The political scene, both at the national and state levels, is getting ugly. Like dangerously ugly. There was a time when a Republican and Democrat could respectfully disagree with one another on a topic and move on with life. That no longer seems to be the case.
Let’s review just a handful of things we’ve seen in the past year. We watched as President Trump was called “literal Hitler” and labeled “a threat to democracy,” and was eventually shot.
We’ve watched Teslas set on fire at dealerships because a certain segment of society hates Elon Musk. People who own the vehicles are also being targeted, as their Teslas are being keyed or spray painted, and at times, the drivers are cornered, berated and bullied.
Nationally, well known conservative journalists have been “swatted” (which is when a fake 911 call is made and directs law enforcement to their house believing that a terrible crime is happening – creating a situation potentially dangerous for the person living at the house as well as putting police at risk).
And before I get calls and emails, I am fully aware that this goes both ways. Most recently, Democrat Governor Shapiro from Pennsylvania woke up at 2 a.m. to find out an arsonist set fire to his mansion while he and his family were sleeping.
At what point did violence and criminal behavior become acceptable responses to personal and political disagreements? We are a divided country and a divided state, and we’re not going to agree on every topic. But it wasn’t all that long ago where we could debate something without people raging at one another.
I think it’s time we turned the political temperature way down.
Two years ago, I wrote about my coffee and conversation with “Democrat Dave.” He contacted me a lot when I first took office, and it was clear from his emails we weren’t aligned politically. Rather than continue the written back-and-forth, I asked if he’d go to coffee with me and have a nice, civilized conversation.
While there, I told Dave we probably agreed on 80% of life’s topics. At first he disagreed, but by the end of our conversation, he told me “Pam you were correct, I do think we agree on 80% of things.”
I think this country has become so polarized that many believe people from the opposite political party are truly “evil” or “crazy.” I believe if more people on both sides just sat down and talked with each other, they’d find they have much more in common than they don’t.
As I’ve said before, we all want the same things: safe communities, good education for our children and the opportunity to work and make a decent living, but how Republicans and Democrats get to these goals may be slightly different.
With all of that in mind, I am once again reaching out to local liberal residents. Join me in trying to turn down the political temperature. Please email me at rep.pam.altendorf@house.mn.gov and let’s get coffee and have a respectful conversation. Be warned, my next month could be a bit hectic with the end of session coming up, but we will find a time as I’m serious about making local connections and having open and honest discussions. I am convinced that if we have the goals of seeking truth, and that moving forward to a better future is a priority, then we will see that we have more in common than not.
