Today it feels as though the only thing Americans can agree on in politics is that we are ostensibly too polarized to agree. We no longer fight wars on battlefields, but on Twitter with other Americans in a less bloody and dramatic Civil War 2, where bullet magazines have been reduced to 280 characters. The nation is deeply divided, and it has parties on all sides looking for a solution to the issue; however, an opinion article by The New York Times believes that our long awaited solution might lie in the state of Colorado, and the nation need only pay more attention to its political climate to learn a few lessons.
For the past few decades, Colorado has been regarded as a “purple state” in elections, meaning that it has voted both red and blue and is up for grabs by both parties. Along party lines, the state remains geographically majority red, but majority blue by population (although unaffiliated voters outnumber both). The blue core stems largely from Denver, Boulder and Fort Collins, with all other rural parts and the front range leaning deep red. Colorado also happens to be the birthplace of the Libertarian party, with many still subscribing to its principles. All of this should say that there is heavy political conflict within the state, except there really isn’t.
Like any other state, there is still disagreement between individuals, but Colorado has created an environment where such disagreement doesn’t always lead to fights, but rather healthy discourse. As the New York Times article mentions in an interview with now former Democratic governor John Hickenlooper: “In the West, I think there is an inclination, almost an instinct, to sit down with people you disagree with and sort of sort through.”
It was figured out long ago in Colorado that in an environment with so many political views, politicians simply cannot afford to bicker over every minute detail or ignore other parties; if that were the case, nothing would ever get done in this state. Instead, political leaders of all parties were forced to sit down at tables and actually candidly discuss policy, trying to focus on similarities over differences, and the result was a state that has peacefully transitioned between both parties election after election. Since Colorado became a state, it has elected 23 Democratic governors, 19 Republican governors and even 1 independent; bipartisanship, peaceful transitions and political compromise have simply become the norm in Colorado.
When I say “peacefully transition,” I don’t mean peace in the sense of military conflict, but peace as in contentment. The U.S. “peacefully transitions” between parties every election without coup d’états, but often a large portion of the country is passionately dissatisfied with the outcome. In Colorado, people may not always agree with the outcome, but they will find a way to live with it and wait until the next election, a lesson others could learn from.
Colorado might not be a knight in shining armor that will dramatically ride in to save the nation, but I think it is a solid, practical role model of a world where polarization doesn’t have to be the norm. Believe it or not, it is conceivable to sit down and break bread, and all it takes is a slight shift in mindset.
If Colorado were to force other states to sit down in single file desks and learn about partisanship, its lesson would be this: collaboration is not bad; Republicans are not the enemy, nor Democrats, nor any other; our existence is not mutually exclusive. The lesson isn’t a new revelation, but something that might benefit everyone to be reminded of.
