Political speech in America is all too often dominated by hyperbole. We don’t just disagree, we find those on the other side to be offensive or even worse. All too often the language of curiosity, nuance and humility is missing from our dialog.
In this episode we look at a novel way to reach across the divide. During the spring, Minnesota Braver Angels leaders who live in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region decided to visit six small towns in rural parts of the state. Our guests are Melinda Voss, who leans blue, and Scott Schluter who leans red.
We find out what they learned while on their nine-day "Reduce the Rancor" bus tour. Melinda, Scott and other volunteers organized a series of events, including red-blue workshops, meetings with local community leaders, and conversations with people in six towns. They also did a lot of listening.
“To be a Braver Angel requires a bit of humility," Melinda told us. "Your side might not have all the answers, and you might be wrong, and you might have something to contribute that would be valuable.”
Getting both sides together to talk instead of yelling across the partisan divide has taken on a new sense of urgency. Nowhere more so than in Minnesota, after recent politically-motivated murders of a Democratic state politician and her husband, and the shootings of another Democrat and his wife. The violence was especially alarming in a state traditionally known for being “Minnesota Nice”, a term used to describe its courteous, mild-mannered, polite citizens.
Here at How Do We Fix It? we look at ways to disagree better. Recent episodes have mainly focused on the people, projects and ideas of Braver Angels— an extraordinary collection of volunteers who work to depolarize America.
More about our guests: Scott Schluter has been involved with Braver Angels as a red-leaning member since 2018, starting a Minneapolis Alliance in 2021 and then Minnesota State Co-coordinator in 2024. He spent a lifetime in photographic retail sales and management, which he’s found ties in greatly to the Braver Angel model of listening, asking great questions, acknowledging and working toward shared goals.
Melinda Voss is one of two state coordinators for Braver Angels Minnesota. She leans blue. Now retired, she was a staff writer for the Des Moines Register and Tribune for nearly 26 years, taught journalism at three universities, co-founded the Association of Health Care Journalists, and served as public relations director for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system..