How can politicians heal today's partisan divide? John Danforth, Claire McCaskill share their input
Former U.S. Sens. John Danforth and Claire McCaskill discussed the topic of bipartisan cooperation Monday night during a conversation held over Zoom.
The event, hosted by The Unnamed Committee of Boone County for Open Minds in Politics, asked both politicians to speak on the current state of politics and potential solutions for divisiveness in campaigns.
About 50 people gathered in-person in Windsor Auditorium at Stephens College to watch the virtual discussion, titled "Show Me The Way: How to Work Across the Aisle."
Other attendwatched the event online.
More: John Danforth, Claire McCaskill to speak at Stephens College about bipartisan cooperation
Stephens College President Dianne Lynch moderated the event alongside Claire Shipp, executive director of the Associated Students of the University of Missouri.
Attendees online and in person were able to submit questions at the end of the forum.
Danforth, a Republican, served three terms as U.S. senator for Missouri from 1976 to 1995. He also served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations in 2004.
McCaskill, a Democrat, served as U.S. senator for Missouri from 2007 to 2019. She was Missouri state auditor from 1999 to 2007 and also served in the Missouri House of Representatives. She currently works as a political analyst for MSNBC and NBC.
There is no clear solution to the current issue of extreme polarization in both parties, they agreed.
"The center has disappeared in American politics," Danforth said.
He spoke of a poll that was taken of Missourians in which the results showed that a high percentage of citizens did not feel that the current state of either party is for the "ordinary citizen."
McCaskill added that she believes the current way of campaigning lends itself to awarding aggressive behavior that centers on personal attacks and no punishment for such behavior.
"We are rewarding people who believe demonization is what must be done to win," McCaskill said.
For all elections — whether local, state or national — voters should take into account the actions of candidates toward one another when making their choice, both said.
"We have to learn respect for one another as human beings regardless of political party," Danforth said.
A tactic of recent political campaigns is to turn one's opponent into an enemy, he said. Instead, he suggested that to avoid further dividing the country, politicians should work to find common ground and work as friends first, which in turn would lead to more productive legislative sessions.
Fostering connections with individuals in another political party should be "more valuable than an election, a vote or a piece of legislation," McCaskill said.
Both agreed that the same importance of connections applies when speaking with family and friends who might not have the same viewpoints.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Senators John Danforth, Claire McCaskill on healing political divide
