Can Democrats and Republicans Learn To Listen? Patricia Higgins & Doug Teschner

It's not easy and it has its ups and downs, but, uh, We're excited that we found people who are committed to the ideas that we need to get along.

We need to have relationship.

It's not that we can't disagree.

Of course, we should disagree.

This is not about kumbaya or about being purple.

It's about disagreeing, including vigorous disagreement, but being able to do it respectfully and saying, just because I don't agree with you doesn't mean I think you're stupid or evil.

It just means we disagree.

That addresses one of the most fundamental misunderstandings about the work of Braver Angels is we don't have to be centrists.

We don't have to even compromise our fundamental beliefs in order to come together and respect one another for differences, for opposite opinions.

No, that's absolutely the case.

And this is a misconception and something that, you know, people get the wrong idea about.

This is not about being purple.

This is about standing up for what you believe, but respecting people who have differences of opinion.

And this is what we've kind of lost.

We've always had vigorous disagreements.

We should have vigorous disagreements.

In the legislature, they should fight it out over disagreements.

But I use the word fight out in terms of policy and not in terms of personalities.

What do you think you've achieved in your time of working with this caucus? Patricia?

We've been doing this work for a number of years and thought we had a momentum built.

This session in the legislature has been brutal and many of the cautions that politicians know they need to follow are being tested.

Whether people identify as a member of this caucus, that has become an issue.

I

think the partisan views have gotten harder and harder as we've gone along.

And what's interesting about New Hampshire, it is a purple state.

It's not easy and it has its ups and downs, but, uh, We're excited that we found people who are committed to the ideas that we need to get along.

We need to have relationship.

It's not that we can't disagree.

Of course, we should disagree.

This is not about kumbaya or about being purple.

It's about disagreeing, including vigorous disagreement, but being able to do it respectfully and saying, just because I don't agree with you doesn't mean I think you're stupid or evil.

It just means we disagree.

That addresses one of the most fundamental misunderstandings about the work of Braver Angels is we don't have to be centrists.

We don't have to even compromise our fundamental beliefs in order to come together and respect one another for differences, for opposite opinions.

No, that's absolutely the case.

And this is a misconception and something that, you know, people get the wrong idea about.

This is not about being purple.

This is about standing up for what you believe, but respecting people who have differences of opinion.

And this is what we've kind of lost.

We've always had vigorous disagreements.

We should have vigorous disagreements.

In the legislature, they should fight it out over disagreements.

But I use the word fight out in terms of policy and not in terms of personalities.

What do you think you've achieved in your time of working with this caucus? Patricia?

We've been doing this work for a number of years and thought we had a momentum built.

This session in the legislature has been brutal and many of the cautions that politicians know they need to follow are being tested.

Whether people identify as a member of this caucus, that has become an issue.

I

think the partisan views have gotten harder and harder as we've gone along.

And what's interesting about New Hampshire, it is a purple state.