Originally published in the Utah Business.

We’ve been through a tough patch as Americans. The unity we felt after 9-11 is now a distant memory. Divisive political battles continue as the mid-term elections draw near. The thought of our hearts beating as one seems a far-off dream.

Congress is most interesting to me. For years congressional favorability ratings have been below hair lice, root canals, Brussels sprouts, colonoscopies, traffic jams and cockroaches. Yet as a body—Republicans and Democrats alike—Congress doesn’t seem to have any interest in changing its behavior.

President Barack Obama is trying. He extols the American values of freedom, justice and dignity. He speaks of how “our blessings bestow a burden.” It’s our responsibility to lead. And yet leadership is about uniting people behind a noble goal. There’s not much unity I can find.

A Nation Divided

Division is like a cancer. It grows and grows. We draw lines. We worry about who gets the credit and who has the power. We pick sides. We lose focus on what we share in common—American innovation, entrepreneurship, abundant natural resources and extraordinary natural beauty from sea to shining sea.

Division comes in many shapes and sizes, such as liberal-conservative, Democrat-Republican, House-Senate, young-old, male-female, urban-rural and other forms of X and Y. In the end, I think all of us yearn for more cohesion. We are more alike than we are different.

Eric Hoffer wrote a book in the 1950s called The True Believer. In it he analyzes the history of mass movements and probes the mind of the fanatic. He postulates that extreme forms of religion, fascism and even the KKK all share things in common. A central thesis is that people who share extreme positions have more in common with each other than with those in the middle of the spectrum. This speaks volumes. Extremes are not so much about an ideological ideal as a personality trait.

Political Progress

There’s a better way for our country and for our economy. It’s what I call the politics of progress and economic patriotism. It’s a focus on problem solving and a prosperous future. It’s recognition that everyone has different life experiences and we need to respect one another’s point of view enough to change.

Consider this simple exercise: Think of a topic you feel strongly about—like the overreach of government, excessive regulation, tax cuts or a social welfare program. Now look across the aisle at someone who feels differently. Consider their background and life experiences. Maybe they grew up poor, maybe they have a child with a special need, maybe they lost their life savings in a bad business deal, or maybe they have suffered great hardship in their personal life. Perhaps they have a neighbor who abuses the welfare system or maybe their partner is a school teacher and works super hard for a meager salary. Maybe they are just wired differently than you.

Even with these differences, or perhaps because of these differences, you should respect them. They feel differently than you do, but they have been exposed to different realities. They have learned life’s lessons through a different path. Nobody has a monopoly on wisdom and good ideas. Take a step closer to this person and see how it feels. If you can’t do it out of agreement, do it out of respect. Ask them to do the same. After just a few steps, everything changes. You are both more informed.

When this phenomenon happens you will have left the paralysis of polarized extremes and journeyed closer to the politics of progress. Immigration reform, Medicare modernization, Social Security reform and tax simplification would all be within reach. And when these needed improvements occur, watch out. The stock market will rally, long-term unemployment will go away, incomes will rise, inequality will lessen and everything will get better. America will stand tall again as the city on the hill we all believe it to be.

I know it sounds like I’ve been talking about politics, but it’s more than that. I’m talking about patriotism—economic patriotism. At some point, the division in Congress becomes downright unpatriotic. It’s bad for the economy, bad for America and bad for our families.

Adlai Stevenson once said that patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the slow and steady dedication of a lifetime. We all should consider tapping into this patriotic, post-partisan spirit. We need openness to constructive ideas instead of ideological purity. We need to reclaim our unity as a people.

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