the subject matter nor even the common sense to make your opinion understandable. The result is a cacophony of noisy folks with axes to grind and hatred to spew while making no sense or offering any solutions. America is not more divided. America is merely louder than its neighbors. ▸ Martin L. Daugherty
"My grandparents interracially married in 1944 and my parents did the same in 1967—at a time when less than 5 percent of Americans approved of such marriages. In 2019, 19 percent of newlyweds interracially married and, in 2021, 94 percent of Americans approved of such marriages—tremendous progress. Why then so much racial strife these days? Short answer: too many leaders have embraced the divisive ideology of equity as the path forward. They claim to be making up for America's past sins, but if race was poison during slavery and segregation, how [will] they cure centuries of poison with more poison? By contrast, those who married across the color line embraced the individual over skin and may their example be our North Star now and into the future."
—Eli Steele, documentary filmmaker, director of What Killed Michael Brown?
"It's obvious to me America is more united than it seems. As I travel around the country for work, people I meet never seem to be as angry about politics and their divisions as social media (and media) seem to imply. This is even the case in the Bay Area where I live. Everyone believes this is one of the most progressive and woke places in America. But there are many entrepreneurs, locals and workers who live here who are fiercely independent—they are not overly concerned with politics and whether they're woke or not. They are concerned with the welfare of society and whether their businesses, work and lifestyles succeed in that context. This is neither right nor left, but pragmatically forward. This agenda is as American as apple pie. So where does this disinformation come from? What I believe is happening is social media algorithms have overwhelmingly pushed certain agendas and posts to go viral—and these are usually the most bombastic and divisive. These posts and ideas get more clicks, and therefore they're seen more as dominant and accurate news to a larger portion of society. But they don't represent the actual temperature of the mood of the nation. They represent a social media business model catering to its bottom line. For this reason, increasingly, successful friends of mine in California are less and less on social media. They know the social media formula is designed to swallow their attention, especially when that attention gets forced to focus on something that causes increased cultural polarization. In the end, Americans can still get along just fine. They just need to pay less attention to screens and more attention to what binds us together, which is our common aim of a good life in a democratic society."
—Zoltan Istvan, author of The Transhumanist Wager
★I’m more curious to know what it is that you’ve seen to propose such a question? I find myself observing more and talking less, which has led me to the conclusion that most humans lack the ability to just be nice, or be courteous of others. Much less come together. ▸ Tricia B.
"Republicans and Democrats, right and left, disagree about pretty much everything under the sun. Views on China, however, are a rare exception to the rule. It's increasingly difficult to bump into a policymaker or lawmaker who believes China is anything short of an adversary, or extreme competitor to the United States. The House of Representatives, perhaps the most partisan-laced institution in America, almost turns into one happy family when the subject of China comes up. House Republicans and Democrats established a special committee to investigate Beijing's rise as a de-facto superpower, how China is gaming the trade system to its advantage and to explore how U.S. policy can be refined to combat Chinese power. The committee just issued a set of 150 recommendations on a bipartisan basis, one of which was to use tariffs and export controls far more liberally against Chinese entities. Outside of Washington, Americans across the political spectrum seem to agree with their elected representatives. Eighty-nine percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents hold an unfavorable opinion of China, as do 81 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents. You would be hard pressed to find similar commonality on any other major policy issue. The question is whether such views, although popular, are justified and whether the U.S. risks putting too much weight on confrontation over collaboration."
—Daniel R. DePetris, fellow at Defense Priorities and syndicated foreign affairs columnist at the Chicago Tribune
★America is more united than ever before when it comes to addressing world issues like terrorism and war that kill innocent people. America sounded one during the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war a year ago, and now during Israeli attacks on Gaza. America always propagates the message of peace whenever and wherever terror attacks occur in the world. The support and tolerance shown by the American people stand always in unison in upholding human rights, justice and equality. This unity makes America great as a strong, powerful nation. ▸ Balamurali Balaji
"If you scroll Twitter or watch cable news, it seems like America is hopelessly divided over LGBTQ+ issues. But that's not actually reality. Polling shows that vast majorities believe gay people should have the right to legally marry, adopt children and enjoy anti-discrimination protections. Clear majorities also believe that religious individuals—like cake bakers—shouldn't be forced to endorse the LGBTQ+ community. So, too, vast majorities of Americans believe transgender adults should be free to live their lives how they wish and should enjoy anti-discrimination protections. Vast majorities also believe that minors should not undergo sex changes and that it's unfair for biological males to compete in women's sports. There is a reasonable middle ground on these hot-button cultural questions. You just won't often find it represented in media and internet discourse—because outrage and divisiveness serves far better to bring in clicks and dollars."
—Brad Polumbo, independent journalist, YouTuber and co-founder of BASED Politics
★In the circles I spend time in, people are more considerate than what I read and hear about. I think there are extremists who are very angry and loud, but the majority of Americans are more relaxed and conciliatory than that—to the point that they don’t engage in politics much because they’re sick of hearing from the 'loud minority.' ▸ Harriet McKee
"Solidarity is rare in politics but there have been areas when I've witnessed a common consensus between moderates on the right and left. One of which was in reaction to campuses around America holding rallies showing support for Hamas. Moderate liberals and conservatives were shocked at the treatment of Jews on campus and it was the first time for many who reside on the political left that they realized how ideological they are. Moderate Dems witnessed leftists feverishly rallying support for Black Americans and other groups in recent years but were shocked at the lack of emotional support and general animosity directed at Israelis and Jews alike post-October 7. This situation made many on the moderate left find commonality with the moderate right by abandoning the illiberal left."
—Adam B. Coleman, author, and founder of Wrong Speak Publishing
"The United States is often talked about as a 'divided' country, even one that might lapse into a 'new civil war.' But we're actually united in one important respect: our disdain for the political system. Only 15 percent of Americans approve of Congress. Americans dislike both of the presumptive party nominees for the 2024 presidential election. Americans are often considered angry political partisans, but the truth is that most of them don't follow politics much at all. I doubt there'd be a 'new civil war' for the simple reason that most people wouldn't care about the outcome. This isn't exactly good news. It shows that American democracy is failing, because people feel their political leaders are corrupt and don't represent them. Ordinary citizens feel hopeless and alienated. But we are united in that alienation from the political system, which opens up the possibility for a unified movement to create a truly representative democracy. Don't be fooled by polls showing how hyperpartisan we are. Occupy Wall Street was right that the true dividing line in American life is not between Republicans and Democrats, but between the 99% who are ruled over and the 1 percent who make the rules."
—Nathan J. Robinson, editor in chief of Current Affairs magazine
★When dialogue is modulated...when people are civil in discussion...when drama is minimized—people talk and listen. Too much attention is centered on the loudest, most divisive elements in our political echo chamber. Cameras and written media give way too much emphasis on political elements in both parties that hijack conversation with their extreme positions—even on the mundane. When people of different political beliefs break bread, sit, chat and engage in simple, conversational dialogue ... when compromise is not considered a dirty word — many of the divisions simmer and folks often find much to agree on. Difference is not feared.▸ Richard Ringell
"You may think America is well on the way to a civil war that is being hastened by a bifurcated press and the collapse of our common civic culture. Americans read, listen and watch different media and isolate themselves from those with opposing views on social media and are therefore unprepared for disagreement and willing to treat political opponents as evil rather than merely wrong. That will make this year's likely presidential rematch between Donald Trump and Joe Biden even more polarizing with unknowable consequences no matter who wins. But the assumption that this is a nation whose people are all at each other's throats is wrong. Everywhere I go outside of the bubble of cultural and political elites, I meet people who may be upset about the state of the union but still believe in its basic values of equality and fair play that is antithetical to the intersectional mindset. They may vote for different parties but don't hate each other. And more of them than inside-the-Beltway types think are becoming aware that corporate interests—including those of large media companies—profit from division. In my travels around the country and daily life, I see numerous examples of Americans who want to help and love each other rather than being solely focused on suppressing political foes. The growing pushback against the consequences of intersectional division and the enduring power of faith and charitable endeavors is also evidence that American exceptionalism is not dead. It's up to us to ensure that those who seek to exploit our divisions don't succeed in killing a democracy they claim to want to save."
—Jonathan Tobin, editor-in-chief of JNS.org and a senior contributor to The Federalist
★I grew up in Chicago and now live in Kansas. Outside the extreme left and right, educated people who can communicate agree on many issues. Conversations are interesting and differences can be explained and understood, if not completely agreed upon, without negativity and vitriol.▸ Brian Robertson
"The voices that divide us are so loud sometimes that it can be hard to remember that they are a distinct minority among us. In the aftermath of the horrific attacks against Israel on October 7th, Clevelanders came together and stood with Israel and the Jewish community. Over 2,000 people of all walks of life came together on October 9th to stand against hate. Congresswoman Shontel Brown (D), a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, was one of the attendees. On the stage she said, 'As a Black woman, I understand how you carry historical and generational trauma with you, how you feel this pain across time...This is an important moment for us to stand together and to unite in our resolve. We have to stand together to support Israel's right to exist and Jewish people's right to exist.'"
—Darvio Morrow, CEO of the FCB Radio Network and co-host of The Outlaws Radio Show
"The history of the USA can be viewed as the history of disparate peoples struggling to overcome the divisions forced upon us from above. British absolutism, slavery, segregation—the people fighting this separation is the story of the American people becoming ourselves. And now? After all that history, America is realizing that we have more in common than not, that the divide that matters is regular working people, who need a dignified life and ability to pay the rent, and the establishment, who prevent that happening. Left and right is the establishment's game, and we're beginning to realize that. Together, left and right Raged Against the War Machine, and against censorship in exposing the Twitter Files. And this is only the beginning."
—Noah Kovalchik
"It's easy to feel like Americans are bitterly divided. As opportunistic politicians attack our neighbors and stoke divides over race, gender, sexuality or immigration status, in some ways we are. But that's not the whole story. Allegedly hot-button social issues often cool when they go before voters. In red, blue and purple states alike, voters have turned out repeatedly to protect abortion rights, liberalize marijuana laws, expand 'Obamacare' subsidies for Medicaid and more. And while the federal minimum wage remains submerged at an unlivable $7.25, even voters in deep red states have voted to more than double that. Other issues that drive outrage cycles on cable news aren't so divisive among real people either. Poll after poll shows broad, bipartisan support for raising taxes on billionaires and cutting our military spending to fund investments in infrastructure, climate and social programs. Vast bipartisan majorities tell pollsters they support a ceasefire in Gaza and think immigration is good. Yet unlike those ballot initiatives that ordinary people come together and pass, policymakers routinely flout their voters on these other issues. That's partly why we've seen so many manufactured panics over 'critical race theory,' the existence of LGBTQ+ people, 'the border' and whatever else. These attacks don't just hurt the targeted communities, although they do that very cruelly. They also turn Americans against each other when they might otherwise come together to demand better. And that's the point.
That's why social movements matter—from the resurgent labor movement raising wages to the climate movement that's won unprecedented green jobs investments across the country. Movements bring real people together and win policy changes many policymakers—and their donors—don't want. In the face of an increasingly antidemocratic and extreme opposition, their message for the rest of us is that we're better together."
—Peter Certo, editorial manager of the Institute for Policy Studies and the editor of OtherWords.org
★Much of what is seen on the news are clips of far-right and far-left fringe elements. In reality, most Americans do not identify with either party. Within this group of independents, most identify as moderate. Every day, I see examples of people from all socioeconomic and political leanings come together within their communities. It could be a tree lighting at Christmas, working at a food bank and attending school or working together. A vast majority of the country believes we should have common sense gun laws, and yet our government officials fail to act on this. A vast majority believe in women’s health, including access to abortion, and yet our politicians fail to act on this. A vast majority want to see common sense immigration laws and yet Congress has done nothing about it since the Reagan administration. ▸ Meg Redshaw
"I grew up in Peoria, Illinois—a small community where neighbors helped each other without regard to their political affiliations. My father, a legal immigrant to this country, taught us to help others pursue the American Dream regardless of their backgrounds or beliefs. I've always tried to follow his directive.
In my first term in Congress, I joined with Glenn 'G.T.' Thompson (R-Pa.) to rewrite our nation's laws governing career and technical education so more Americans without four-year college degrees could obtain the skills and knowledge to reach the middle class. Later, I joined with Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) to push successful legislation to reduce soft costs for the U.S. solar industry to help it compete with foreign competitors, including the Chinese solar sector. In this Congress, I joined with my Republican colleague John James (R-Mich.) to introduce legislation to prevent employers from discriminating against those without a four-year college degree if they have the skills or experience to do the job. One of my first friends in Congress was Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), who was elected the same year that I was. Even though he's a Green Bay Packers fan and I live and die with the Chicago Bears, we share an interest in helping folks fighting to reach and stay in the middle class. Now, as the top Republican and Democrat on the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party, we're working together for policies to ensure that Americans can better compete for the jobs of the 21st century. We won't agree on everything, but Democrats and Republicans have many things in common if we're willing to look. Instead of engaging in hyperpartisanship and dysfunction, Congress can set an example for America on how we can all get along."
—Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi
"America seems more polarized than ever, but one area where people in both parties may agree—or at least share a lot of common ground—is parenting. I'm a mom of four kids, including two teenagers. While controversies that affect kids and parenting like 'book banning' took over some school districts and treatment of gender-confused kids is still divided along party lines, most parents—regardless of party, class or other markers—want what's best for their kids, and they're constantly trying to figure out what that is. Parents today face unique issues that surpass political boundaries: A January 2023 Pew Research poll on parenting found that 40 percent of parents are very worried about their kids struggling with depression or anxiety but just 14 percent are worried about their kids getting in trouble with law enforcement. This is unique in today's world and likely flip-flopped from our parents' generation's list of concerns. Mental health issues have been exacerbated in the last decade particularly for adolescents due to the ubiquitous nature of smartphones and exorbitant time kids want to spend on screens. Almost every parent I know has battled this issue with their child and tries to implement boundaries while facing pushback. The fact that many high school educators utilize phones as a learning tool doesn't help kids focus. Florida and other states have banned cell phones in schools. While most parents I personally know support this, not all do. Still, the smartphone's allure and complexity in a child's world is no respecter of their parents' political party. Smartphones notwithstanding, parenting is simultaneously difficult and delightful, stressful and satisfying. Potential for happiness—including happiness parenting or our kids' happiness—does seem to be another area of polarization and that's too bad: Parents on both sides of the political aisle can and should continue to connect about an issue we can laugh and cry about, and that's the joy and trials of raising the people we love most."
—Nicole Russell, opinion columnist at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram
★People still get together to celebrate the holidays and other activities. I live in a small town that is very conservative, yet we still get together for local events and gatherings and have a good time. ▸ Steve McQuillin
"In an age of enormous polarization in our nation's politics, is there anything left of the notion of compromise? The answer to that is yes, no and maybe. It would be hard not to answer that question with an emphatic yes based on recent polling out of Emerson College that found that 71 percent of citizens prefer to see compromise in our national politics rather than governmental paralysis. Moreover, this was not just a sentiment held among moderate or centrist voters, but over two-thirds of Republicans and Democrats, along with independents, were of this view. Those numbers certainly provide an optimistic assessment of the body politic's view of the importance of compromise as a societal goal. We are now facing an enormous moment of potential compromise as Congress deals with funding for two hugely consequential foreign affairs issues, as well as border security for the United States. There is a bipartisan group of senators attempting to hash out legislation to continue to fund Ukraine's war against Russia, Israel's war against Hamas and substantially enhance U.S. resources to restrict immigrants coming into the country through our southern border. No more consequential set of issues has recently presented itself in need of a grand compromise. It is very unclear whether the Senate will reach a compromise resolution, and even more questionable whether the House will accept such a Senate compromise if one is reached—it is a maybe. However, if compromise is successful here, the notion of compromise as a guiding light will be very much alive and well in an otherwise dark period of national divisiveness. Many believe that the answer to whether compromise can still be reached on major questions is 'no' because there is so little left of the political middle in our elected officials. Certainly, the number of gerrymandered congressional districts makes our national representatives far more attuned to the political extremes. If they run in the middle they are right to fear primary challenges from their right or left, as the case may be. As a result, only about 10 percent of our congressional districts are contested races, leaving no incentive to compromise. Yet, the Problem Solvers Caucus has been established in the House of Representatives which now has some 64 members evenly split between Democrats and Republicans who are committed to finding compromise solutions to tough legislative issues. That certainly provides a basis for hope that, even with the polarized electorate we have today, one can believe that the art of the possible through compromise is still achievable."
—Tom Rogers, executive chairman of Oorbit Gaming and Entertainment, editor-at-large for Newsweek and the founder of CNBC
★We all still work together, go to school together, go to sporting events, plays and concerts together without fighting (more or less). Most of us still socialize together, regardless of our political and social leanings.★ My concern is that more people than at any time in my lifetime now base many of their nonessential relationships on who agrees with them politically. ★On social media, for example, I saw a recent post being circulated about how a father was giving advice to his college-attending daughter, showing her how ‘flawed’ liberal thinking (learned from her college professor) is in regard to achievement, even spelling out that ‘liberals’ want to ban anything they don’t agree with. There were all kinds of folks liking this post, which had an obvious anti-liberal bias. I responded that in fact, hard-line ‘conservatives’ want to ban abortion, gay marriage, etc... ★I concluded that, as a moderate American, both extremes demanding change run contrary to American values, that the majority of Americans reject the extremism of both the left and the right and that we need to get back to being ‘Americans’ and respecting differences without demonizing those that don’t share our political or social views. Most Americans don’t want the extremist views of either the left or the right to succeed. ▸ Greg Nickels
"I believe Republicans and Democrats in the country are far more united on many issues than Republicans' votes in Congress reflect. Polling shows overwhelming support for raising the federal minimum wage, universal child care, investing in housing as housing prices rise everywhere, sensible gun reforms and even immigration reform—an issue that Republicans in Congress continue to resist. Even if the House can pass, sometimes with bipartisan support, some of these bills, they do not come to the floor of the Senate because of the Jim Crow-legacy filibuster that forces 60 votes to debate or pass bills and gives the power to block bills that the American people want with just 41 votes of Senators who represent 12 percent of the country's population. However, we do still have areas of strong agreement where we are able to work together across the aisle. One area is the need to protect the privacy and data of Americans from warrantless spying by the government. That's why I've been leading on helping pass through the Judiciary Committee with an overwhelming 35-2 vote a consequential reform of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to protect Americans' civil liberties. We've also been hard at work in the antitrust space, working across party lines to keep our markets competitive and prices low while stopping big corporations from taking advantage of consumers. Finally, I've been on a personal mission to bridge the gap between our parties on issues related to our trans youth. I've been so delighted to bring together Republican and Democratic advocates, including local elected officials, from across the country to make the bipartisan case for protecting trans kids. As one Republican father said, 'I love my son. Period.' Progress is possible on all these fronts!"
—Rep. Pramila Jayapal
★I believe we are in agreement more than politicians will have you believe. I believe we want a 'safe' border, where immigrants can enter the legal way. We want a tax system that works for all, not just some. I believe we all want livable wages, but not sudden ridiculous increases that causes the economy to panic. We want safe schools, affordable groceries and gas prices that we can afford. We want safe and secure gun ownership. Mostly we need to realize the far right and far left will do anything to divide us—it keeps their agenda alive. If the media quits talking about them, they will become irrelevant and just fade away. I hear this from Democrats and Republicans alike. ▸ John McMurray
"All in all, 2023 was not a great year for bipartisanship—the Republican takeover of the House of Representatives ensured that virtually nothing of substance would get to the president's desk, and divisions between Democrats and Republicans are as bad as ever. But there was one person who consistently brought us together in contempt: biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, whose bizarre presidential bid has been punctuated with debate performances so unctuous and off-putting that they alienated virtually every person watching. Despite an initial polling surge, Ramaswamy soon found himself almost friendless on the right, where he was largely seen as a slick interloper. The National Review's editors were appalled by his 'smarmy and obnoxious' behavior and took comfort that his 'transparently insincere shtick isn't winning over many GOP voters.' American Greatness, the in-flight magazine of the MAGA movement, called him a 'fraud' who is 'only sucking up to Trump now because he knows it will help his poll numbers.' Commentary's Matthew Continetti assailed his 'glib manner, changing opinions, and utter shamelessness.' And on the left, he was seen as a particularly unbearable manifestation of the MAGA impulse. New York Magazine's Ryu Spaeth said his opinions 'resemble a cross between traditional conservative know-nothingism and Elon Musk's brand of Silicon Valley know-everythingism.' Some guy at Newsweek called him a 'a vacuous, camera-mugging culture warrior.' New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg wrote that he exemplifies a kind of 'callow and condescending nerd who assumes that skill in one field translates to aptitude in all others.'
The impending victory of Donald Trump in the Republican primaries means 2023 was not the year when both left and right figured out how to suss out a fraud. But at the least we finally drew a line, and it went directly behind Ramaswamy's feet."
—David Faris, associate professor of political science at Roosevelt University and the author of It's Time to Fight Dirty: How Democrats Can Build a Lasting Majority in American Politics
★We are finding common ground and discussing ideas. Many voices are moderate, not too left or right. I believe most Americans are finding their own way to get along. We've all had enough of the lies, gaslighting and political infighting. ▸ Suzanne Moore
"I belong to the majority political party in the United States—or rather I might, but unfortunately it doesn't exist. That's not just awkward for me, but is a disaster for the United States. I'm convinced that from an ideological perspective most Americans could get behind a centrist movement that was neither Trumpist (about a quarter of the electorate) nor progressive (maybe an eighth). Half or more are moderately liberal or conservative and these streams would be happier together than in either of America's troubled big parties. They would agree to bin the culture wars and white grievance, police the border like a normal country, ban assault weapons, stop denying global warming and not ban abortion while allowing states to restrict it. They wouldn't agitate all day about race or gender, wouldn't turn Americans against each other and they would never nominate an obvious psychopath for the presidency. Americans could back such a party—but they don't believe it can come about. If it seemed real to people—say, if scores of serving members of Congress split from the Democrats and Republicans and banded together—I bet it would be instantly competitive. That's because ordinary people in America agree to an extraordinary extent, when agitators aren't driving them berserk. There is nothing preventing such a realignment except inertia and a misconceived notion that ours is a 'two-party system.' It's only that in outcome. In reality any number of parties can run. It is true that if a genuine political movement splinters, in a system based on districts this harms the movement. But America no longer actually has two movements. It has at least three. The biggest—reasonable people in the center with a social conscience but no inclination to burn down the house—is weirdly unrepresented."
—Dan Perry, managing partner of the New York-based communications firm Thunder11
★Zip. Zilch. Nada. I've seen absolutely nothing that shows me that...Not only are the two sides more DIVIDED than ever, but Republicans are more divided against fellow Republicans than ever before, and ditto for Democrats against Democrats. Not sure what new math is required to make all this equal 'united,' but it's math completely foreign to me. ▸ Kenny Kurtz
"Without question, there are strong forces—from partisan media to social media algorithms to our political leaders—that, for profit and power, fuel division, fear and polarization. At times, these forces can seem omnipresent, from our politics to our communities. And there is a real split in this country when it comes to issues ranging from abortion to voting to the future of our democracy. But if you look below the surface, you'll see there are still signs of hope that the country is not completely divided between Team Red and Team Blue. Go to a Taylor Swift, Beyonce or Bruce Springsteen concert. Or a championship parade of the Denver Nuggets, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Golden Knights or Texas Rangers. No one is talking about politics. No one is 'dunking' on their neighbor for clicks or likes. It is just people—of all political backgrounds—coming together for joyful moments, for entertainment and to enjoy their community. And it is not just sports and music. We also see people uniting around their common humanity after natural disasters, from the fires in Hawaii to drought in the Midwest to Hurricane Idalia battering Florida. It's a powerful reminder that we are not as divided as many would have us believe. Of course, that sense of unity and community hasn't hit Washington or much of our political discourse yet. And I wouldn't hold my breath that it will anytime soon. The incentive structures for our leaders—from raising money to getting on TV—play into the worst of our society, not the best. And the election next year is only going to make that worse. But on the ugliest and nastiest days of the 2024 election (and there will be plenty), it's important to remember that the vast majority of people in this country are better—and more united—than many in power or seeking power want us to believe."
—Doug Gordon, political consultant
★As a person of color who was born in 1945 on the island of Puerto Rico, I have lived in New England for over 75 years. Having experienced many struggles in my life, I have always found that the great majority of Americans are good & decent people. At every turn, there have always been supportive, caring and compassionate human beings willing to give me and my family the chance to live our lives to the fullest. I am grateful to be a U.S. citizen. ▸ Alfredo Ribot
"In a closely divided House, a handful of extremists can disrupt Congress. However, the majority of lawmakers are eager to find common ground on everything from housing to health care. Take my mental health and addiction legislation, the SUPPORT Act, which passed in December. Substance use disorder doesn't care about your politics, it
affects everyone. As NDC Chair and Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Task Force, I'm working everyday to bring both Democrats and Republicans to the table to pass bipartisan legislation that can stand the test of time. While this approach might not make national headlines, it's what the majority of Members are doing in Congress. We're not here to blow stuff up, we're here to get the job done and make a difference."
—Rep. Annie Kuster, New Democrat Coalition Chair
★Despite all the noise, I am convinced that more than 80 percent of the things that matter most to individuals who identify themselves as strong Republicans are the same things that matter most to those who consider themselves strong Democrats. We care about our families; we share the same concerns with respect to the economy; we want to feel safe and secure; we want quality schools for our children; we want quality and accessible health care. And when we sit down and talk—and listen to each other—we find that the values we share are far greater and far more important than the issues that divide us. And we see this all the time. Whenever there is a community disaster, all people join in to help one another. Unfortunately, both parties have allowed themselves to be held hostage by those with more extreme views—even though these individuals represent a relatively small fraction of their party's legislators. ▸ Larry Altenbaumer
"Over the last decade-and-a-half, American popular culture fell increasingly into the grasp of a world-bestriding hegemon: The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Over the years, comic book superheroes' various storylines interweaving on the big screen went from novelty to drudgery. But 2023 was the year the MCU died, with confusing miniseries and disappointing box office returns. And in its place rose the surprisingly revivifying pop culture event of the year (non-Taylor Swift version): Barbenheimer. The unholy matrimony of bubble gum-pink product placement and brooding biopic being released in theaters on the same weekend shouldn't have worked. And movies about a feminist icon and the dropping of the atomic bomb would be expected to inflame the culture war, not turn down the heat. Yet whether due to relief at having survived the empty theaters of the COVID era, or just something more entertaining and meaty than typical Marvel fluff, Barbie and Oppenheimer ushered in a pop culture moment that was invigorating, unifying and fun. The box office numbers speak for themselves: Barbie pulled in $1.4 billion worldwide, and Oppenheimer became the second-highest grossing R-rated movie of all time. More importantly, with fatigue toward both wokeness and anti-wokeness setting in, both Barbie and Oppenheimer could spark cultural dialogue without inflaming partisan warfare. Barbie's feminism was explicit, yet unorthodox, while Oppenheimer's complex portrayal of the father of the atom bomb defied pat narratives. They were welcome antidotes to the bland weightlessness of typical Marvel fare—and drew fans from across the political spectrum. Neither film is likely to pick up an Oscar next year, but by owning the summer they gave us something meaningful and blessedly nonpartisan to talk about around the water cooler. 2023 was the year moviegoing became fun again. And American culture is richer for it."
—Patrick T. Brown, fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center
★Most U.S. citizens are in the middle, whether moderate Republican or moderate Democrat, but the extremes on both sides get most news airtime and drive the division. The media is complicit in driving this polarization—but Newsweek is a source of providing a voice to the middle majority. Thank you. ▸ Joseph Huntsman
"Over the past year, I've spent time among the eclectic populace of Manhattan's Lower East Side, where one finds synagogues, nightclubs and bodegas; various ethnic communities and dissident cultural scenes. In the midst of it all sits the Catholic Worker's Maryhouse, founded in 1974 by Dorothy Day. The CW movement traces its roots back to the Great Depression, when Day and co-founder Peter Maurin first initiated their charitable efforts. Today, Maryhouse is home to volunteers and patrons who find lodging, partake in meals and host cultural events open to the public. Echoing the spirit of Day—whose views were hard to pin down—the mix of people who show up to their communal meals and 'Friday night meetings' transcend contemporary ideological categories. I've met Catholics of all stripes, Sufis and determined atheists; socialists, integralists and independents; immigrants from Mexico and Italy, African Americans from the South and midwestern Anglos; doctoral students and high school dropouts who have been in and out of the shelter system. Somehow, this motley crew manages to share our lives with each other in meaningful ways—from deep spiritual and intellectual debates, to consoling each other in our suffering and laughing boisterously at jokes. Though the CW has always attracted a perplexing mix of people, the current crowd reflects the broader reordering of ideological categories post-COVID. Much of the content on the multimedia platform I curate, the 'Cracks in Postmodernity,' covers this 'vibe shift'...thus why we hosted our first event at the Maryhouse this past summer, in an effort to draw a truly diverse crowd that 'cracks' through conventional cultural divides. We may not propose the same political solutions to our society's needs. But we're united by the intuition that what precedes politics is something much simpler: the need for hospitality, community and, ultimately, to love and be loved."
—Stephen Adubato, host of the Cracks in Postmodernity blog and podcast
★The answer is in the middle. According to Axiom, 50 percent of the U.S. population have adopted independent party lines. If 25 percent of the population are Republicans and 25 percent are Democrats, then isn't the majority more common than people think? ★ I have two types of friends and neighbors—the ones that follow the celebrities and hyperbole and the ones that pay attention to real news outlets and factual information. I've found that educated and inquisitive people fall into the latter and are neither Democratic nor Republican. ★ Unfortunately, it's the extremes that draw headlines, blogs and controversy. I think most people just want to get along, do the right thing and help one another, but that's boring news. People in the middle don't hate. The people in the middle would like to get back to talking about real news, real issues and solving real problems. ★ One common theme from all of my middle friends and neighbors is that none of us want 80-year-old presidents, nor do we want Trump or Biden. Please give us something else. Something positive. That's where we're more united than people think. ▸ Nathan Carter
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