Watch Bill Doherty work alongside representatives Dean Phillips (D) and Dusty Johnson (R) to promote common ground at this year’s Minnesota State Fair.
Ask any Minnesotan and they will tell you that there’s nothing more sacred than the annual State Fair. But can a corn dog truly be enjoyed with a side of politics?
Featured in yesterday’s episode of Good Morning America, representatives Dean Philips (D) and Dusty Johnson (R) joined noted family therapist and Braver Angels’ co-founder Bill Doherty to prove that there’s no better place to cross the divide than at The Great Minnesota Get-Together.
The Midwest is home to wide-ranging political opinions, a fact that is well embodied by representatives Dusty Johnson, a “Trump-country Republican” from South Dakota, and “Blue-state Democrat” Dean Phillips of Minnesota. In their joint quest to cultivate “common ground,” Philips and Johnson don’t sweep their political differences under the rug but bring them to the table in the hopes of spurring further cross-partisan conversation.
“You can’t work with people you don’t trust, and you can’t trust people you don’t know,” said Phillips.
With the help of Bill Doherty, these two combined forces to facilitate a conversation among voters from all sides of the political spectrum. They began by hearing detailed accounts from voters of their own experiences with political polarization.
“I literally had someone tell me that I have to be very careful if I put an American flag on my house because I happen to live in a Blue area, and when I put my American flag out, I look Red,” said one participant.
After sharing with the large group, attendees paired off in Reds and Blues to get a better idea of the experiences of those on the other side. These pairs grappled with tough issues, ultimately reaching meaningful points of understanding, GMA reported. “We do not have to be two separate teams, y’know, we can be one team,” concluded a participant after getting to know his Red counterpart.
As the divide between political parties widens in the U.S., many worry that there are few avenues toward reconciliation. Bill Doherty and Braver Angels hope to foster a new understanding of how we can take steps to fix the American “marriage.”
“People have to focus on what they have in common, what they care about, together,” Doherty told Good Morning America.
Good Morning America highlighted the importance of this “political civility” and emphasized the importance of having the types of cross-partisan conversations that Braver Angels’ knows well, reminding viewers that “civility takes practice, and maybe a corn dog on the side.”
2 thoughts on “Braver Angels featured in Good Morning America segment on crossing the political divide”
Braver Angels is the best thing going to address how to bridge the polarized divide in this country! Thanks so much for the work you are doing!!! I especially appreciate having the opportunity to pick up recorded events and benefit even though we weren’t able to connect at the time and day the event was recorded. Please continue to make your helpful discussions available after they’ve originally aired!!
And for others like myself, when we do “watch later” lets remember to make a donation since we are benefitting without registering and paying the nominal fee. LET’S KEEP THIS ORGANIZATION GOING!!! That goes for me too!!
So proud of all of these AMERICANS who love our Country and were COURAGEOUS and BRAVE enough to come together with the help of BRAVER ANGELS to LISTEN and LEARN from one another rather than ASSUME they know one another’s minds.
Special thanks to BILL DOHERTY, DUSTY JOHNSON (R-SD) and DEAN PHILLIPS (D-MN) for leading the way to a less divided America for the good of ALL.