{"id":3049,"date":"2026-06-30T04:11:50","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T04:11:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=3049"},"modified":"2026-06-30T04:11:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T04:11:50","slug":"in-philadelphia-the-spirit-of-1776-meets-the-politics-of-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=3049","title":{"rendered":"In Philadelphia, the spirit of 1776 meets the politics of 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

At this point, can Democrats and Republicans ever really get along? The data says yes. <\/p>\n

Read more Jusuf Nurki\u0107 will return to Jazz on new 2-year deal<\/a><\/p>\n

In Philadelphia, the birthplace of America, people from across the country and across the political divide recently gathered to renew the promise of the nation ahead of its 250th. <\/p>\n

The Braver Angels conference, held over the weekend at Temple University, aimed to spark a renewed sense of patriotism and participation in what organization CEO Maury Giles calls \u201ccourageous citizenship.\u201d <\/p>\n

That happens at a personal level, the community level and nationally, Giles explained, and it\u2019s part of the mission he and Braver Angels set out to accomplish 10 years ago. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s all with the hope that Americans can recognize there are \u201cshared American ideals worthy of defense and (can) begin to have hope in the system because you can see how things change.\u201d <\/p>\n

Can bringing people together really work? <\/h3>\n

Braver Angels has more than 15,000 dues-paying members and almost 900 of them showed up in Philadelphia to hear from speakers and participate in events. <\/p>\n

But in the 10 years since Braver Angels launched, American politics has only become more divided and hostile. Supporters say that doesn\u2019t mean their mission isn\u2019t working. <\/p>\n

According to data collected by Brigham Young University professor Eliza Hawkins and her students, events like those held by Braver Angels are actually helping turn down the political temperature. <\/p>\n

People who participate in events with others across the political spectrum walk away feeling better about the opposing side. These debates are meant to be calm and civil while exploring controversial or hot-button issues with a moderator. <\/p>\n

Using pre-and-post survey data, they used a \u201cfeeling thermometer\u201d survey to create a \u201cdifference score\u201d to scale what the difference is between love for one\u2019s own party and hate for the other party. <\/p>\n

The results showed that people were more likely to come out from any of the events offered at Braver Angels feeling better about the other side. <\/p>\n

Additionally, the stronger the ideological affiliation, the greater likelihood a person will be affected. For example, someone who identifies themselves as conservative is much more likely to walk away feeling better about liberals than someone who identifies as \u201csomewhat conservative.\u201d <\/p>\n

The same is true for more left-leaning participants. However, the findings showed that moderates had lower amounts of change on the feeling thermometer after attending events. <\/p>\n

The findings show that the events are effective for all age groups, but there is \u201cvariation\u201d and some events are more effective for different groups than others, Hawkins explained. <\/p>\n

The survey found that one-on-one conversations were the most effective for bringing people together, with Red and Blue debates falling closely behind. <\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThinking alike and acting together are not opposites. It is entirely possible to act together when you don\u2019t think alike.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 \u00a0Political analyst Yuval Levin<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Still, the people showing up to events are an engaged subset of the American populace. Marketing and outreach for the team at Braver Angels is a priority as they\u2019re looking to grow membership and plant the seed that we don\u2019t have to be so divided. <\/p>\n

\u201cChoirs are important because when they sing beautifully, they inspire other people,\u201d Giles said of the group\u2019s work. <\/p>\n

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The data found that online and in-person events are both effective, while the online space could allow the organization to reach a broader audience. <\/p>\n

Additionally, the group found that events are most effective in changing thought and behavior among young Republicans and older Democrats. They found that among those who engage the most, they experience greater depolarization, pointing to the fact that showing up is working to turn down the political heat. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe more you engage, the more you change!\u201d Hawkins and students\u2019 presentation said. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s kind of always been this way <\/h3>\n

According to a recent Deseret News\/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll conducted by Morning Consult, Americans are pretty unhappy with the way things are going with politics. <\/p>\n

Republicans, perhaps unsurprisingly, given that they hold the majority in Congress and have control of the White House, are more likely to say they\u2019re patriotic. <\/p>\n

Still, across the board, after living in deeply divided times for so long, it\u2019s clear that patriotism is on the decline, especially among younger Americans. <\/p>\n

Yuval Levin, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and author of several books, spoke during a presentation at the conference about having hope for the future of the country. <\/p>\n

Something for Americans to remember is that the national experiment set out on 250 years ago has gone through turbulent times before, he said. <\/p>\n

From the founding, Americans have felt unsure about how it would go on. Levin highlighted how in 2026, Americans think, \u201cWow, this could really go anywhere,\u201d but so did Americans in 1850 or the 1960s, he argued. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s actually very important for us to remember that maybe the most stable characteristic of the American national character has always been a foreboding sense of doom,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Levin acknowledged that Americans have a right to be worried, because what the country is, stands for and means is important and not easy. <\/p>\n

So, what should Americans do with that worry? Levin argues \u201cspectator citizenship\u201d is a danger to the United States. It\u2019s the sense that when things happen, it\u2019s someone else\u2019s or the other side\u2019s fault, he explained. <\/p>\n

He highlighted the history and the founding, when the country was designed to be divided and challenged, like the government\u2019s checks and balances.<\/p>\n

He noted that a divided America talks a lot about unity. And right now, society says that unity must mean that everyone must agree on everything. That\u2019s impossible, he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThinking alike and acting together are not opposites,\u201d Levin said. \u201cIt is entirely possible to act together when you don\u2019t think alike.\u201d<\/p>\n

To do that, American citizens \u2014 and the government \u2014 need to return to negotiation, competition and a \u201cconstant constructive tension.\u201d Coalitions need to be built and communities need to be expanded, Levin said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThose are the solutions to our problems in 21st century learning. It\u2019s when we\u2019re forced to deal with each other that we stand a chance of acting together.\u201d <\/p>\n

Read more 4 heartwarming stories that shone through Venezuela\u2019s dark week<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
Related<\/div>\n
Braver Angels announces ideologically diverse advisory council, including Utah Gov. Spencer Cox<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Democrats and Republicans alike gathered in Philadelphia ahead of nation’s 250th at the Braver Angels conference. 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