Governors Lujan Grisham and Gordon take part in National Governors Association “Disagree Better” Initiative

Americans are deeply concerned and exhausted by the hyperpartisanship and polarization in our country, and rightly so. We’ve forgotten how to persuade without hating each other. But our nation’s history shows there’s a better way, and we all need to re-learn how to Disagree Better. There is an initiative and a campaign that has launched the teaches us to be civil with one another as citizens again.

Americans need to disagree better. And by that we don’t mean that we need to be nicer to each other, although that’s helpful. We need to learn to disagree in a way that allows us to find solutions and solve problems instead of endlessly bickering.

An “exhausted majority” of Americans want this, and the science is clear about interventions that reduce polarization. As doers and builders, Governors are in a unique position to model what healthy conflict looks like.

The Disagree Better initiative will look at the problems of polarization, elevate the solutions that groups around the country are already implementing, and feature Governors showing what disagreeing better looks like. Through public debates, service projects, public service announcements and a variety of other tactics, Americans will see a more positive and optimistic way of working through our problems.

Americans need to disagree better. And by that we don’t mean that we need to be nicer to each other, although that’s helpful. We need to learn to disagree in a way that allows us to find solutions and solve problems instead of endlessly bickering.

An “exhausted majority” of Americans want this, and the science is clear about interventions that reduce polarization. As doers and builders, Governors are in a unique position to model what healthy conflict looks like.

The Disagree Better initiative will look at the problems of polarization, elevate the solutions that groups around the country are already implementing, and feature Governors showing what disagreeing better looks like. Through public debates, service projects, public service announcements and a variety of other tactics, Americans will see a more positive and optimistic way of working through our problems.

A new video is launched with Govs. Michelle Lujan Grisham, D- New Mexico and Mark Gordon, R-Wyoming explaining the importance of civil dialogue…

Govs. Michelle Lujan Grisham, D-N.M., and Mark Gordon, R-Wyo., today announced their participation in the National Governors Association (NGA) Disagree Better Initiative and released a related video.

The two governors, who have collaborated on policy initiatives as chairman and vice chair of the Western Governors Association, recently sat down to share a message of working together to get the job done.

“At a time of deep partisan division in our nation, Gov. Gordon and I would like to remind our fellow Americans that the best way to resolve our differences and find common ground is by communicating respectfully with one another,” Governor Lujan Grisham said. “Gov. Gordon and I sit on opposite sides of the political aisle, but as western governors we also share some common interests and goals. If all of us could strive to ‘disagree better’ it would elevate our discourse and make our country stronger.”

“Wyoming and New Mexico are both Western states with similar economies, but our politics can be very different,” Governor Gordon said. “While we may disagree on a number of issues, Governor Lujan Grisham and I have been able to find common ground in places by showing respect for one another when we approach an issue from different perspectives. We have been able to get good work done, and that’s why I look forward to discussing challenging topics with the governor. We are both willing to listen. We are both willing to kid one another, and I believe these are qualities that have made our nation great.”

Watch this short video to view the conversation between the two governors.

About the Disagree Better Initiative

Disagree Better is a yearlong NGA initiative to help Americans learn the skills of healthy conflict. The effort aims to change the political behavior of both voters and elected officials, showing that the right kind of conflict often leads to better policy, can be more successful politically than negative campaigning, and is the pathway to restoring trust in our political institutions. https://www.nga.org/disagree-better/

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