Millsaps College forum focuses on rampant political divisiveness in America today
Unsurprisingly, participants in the "American Hope Conversation" often disagreed, but did so in a civil manner
Despite disclaimers about lawmakers trying to work together across the aisle, an otherwise civil, bipartisan discussion of divisive politics in the United States today inevitably found its way to the person many see as its chief practitioner: former president and current GOP candidate Donald Trump.
“Any discussion about this topic is not a serious discussion without discussing Donald Trump and his influence on the tone of political discourse in this country,” observed Mississippi state Sen. David Blount (D-Jackson) at the community gathering called an “American Hope Conversation” at Millsaps College on Oct. 22, 2024.
The panel discussion was hosted by two civic engagement groups: America's Future, a networking and civic engagement nonprofit, and Braver Angels, a nonprofit, grassroots, “cross-partisan” organization dedicated to political depolarization. The event’s key organizers were Paul Buckley and Nic Lott. (Note: This America’s Future is not the conservative, pro-Trump organization with the same name.)
Blount pointed to Trump’s frequent references to political violence, his disregard for established electoral processes and his repeated falsehoods, and said, “We have to punish bad behavior. We have to support and vote for people who believe in the integrity of our elections.”
Sharing the stage with Blount was Lucien Smith, former chair of the Mississippi Republican Party, and moderator Eric Schmidt, an assistant professor of government and politics at Millsaps whose research focuses on political polarization and partisanship.
Smith and Blount were in general agreement about the need for bipartisan cooperation, though Smith blamed special interests for the decline in political discourse. “One of the reasons we have become so polarized is that massive political organizations have learned that polarization is helpful for getting three things: your vote, your time and your money,” he said. In Smith’s view, the problem afflicts both parties.
Responding to an audience question regarding the role of campaign finance laws, Smith argued that the penetration of outside interest groups has contributed to polarization. “When only the parties had control over the purse strings, you couldn’t go out and say crazy things,” he observed, adding that social media echo chambers, the proliferation of special interest groups and the economic windfalls candidates and elected officials garner from such groups has radically changed the way political campaigns are run.
Blount agreed that social media echo chambers play a significant role in undermining meaningful political discourse but said state lawmakers still often manage to find common ground. “At the State Capitol, we fight all morning, but then we go and get lunch together that afternoon,” he said.
Perhaps as a result of the current divisive political environment, when Schmidt opened the floor for audience questions, perhaps 20 seconds of awkward silence followed. The reticence of audience members began to dissipate after Smith and Blount addressed them directly, illustrating that political engagement with people of different views is not impossible but does not come as naturally as it once did.
Amile Wilson, who works with America’s Future, said the Millsaps discussion was important because, “Community is where solutions come from.” He urged others to consider hosting similar events of varying sizes to discuss solving national problems in a civil manner.
The message was in keeping with a mission statement that Braver Angels includes on its website: “As we separate into groups that increasingly do not even know, or interact with, people of differing opinions, we lose trust in our institutions, eroding the ability to govern ourselves and lowering the caliber of citizenship.” This trend, the statement notes, “coarsens public debate, produces policy gridlock, shrinks our capacity for goodwill, and harms our family and personal relationships.”
Adam Atigh is a senior at Millsaps College majoring in politics and in history and government.
Image: “American Hope Conversation” gathering at Millsaps, courtesy Nic Lott
 | A guest post by
|