Let's Talk About Unity
For the forty-fifth time in American history, there has been a transition of power of the executive branch of our nation. While this transition is sure to be filled with public policy decisions that will upset many of us with center-right views, it is my sincere hope that Mr. Biden is serious about his refreshing calls for unity.
"To overcome these challenges — to restore the soul and to secure the future of America — requires more than words. It requires that most elusive of things in a democracy: Unity.” - Joe Biden
Unity cannot be achieved through enacting volatile policy changes to pander to a base. It requires a concentrated effort of focusing on the universal issues that impact everyone, including the seventy-five million Americans who supported your opponent and the millions more who cast no vote at all.
Unity requires compromise. Our founders learned this first-hand in crafting a Constitution that was able to appease both the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. Rather than getting hung up on their differences and allowing perfect to be the enemy of good, they followed Benjamin Franklin’s advice and unanimously signed their support to the document that still serves as the foundation of our nation over two centuries later.
Unity cannot be one-sided. To move forward, we must all make an effort to get beyond the grievance mindset that has permeated so much of American life, both in politics and everyday culture. We must stop looking for offense in every conversation. We must realize that claiming or achieving victimhood status does nothing to impart a greater meaning to a political argument or policy debate.
In this vein, unity requires understanding that both we and our opponents are human with many shared goals. While it is easy to score cheap political points by labelling the opposition as traitors of America, it does nothing to produce tangible results. Contrary to popular belief, one party does not have all of the answers for our nation... and the other party is not hell-bent on the destruction of America. Disagreement and criticism are fine and good, and we certainly should not stand for the dissolution of our rights for civility’s sake, but we must put an end to the demonization of our political opponents.
It is only through a return to civil discourse that conservatives and liberty-minded Americans will be able to win enough hearts and minds to move the needle back in our preferred direction. This will not be easy, as we find ourselves in the minority in Congress and without a chief executive likely to be sympathetic to our preferred policy objectives.
Republicans are far too comfortable falling into their trusted position as the "loyal opposition,” as we relish our place as the responsible parent that says no. However, good parents maintain peace in their households by picking their battles and understanding the importance of building and spending capital with their children.
For better or worse, Republicans do not have a lot of capital with the American public right now. We must build that trust by looking eye-to-eye with our fellow Americans and having an honest dialogue that acknowledges the many shortcomings of our society, and how free-market capitalism, limited government, and adherence to the Constitution do, in fact, make everyone's lives better.
There are many issues from education and criminal justice reform to addressing the national debt, that can and should be addressed in a bi-partisan manner. Talking to one another and working across the aisle on issues such as these would provide an opportunity to heal the divide that has led so many to a place of desperation and despair.
History is cyclical. This is far from the first time our nation has been this divided and it won't be the last. America can and will find common ground and rise to the occasion to ensure our best days still are ahead of us.
