I believe a significant driver of the polarization we see in the world today is a lack of balance in where and how we consume information. A lot of this is the fault of social media algorithms which prioritize “engagement,” which is easiest to generate by sensational content that reinforces our preexisting biases. We also have a natural tendency to want to avoid uncomfortable or challenging ideas that may lead us to question core beliefs, and thus gravitate toward groups that think like us. …
I am a Christian, formerly a Never Trump Republican, now a left-leaning moderate. I plan to vote for Democrats in 2020, particularly for the presidency. This shift has been driven largely by the moral conviction that the Republican party has either been revealed to be or turned into something almost irredeemably divorced from what is right and consistent with the teachings of Jesus.
On most issues — immigration, diplomacy, criminal justice, the environment, drug laws, gun control, gay rights, respect for the truth, social welfare and even some economic policy — I find myself agreeing with Democrats more often than not, usually for ethical reasons. …
The Democrats have one job in 2020: beat an unpopular, divisive, disruptive, incompetent and corrupt president. This was also their job in 2016 and they blew it. I’m starting to fear they’re about to commit political malpractice again based on the current crop of presidential primary front-runners. I’m specifically talking about the top 4: Biden, Sanders, Warren and Harris.
Let’s start with Biden. Although it’s encouraging that the person leading in the polls is, on paper, an eminently qualified candidate hailing from the more moderate side of the Democratic party, in reality Biden is probably the least impressive of the moderates running. When I picture Biden debating Trump next year, I get genuinely worried. …
As a lifelong Texan raised in a conservative Christian home, I know a lot of conservatives. For most of my life, I was one. But the last few years have been eye-opening, to say the least, and while my positions have shifted leftward, I feel I’ve changed less than the political party I used to think best represented my views.
I had believed the Republicans were, at their best, a righteous marriage of libertarian-leaning fiscal and personal responsibility with a morally upright stance on the importance of faith and the rights of the unborn. Not all Republicans represented this well, and plenty held positions I found to be too uncompromising (Tea Partiers) or ignorant (on scientific matters in particular), but I thought there were enough rational pragmatists like John Kasich in the party to keep it worthy of my support. …
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