{"id":45689,"date":"2025-01-29T17:48:14","date_gmt":"2025-01-29T17:48:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/?p=45689"},"modified":"2025-01-29T18:09:06","modified_gmt":"2025-01-29T18:09:06","slug":"how-liberals-can-build-bridges-with-conservatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/01\/29\/how-liberals-can-build-bridges-with-conservatives\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Ways Liberals Can Build More Bridges with Conservatives"},"content":{"rendered":"

We wrote the following piece after speaking with <\/span><\/i>Luke Nathan Phillips<\/span><\/i><\/a> about the state of depolarization and bridge-building endeavors. Luke has <\/span><\/i>worked with Braver Angels<\/span><\/i><\/a> since 2017, and served as their Publius Fellow for Public Discourse from 2021 to 2024. Learn more about his work at <\/span><\/i>lukenathanphillips.com<\/span><\/i><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

We know that depolarization and bridge-building efforts often struggle to attract and engage conservative participants. Trump\u2019s election creates an opportunity that everyone in this space should lean into.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why do these efforts tend to skew liberal? It comes down to a fundamental difference in how conservatives and liberals generally view bridge-building efforts \u2014 and their opponents.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For one thing, conservatives can be wary of spaces that feel like they\u2019re designed and run by liberals. Events held in Unitarian Universalist churches, public libraries, or other blue-coded spaces send subtle signals about who belongs there. Buzzwords like \u201ccivil discourse\u201d and \u201cpeace-building\u201d can feel like liberal jargon; they can be alienating to those who don\u2019t share the same cultural or political values.<\/span><\/p>\n

And let\u2019s be honest: Many liberals in the bridge-building space <\/span>do<\/span><\/i> want conservatives to change. Some liberals are motivated to<\/span> reduce toxicity<\/span><\/i> in hopes that conservatives will embrace more progressive views. Trying to persuade others to see things as you see them is not inherently wrong \u2014 politics is about advocating for what you believe in \u2014 but it\u2019s important to acknowledge that this dynamic sometimes exists in spaces that claim to be unbiased, and that can create barriers to trust and collaboration.<\/span><\/p>\n

Conservatives also bring their own biases to the table. Some people are overly pessimistic about the nature of these efforts. Some people may see liberals being involved as a reason alone to be suspicious (seeing the \u201cother side\u201d being involved can be a <\/span>cause of suspicion across the board<\/span><\/a>).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As with people, in general, conservatives may think that gaining a deeper understanding of the \u201cother side\u201d equals agreeing with them. But the truth is we can understand without agreeing, and we can strive to de-escalate and reduce contempt while <\/span>staying true to our beliefs<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Republican vs. Democrat isn\u2019t the whole story<\/h3>\n

Another factor is that our political landscape has shifted a lot over the last few years. Trump has dramatically altered the Republican Party. This can make it hard for us to talk in clear ways about the nature of our divides. For example, there\u2019s sometimes a focus on our divides being Republican vs. Democrat when it might be more accurate in many cases to call it pro-Trump versus anti-Trump (because, for example, some self-described Republicans are anti-Trump, and some Trump voters identify as Democrats).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This means that if a bridge-building organization includes Republicans who are largely anti-Trump, this can result in pro-Trump Republicans feeling unheard and misunderstood.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Our hidden common ground<\/h3>\n

Despite these challenges, there\u2019s a surprising amount of overlap between the work conservatives and liberals do in civic spaces. For example:<\/span><\/p>\n