As a lifelong liberal (James) and a lifelong conservative (Quin), we have been on opposite sides of almost every election in memory. There are things on which we agree, though, starting with our reverence for the idea of America itself and the need to preserve it.
Part of preserving it involves finding common ground. And yes, there is common ground on matters big and, well, less big.
Starting with what’s at the top of the news these days, we agree that neither President Joe Biden nor former President Donald Trump should be inaugurated for a new term next January.
Nobody should come anywhere near the Oval Office after trying to throw out an obviously legitimate election, instigating a mass-casualty riot and refusing to call it off and publicly berating his own vice president even when knowing the veep’s life may be in danger. Trump is a menace who cannot be entrusted with power, period.
Quin Hillyer
But nobody should re-up for president until age 86 when, at 81, he is already intermittently (but increasingly) incapacitated. Even for a good man, it is flat-out irresponsible and unfair to the nation and world to ask for that massive responsibility in these circumstances. Biden should not be renominated.
On policy, we both agree on a hodgepodge of issues. We agree that extreme identity politics and woke obsessions are unnecessarily divisive. We agree that Biden’s student loan forgiveness plans are ill-advised and more helpful to those who don’t need assistance than to those who do. And we agree that huge university endowments should be tapped or taxed to aid those who really do face long financial odds.
We agree that the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision awarding presidents a vast degree of “immunity” from criminal prosecution is wrong constitutionally and profoundly dangerous. We agree that high-paid corporate executives shouldn’t escape Social Security taxes. We agree that today’s economy is better than most people credit and trending better still — but that plenty of workers still need more help.
While we disagree strongly on which policies achieve the goal, we agree that, aspirationally, a primary goal of public policy should be to make it easier for those at the bottom of the economic ladder to climb the rungs. We absolutely have an obligation to the “least among us.” And we also agree that U.S. policy and the tax code favor older people who have it made at the expense of younger people who are trying to make it. This should change.
James Carville
Abroad, we agree that the United States must be, and usually is, a force for good in the world. We agree that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a thug and that Ukraine deserves American support against his thuggery. And we agree that it isn’t justifiable for our leaders, especially presidents, to express repeated, extravagant praise for vicious foreign dictators.
But look, specific issues aren’t the main point here. We’re not legislators trying to compromise on some frigging foreign aid bill or social program.
What matters more is the big picture. We love America and it’s worth saving. We’ve got to protect our Constitution, which guarantees our liberties and the rule of law. We need to stand up for democracy. We need to be sure we keep our disagreements within what only seems like rough-and-tumble politics rather than in the real rough-and-tumble of violence.
That’s what our Constitution and our culture are supposed to do: force us to fight each other inside our political system with rules by which we (mostly) abide and then eventually suck it up and find things to agree on so we can move on to other political fights — all while trusting that the whole system isn’t going to implode.
Come on, America, it’s time to get serious. Let’s put aside extremist nonsense and get to work.