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With less than 100 days remaining before Election Day, our nation finds itself in an unprecedented moment, where the breathtaking pace of recent occurrences have heightened an already tense and divisive political atmosphere. It's a lot and it feels overwhelming. It has raised the temperature of an already very heated presidential campaign, with each side slinging political bombs against the other, and in turn, instigating a titanic flood of hate-filled political rhetoric across the massive spectrum of social media. We sure seem to be divided right now. It's so pervasive that it can be felt in one's bones.
But there's hope. In May, the Common Good Index Survey conducted by Emerson Polling found a full 70 percent of Americans want candidates willing to work with the opposing side and compromise on the issues, and 75 percent of us believe that politicians actively encourage national division out of political self-interest. Think about that for a moment: You cannot turn on a television set or log on to the internet without feeling the searing heat of the political divide. To capture your vote, politicians and special interests spend a lot of money on divisive messaging. They are using this strategy because it seems to work on us, even though most of us do not approve.
It sounds cliche, but all politics is local. If one of us makes a hateful statement about others who hold an opposing view, chances are we're impugning a neighbor, a coworker or even our own friends and family members, who may share that other view. There was a time not so long ago when we could agree to disagree, shake hands and watch our kids' soccer or baseball games together, without things getting awkward. We debated, we voted and we moved on. In America we're supposed to make our voices heard at the ballot box, not through political violence or hate speech. From the sounds of the polling, a lot of us want that back.
Of course, there's always been tension in politics and governing. This is true of any democratic society, where candidates, and those who support or oppose them, are free to register their opinions through political speech. But my fellow 70 percent of Americans, you get my vibe. Hate-filled rhetoric and lies should have no place in a free and fair political process.
Can we get our country and our politics back on a path toward civility and, by extension, redevelop trust in our democratic process? I believe we can. And it starts with us -- the vast majority of Americans who want honesty, collaboration and compromise.
As our nation hurtles toward the November election, the Democracy Defense Project -- a new bipartisan organization created to defend the transparency, safety, security and validity of our nation's electoral system -- urges decency in how you communicate your political beliefs to others. I suspect that many of the 70 percent who sincerely say they want more civility in politics are themselves falling into the trap of incivility -- on social media, and in conversations with friends, family or coworkers. I too have fallen into that rabbit hole on more than a few occasions. But if we really believe in civil and respectful discourse, we should be intentional about this. We should practice what we think. If there was ever a time to be thoughtful about what you hear, as well as about what you say and how you say it to others, it is now.
I believe those polling numbers. But, even with such compelling numbers, I do not expect that politicians will refrain from distractions, fabrications, and violence-inciting rhetoric, because we -- even the 70 percent -- have responded to their scorched earth tactics. So, it is up to us. This is a problem that can only be solved from the bottom up. As we move on to November and beyond, make a difference by staying true to yourself by being thoughtful in the news you consume, and the political conversations you have with others.
(Space, D-Ohio, represented Ohio's 18th Congressional District. He is a board member of the Democracy Defense Project, a new organization led by a bipartisan group of former elected officials and leaders in Ohio and other key battleground states who will work to defend the transparency, safety, security and validity of our nation's electoral system.)