Two pieces in this section make compelling cases for why we, as a society, need to cool down the rhetoric and seek common ground. We urge you to spend some time with them, and share them with others.
Sam Reed, who will retire as Washington’s secretary of state at the end of the year after three terms, comes from a long tradition of moderate Republicans who, working with Democrats, helped lead important initiatives that made Washington one of the nation’s most forward-thinking and prosperous states.
His piece on the Viewpoints page, “Let’s bury the hatchet,” speaks honestly — yet with characteristic optimism — about the poisoned state of our political discourse, and offers some practical strategies for overcoming it.
One that rings particularly true is Reed’s call for civic engagement. Snohomish County is fortunate to have committed citizens in each of its communities who join service clubs, volunteer to fill a wide range of needs, and donate to causes big and small.
Still, we can do better. As a society, we’ve become increasingly detached from community institutions, and from each other. We’ve lost part of the commonality and grounding that helped define previous generations of Americans. The more we do together, and the more we act together in support of our common values, the more likely we’ll be to understand each other — and the less likely, perhaps, to diss each other without a second thought.
Right-of-center columnist Kathleen Parker writes today about how rigid ideology in our politics has overpowered moderation, which used to be considered a virtue. Moderation, she points out, isn’t necessarily about finding a mid-point, but about being open to facts that could move one’s point of view.
Moderation, and its first cousin, compromise, are not character flaws, as so much political commentary portrays it these days.
To be sure, pandering to a particular audience in order to win votes is a sign of weak leadership. But policy positions can, and often should, evolve with circumstances. That’s the kind of responsible thinking that defines capable leaders.
Yet on today’s political stage, a leader who changes his or her mind is dismissed as a flip-flopper. Candidates are coerced into pledging never to do this or that, as if leadership had nothing to do with vision, judgment or maturity.
If we’re to overcome the many challenges we face, drawing lines in the sand and spewing venomous rhetoric are losing strategies. Each of our communities, and our nation, is much greater than the sum of its parts. Only by working together, with an ample supply of intelligence, respect, civility and common purpose, can we hope to reach our full potential.
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