Independence and Civility
Nate Smolensky on WMTP Friday, June 5 at 10am ET
Many Americans feel politically homeless. They are frustrated with both parties, exhausted by outrage, and unconvinced that our politics is capable of solving problems. But if people are looking for something different, what exactly are they looking for?
Tomorrow at 10:00 AM ET on We Made This Political, we’ll be joined by Nathan Smolensky, a longtime strategist for independent political candidates and the author of Common Ground from the Ground Up.
Our conversation will explore the relationship between independence and civility. Can a political culture built around teams and tribes make room for genuine dialogue? What would it look like to move beyond a politics where one side must win and the other must lose?
Nate argues that our political culture is trapped in a “subtractive” conversation. We’ll discuss his alternative: the idea of an “additive conversation,” where different perspectives help us better understand the problems we face and the solutions available to us.
We’ll discuss:
Why so many people feel politically homeless
What independent candidates reveal about how voters actually think
Why collaborative discourse is different from compromise
Whether open-mindedness can coexist with strong convictions
What it takes to build a healthier political culture
If you’ve ever wondered whether our politics can become less tribal without becoming less principled, we hope you’ll join us for the live conversation on Friday, June 5 at 10:00 AM ET. Or keep an eye out for the edited episode when it drops next Monday.
Bring your questions and join the conversation.
— Lauren and Lura
