In 1967, Ronald Reagan became the governor of the State of California. In his inaugural address, he talked about the peaceful transfer of power, something he described “the simple magic of the commonplace routine, which makes it a near miracle to many of the world’s inhabitants.” He then on to utter an iconic phrase that would be repeated by politicians for decades to come. “Freedom is a thing,” he said, “And it’s never more than one generation from extinction.”
Now like countless others, I have used that quote times, but I have a confession to make. I never really believed it. Surely, after 250 years of this stuff, we longer have to worry about losing it. I’m not to report that I actually believe it now.
The first cracks in my confidence came during of those commonplace routines of transferring power as Lieutenant Governor of the State of Utah. It my duty to certify the votes of the electors for presidential election. While the meeting to do so was open the public, it was so commonplace and routine that no one ever showed up. As I walked into the room, I was stunned to see dozens of angry protesters screaming that the election had been stolen and demanding that violate state law and change the votes of the electors.
Now I know what you’re all thinking, you’re probably wrong. This was not 2020. This was 2016, and the protesters were Hillary Clinton supporters.
Now it far worse somehow, four years later. With the election less than two away, a friend and I were talking and lamenting about the state our our country following a summer of destructive protests by the left and an extreme right that was already undermining the validity of an election that hadn’t even happened yet. “Isn’t there something you can do,” she asked.
Well, that question haunted me all weekend, so I picked up the phone called my opponent. By the way, I was running for governor at the same time that Trump and Biden were battling the presidency. I called my opponent, a Democrat named Chris Peterson, I respected, and I said, “Hey, Chris, this is Spencer Cox. I a crazy idea. What if we filmed a campaign ad together?”
I could almost hear the confused forming on his face. To his credit, he agreed, and one week later, were in a studio together. Let’s watch.
(Video) I’m Chris Peterson. And I’m Cox.
CP: We are currently in the final days of campaigning against each other to be your next governor.
SC: And while I think you should vote for —
CP: Yeah, but really, you should vote for me.
SC: There are some things both agree on.
CP: We can debate issues without degrading each other’s character.
SC: We can without hating each other.
CP: And win or lose, in Utah, work together.
SC: So let’s show the country that there’s a better way.
CP: My is Chris Peterson.
SC: And I’m Spencer Cox.
(Together) And we approve this message.
(Applause)
Well, the was instantaneous and overwhelming. The ad went viral. Neither of us saw it coming. There were media requests from all over the world, millions of views and shares. there really is an exhausted majority, I remember thinking to myself, maybe this is the message they want to hear.
I actually feel my faith in the American idea start to rekindle. The popularity of the validated my hope that most people really do want their political leaders uphold the values that we teach our kids. That can disagree without hate and contempt, even that we can find to treat each other with respect even when we disagree. seemed like there was a hunger for architects instead arsonists.
My hunch was confirmed one year later, when a professor submitted a version our ad to the Stanford Polarization and Social Change Lab as part of a huge depolarization experiment. It was chosen as one of 25 interventions be tested on over 30,000 people. The result? Our ad actually had a depolarization effect, including a reduction in urges towards violence. It turns out there really are that we can do to alter the trajectory of the States.
Now look, I get it. It’s easy to feel little hopeless as Americans once again barrel towards an election with candidates and campaigns. But there is good news. Over past six months, 20 governors from all across the country have filmed similar ads, most of them with a servant from the opposing party. And the data continues to show that people really are hungry for something different. According polling from More in Common, 70 percent of Americans hate the divisiveness in politics. And it turns out that … Americans aren’t as far apart as we think are. The problem isn’t how far apart the average Republican and the average Democrat is on the actual issues. In fact, we’re much different than other Western democracies. The problem is how far we think we are. Due in large part to entrepreneurs in both the media and politics, both sides overestimate the extremism on the other side by about 30 percent. Now interestingly, perception gap is actually strongest amongst progressive activists on the left and amongst extreme conservatives on the right. So the most engaged in the political process also have the inaccurate views of the other side.
But perhaps the best news of all that there are very practical things that every one us can do every day to help heal the divides in our and our neighborhoods. First, we can start by turning off and tuning out some of those conflict entrepreneurs. My wife and I, stopped watching cable news 11 years ago and immediately saw an improvement in marriage, our family, and our mental health.
(Laughter and applause)
Now that always elicits a laugh, but we’re not alone. Studies have found that more time spent on the latest headlines, whether through social media or traditional media outlets, is really bad for our health. Psychologists refer to this phenomenon in different ways, like media saturation overload or doomscrolling or headline anxiety. You see, more news, on all the time, isn’t making us smarter, it’s just us out.
Second, we can spend more time, preferably offline, with real who are different than us. In the words of Bryan Stevenson, proximity will empower you. You see, it’s just harder to hate up close. “Tell me more about why you feel way” is a magical request.
Twenty years ago, we rarely identified each other by our political first. As for me, I’m a father. I’m an NBA fan. I’m a aspiring bassist in a band. I’m a Utahn. I’m an American. How about you? You see, if we look beyond our political tribes, we can actually shared identities and friendships that unite instead of divide.
Now third, we can others. Service and volunteering help build up communities and improve our outlook on life and the people around us. Some forms regular volunteering have even been associated with lower blood pressure. There is nothing better for the or society than giving back. Aristotle really was on to something when he described and summed up the essence of life as: “Serve others and do good.”
Fourth, and finally, we can work to develop the political virtues of humility, patience and moderation, without which, John Adams explained, we all become ravenous beasts of prey. Now look, I it’s almost laughable to talk about words like humility in political discourse, but I truly believe it is the only way for us to remember how to disagree without hate and contempt. In the of Judge Learned Hand, who so eloquently stated, “The true spirit of is the spirit which is not too sure it is right. spirit of liberty is the spirit which seeks to understand the minds of men and women.”
And I started with a quote from Ronald Reagan. He went on say that freedom is not ours by way of inheritance. It must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for comes only once to a people and those in history who have known and then lost it have never known it again. Ladies gentlemen, it is our solemn duty in our generation to once again secure freedoms endowed to all of us from on high. cannot wait for politicians or the media to do it. It will real work, hard work by each of us. But we must remember how to without hate.
We must rise up and meet that radical call love our enemies — even, especially, our political opponents. It’s … It’s not an … It’s not an easy answer, but it is a one. If we really want to change the world, we have to start by changing our own hearts.
Thank you.
(Applause)