Hope lies between the extremes

WE, THE MIDDLE, NEED TO FIND OUR VOICE

Pat is a beloved fellow writer who shares a lot with myself and Leo. We are happy to have her as a guest writer. To keep up with her, follow her Substack. If you are one of Pat’s fans, Hello! We are Old Truck Good Coffee and we write about the interchanges in our lives from a centrist lens. Do give us a subscribe!

This piece nicely follows and is in dialogue with Leo’s post last week.

— Joel

Is anyone in the United States happy with the way things are? No matter who I talk to, conservative or liberal, Democrat or Republican, or a someone who (gasp!) defies a label, no one seems happy.

It feels like we hate them and they hate us, whoever they or us may be. But if we’re all unhappy with the current state of affairs, shouldn’t we be able to find some common ground? As both sides launch rotten tomatoes at each other, you’d think the people in the middle suffer the most.

Actually a recent Gallup Poll shows unaffiliated voters represent the biggest part of the electorate. Forty-five percent of voters are registered independent, unaffiliated with any party, as opposed to 27% who are registered as Democrats or 27% who are registered as Republicans. Look at all that untapped power!

It might be wrong to assume all 45% of unaffiliated voters sit in the middle ideologically. Some may think more extreme than either party. Polls show most independents lean left. At least independents step away from irrational party loyalty.

Like New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill recently said, “People almost treat political parties like sports teams so anybody against them in any way is doing something bad or wrong.”

Sherrill said this in an interview with Sarah McCammon, who recently left her position as reporter at NPR to join the Moderate Power Project, part of the Third Way effort to magnify the middle voice. It is an effort by the Democratic Party, an effort to support left centric voices. In case you’re interested. McCammon’s new podcast is called What It Takes.

Friends Christina and Erin and I pondered these possibilities over coffee/matcha/tea. Christina decries the two-party system. “It sets up the energetic field for failure in collaboration, because you’re defining two sides based on opposing views and you’re asking them to come together and come to a resolution. Energetically you set a stage for opposition.”

Christina says get rid of the categories and labels.

“But that requires people who want to look forward,” says Erin. “Right now I think there’s a pandemic in our society of people who want to look backward because in their mind there’s this glorified beautiful past where life was simple and America was good.”

You know, those Archie Bunker, All in the Family values: “Girls were girls and men were men.” (Note: girls, not women.) “Didn’t need no welfare state. Everybody pulled his weight.”

Erin is right, of course. We need to look forward to a new future. But as Erin points out, that takes courage. “Hope looks scary because it’s unknown and it’s new.”

Hope looks scary? Why does hope always play like a wide-eyed child while cynics come off as worldly wise? I have two words for those who find safety in pessimism: Chicken Little. Who was naive in that scenario?

People who criticize have nothing at stake. They appear to stand above looking down, but they offer nothing constructive.

Hope requires bravery, curiosity, imagination and the real work to build our future. Real solutions come from people who don’t care about following the party line. How do we elect genuine problem solvers?

By definition, independents don’t have the political machinery to run a campaign. Extreme opinions lend themselves to motivating slogans, but imagine a slogan for the middle: “Calm Down!” “Moderation.” “We Want Solutions!” “Come Let Us Reason.” The middle defies marketing. (Or does it? Maybe you have some ideas.)

We, the middle, need to find our voice. People who seek power need to know what we want.

Check out Leo Marcel Schuman’s post A Statement of My Independence where he outlines what he’s looking for in a candidate.

Christina wants candidates who have experience, collaborative energy, diplomacy and inclusivity.

Give me, Pat, a candidate with solutions. Don’t complain to me about ICE atrocities. I already know that. Tell me how you’re going to use resources to create sanity at the border for citizens and for immigrants.

I refuse to vote for anyone who berates their opponent. Tell me why I should vote for you. Give me something constructive.

Don’t try to make me afraid of the other guy. Tell me how you’ll make things safer.

Do you believe in dignity? Prove it. Say something good about the other candidate.

I believe in hope. I believe hope for our country lies between the extremes. If you agree, help increase the voice of the middle. Consider sharing or restacking this post. Let’s grow the middle voice.