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Finding Common Ground In A Deepening Partisan Divide

An election yard sign reads "Any functioning Adult 2020"
Maria Thalassinou
/
Unsplash
Frustration mounted for many Americans during the 2020 presidential election regardless of party affiliation, as denoted by this election sign in Washington D.C. C.

There is worry over whether the partisan division in this country can be overcome.

Whether it is a neighbor-to-neighbor dispute on policy, or how one classifies the January 6th insurrection, the chasm between the moderate and the extreme is affecting the operations of the country including the election process. "In a free society, there is going to be disagreement", professor Jeffrey Sikkenga said "... the question is how we deal with those disagreements". Two professors agree that we, as a society, need to work to improve this division.

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When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.
As Up To Date’s senior producer, I want to pique the curiosity of Kansas Citians and help them understand the world around them. Each day, I construct conversations with our city’s most innovative visionaries and creatives, while striving to hold elected officials accountable and amplifying the voices of everyday Kansas Citians. Email me at zach@kcur.org.
Chris Young is an Assistant Producer for KCUR’s Up To Date. Contact him at chrisy@kcur.org.
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