Don't listen to the media. There is actually room to agree.

Every day we see our country more and more quickly dividing into two tribes. On one side are the people who are appalled and horrified by our current president and the direction that he is taking the country. On the other side we have people who wake up each day happy and hopeful for the current leadership. This isn’t new. Every presidency has its detractors. And that’s good. You want a check on such a powerful position. That’s the job of the opposition party and to a certain extent the media.

We have always been politically divided. And for the love of God, disagreement is ok. We all don’t need to share the same thoughts and opinions. Division is normal BUT hating your countrymen is not. And we are seeing way too much of that now. And it’s got to stop.

What’s interesting is that the actual divide is smaller than most would imagine. If you listen to the media you would think a new civil war is brewing. But, amazingly, there are many areas that although we may not agree exactly are certainly areas of shared concern. I’ve had numerous conversations with Bernie fans and have always found considerable overlap in their political views with those of Trump voters. Most of the New Republicans believe in ideas that are a great distance from traditional republican viewpoints.

One of the areas of common ground between those on the right and progressives is the power and control of corporations. Both sides agree that corporations have too much influence in our political life. The trade deals are a great example of this. Since NAFTA we have been lead to believe that outsourcing is inevitable and is ALWAYS a great thing. The economists make sensible arguments about the freedom of capital flow and the benefits of reduced prices of goods. The corporations desire cheap labor and pliant countries in which to produce their goods. The politicians, whether well intentioned or not have crafted laws that have encouraged companies to move their manufacturing facilities to less developed nations.

Both sides agree is that this has been terrible for those who have lost jobs and been left out of the decision making process. The tariff issue is also connected to this. Once again, the economists and foreign trade experts are almost uniformly opposed to using them to try to even out our massive foreign trade deficits. The same with our political leadership. Somehow other countries using tariffs against our products is ok. It’s also ok that they hold massive trade surpluses with the US. And once again our political leadership has chosen to side with the interests of the corporations and donors. This is just one of the areas that President Trump and those on the left can agree on.

The Trump movement focuses on the aspects of American life that have been ignored for years. The overwhelming power of corporations and the resulting trade deals are some of the many areas that more left leaning folks and those on the new right can agree on. One thing missing from the current political debate are areas where we can find common ground. When you view those on the opposite side as simply people with unique views and opinions and NOT haters discussion becomes possible. One thing that is absolutely obvious is that MORE not less discussion is needed. More to come…in the meantime, be respectful and love your fellow Americans.