What's wrong with political tribalism. And how to fix it in NC.

“And where will it all end?” asked The Republican newspaper in Springfield, Mass., in 1920. “Shall we sometime see Republicans excluding Democrats and Democrats excluding Republicans from our law-making bodies, on the ground that the other party’s principles are ‘inimical to the best interests’ of the United States?”

The question rose amid a surge in militant ethno-nationalism, acts of terrorism by socialist radicals, wars, and robber barons—a world not unfamiliar. Yet for almost a century, our people chose to fight the evil of their time without demonizing all points of difference.

I find this history an encouraging reminder that our current dysfunction is nothing new. America has faced down her demons in the past, and there’s no reason we can’t do so again.

But whether we continue walking this line—fighting real prejudice and evil without becoming blind ideologues—is on us, the actual, flawed people behind the American experiment.

Americans have always had neighbors divided by race, gender, wealth, and many more fractured points of identity. Thankfully, our strength has never been in our sameness, but in our commitment to the ongoing work of building our communities. Our greatness can be found in the fleeting moments when we come together to make lasting change.

Whatever current problem comes first to mind—economic development, immigration, poverty—solving it requires leaders from political, corporate, religious, and non-profit spheres. But our current politicized environment directs our attention to political leaders, and political tribalism tells us that only those who share our political affiliation can be trusted.

Unsurprisingly, that approach builds more walls than bridges. Politics is a poor prism through which to view the entire world. By reducing our potential problem-solvers to politicians, we’ve flattened what should be a vibrant community of leadership drawn from different spaces in our society.

Broadening our cast of potential allies means looking to the people already doing the work. It cannot be enough to ally ourselves with people who speak the token words or have the “right” background. How we choose to confront our current polarization and social dysfunction can matter just as much as what policy or social outcome we achieve. Leaving room for meaningful debate and difference and working with people of good faith, wherever we find them, is a process worth protecting.

Polarization may not have begun in politics, but depolarization will first be reflected there. Demands for better leadership will ultimately rest at the feet of current leaders, who should not be surprised by demands for proof of good faith. It is fair for people to require that claims of good intention be backed up by action and engagement. It isn’t good enough to say that some other party took advantage of the rules of power—which they did, then they lost—and it is rarely constructive to claim another sector of society bears the full burden of solving a problem.

Power of any kind is cyclical; what matters is that its current stewards understand that power is temporarily entrusted to them for the benefit of the people.

Great leaders understand that inclusion and cooperation yield better results in the long term. Great people demand leaders who share this perspective. I believe that North Carolina is capable of meeting dysfunction head on, and affirming again that we are more than our partisan labels, and we are here to continue working towards a more perfect Union.

This story was originally published June 27, 2018 at 8:10 AM.