% FAVOR TO WILDFIRES IMPROVE.
% >>> DEMOCRATIC WISCONSIN SENATOR
% TAMMY BALDWIN ANNOUNCED SHE IS
% RUNNING FOR A THIRD TERM.
% AN ANOTHER SCORCHED EARTH
% CAMPAIGN, POLITICAL VITRIOL AN
% STEROIDS.% THAT SEEMS TO BE
THE WISCONSIN
% WAY.% IN FACT, A NEW REPORT
FROM THE
% CENTER FOR COMMUNICATION AND
% CIVIC RENEWAL AT UW MADISON
% SHOWS WISCONSIN'S POLITICAL
% DIVIDES ARE BREAKING CITIZENS
% APART.% CENTER DIRECTOR AND
JOURNALISM
% PROFESSOR, MICHAEL WAGNER, JOINS
% US WITH DETAILS, AND THANKS VERY
% MUCH FOR BEING HERE AGAIN.
% >> IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU.
% >> SO WHAT ARE THE MOST
% PROMINENT SYMPTOMS OF
% WISCONSIN'S POLITICAL DIVIDE?
% YOUR SURVEY CALLS THEM CIVIC
% FRACTURES.%>> YES.
% SOME OF THE EXAMPLES WE SEE OF
% THAT ARE IN HOW POLITICS AND
% YOUR DEEP COMMITMENT TO OUR
% POLITICAL IDENTITIES IS IS NOW
% SHAPING HOW WE ENGAGE EVERY DAY
% WITH PEOPLE.
% WE'VE STOPPED TALKING POLICIES.
% WE MIGHT TALK ABOUT THE WEATHER
% OR THE BADGERS, BUT WE WON'T
% TALK POLITICS.
% ONE IN FIVE HAVE CUT A FAMILY
% FEBRUARY OR FRIEND OUT OF OUR
% LIVES BECAUSE OF DISAGREEMENTS.
% THAT MIGHT BE BECAUSE WE DON'T
% WANT TO HAVE TO ENGAGE THEIR
% IDEAS OR MAYBE THE OTHER SIDE IS
% TELLING US WHO WE ARE IS INVALID
% OR MAYBE WE FEEL DANGEROUS IN
% SOME CONVERSATIONS OR WE MIGHT
% BE IN DANGER, AND SO IT'S HARD
% TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT'S DRIVING
% THESE THINGS, BUT PEOPLE ARE
% RETREATING FROM THE KIND OF
% DELIBERATION THAT IS FUNDAMENTAL
% TO DEMOCRACY.
% >> THOUSAND AND WHY DID THIS
% HAPPEN?
% >> IT'S GOTTEN WORSE SINCE ACT
% 10.%OVER THE LAST DECADE PLU
S, WE'VE
% SEEN A GROWING FRACTURE IN THESE
% KINDS OF MEASURES OF OUR CIVIC
% HEALTH, AND SO 11 YEARS AGO,
% ABOUT 33% OF WISCONSINITES SAID
% THEY'D STOP TALKING POLITICS
% WITH A FRIEND.
% NOW IT'S 60%.
% IT'S REALLY INCREASED THE WAY
% THAT OUR LEGISLATURE AND
% GOVERNOR DEAL WITH EACH OTHER
% HAS GOTTEN MORE ACRIMONIOUS, OUR
% POLITICAL ADS HAVE GOTTEN MORE
% ACRIMONIOUS, NATIONAL POLITICS
% IS MORE COARSE AND FRAUGHT WITH
% ALL KINDS OF THINGS THAT ARE
% BOTH UNCIVIL OR OUTRIGHT
% DANGEROUS AND DISTURBING ON THE
% OTHER, AND SO ALL OF THESE
% THINGS ARE HAPPENING AT ONCE.
% >> WHY IS THE MESSAGING THAT
% MAKES PEOPLE ANGRY, DISTRUSTFUL
% AND EVEN FEARFUL TO RESONANT?
% >> WELL, PEOPLE ARE OFTEN DRIVEN
% PARTIALLY BY EMOTIONS AND THEIR
% DECISION-MAKING AND IT'S EASIER
% I THINK TO TAP INTO PEOPLE'S
% FEAR AND IT'S EASIER TO SAY TO
% PEOPLE, YOU'RE NOT THE REASON
% FOR YOUR PROBLEMS AND IT'S NOT
% BROAD STRUCTURAL THINGS THAT ARE
% REALLY HARD TO FIX; IT'S THOSE
% PEOPLE, THAT GROUP THAT WE DON'T
% LIKE IS WHY YOUR LIFE IS HARDER,
% AND SO IT BECOMES EASIER TO
% DISLIKE THAT GROUP AND SUPPORT
% THE PEOPLE THAT WERE TELLING YOU
% THAT THAT'S THE PROBLEM.
% >> HOW SURPRISING IS YOUR
% FINDING THAT 60% OF STRONG TRUMP
% SUPPORTERS SAY THEY COULD HAVE
% TO USE FORCE TO SAVE THE
% TRADITIONAL AMERICAN WAY OF
% LIFE.
% 60%.
% >> YEAH.
% WE ARE INTERESTED IN HOW THESE
% CIVIC FRACTURES MIGHT LEAD TO
% ANTI-DEMOCRATIC OUTCOMES LIKE
% USING VIOLENCE TO ACHIEVE YOUR
% POLITICAL MEANS, AND FOR MOST
% REPUBLICANS, THEY SAY, NO, WE
% DON'T LIKE THIS IDEA, BUT AMONG
% THE ONE-THIRD OF REPUBLICANS WHO
% ARE SUPPORTERS OF TRUMP, 60% OF
% THOSE FOLKS SAY THEY MIGHT
% ENDORSE THAT DEAL.
% SAYING YOU ENDORSE FORCE RATHER
% THAN ACTUALLY DOING IT IS
% DIFFERENT, BUT THIS IS AN
% ALARMING AND DISTURBING RESULT,
% SO WE NEED TO KEEP AN EYE ON
% THIS AS A ASSOCIATED THAT THERE
% ARE OTHER WAYS TO SOLVE OUR
% PROBLEMS OTHER THAN USING
% VIOLENCE.
% >> THIS REPORT SAYS THAT THIS
% DIAGNOSIS IS GRIM BUT THERE IS
% REASON FOR HOPE.
% LIKE WHAT?
% >> LOTS OF THINGS.
% >> FIRST, PEOPLE FAVOR POLITICAL
% COMPROMISE EVEN OVER STICKING TO
% YOUR PRINCIPLES EVEN IF NOTHING
% GETS DONE.
% MORE PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT THEIR
% VOTE WAS COUNTED.
% STRONG CONFIDENCE IN THAT.
% THERE'S STRONG SUPPORT FOR
% NON-PART SAT REDISTRICTING,
% WHICH IS A FAIRER WAY TO ENGAGE
% IN REPRESENTATION.
% AND THERE'S STRONG SUPPORT FOR
% THE SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND
% STATE ACROSS POLITICAL PARTIES.
% AND SO THERE ARE FOUNDATIONS WE
% CAN BUILD ON TO IMPROVE
% DEMOCRACY IN OUR STATE.
% >> IT SEEMS HARD TO UNDERSTAND
% HOW THERE IS 80% OF SURVEY
% RESPONDENTS BELIEVE THAT THEIR
% VOTE WAS COUNTED, WILL BE
% COUNTED.%HOW DOES THAT SQUARE
WITH
% ELECTION DENIAL AND ALL OF THIS
% MISINFORMATION THAT WE'VE BEEN
% LISTENING TO FOR 2-1/2 YEARS?
% >> WELL, WE'VE HEARD IT COMING
% REALLY FROM ONE CORNER OF
% POLITICAL DISCOURSE AND WE'VE
% SEEN MOST OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE
% OPEN TO THAT IDEA ARE THESE TEND
% TO BE STRONG SUPPORTERS OF
% FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP.
% HE'S NOT RELENTED ON THAT MANY
% REPUBLICANS IN GOVERNMENT WILL
% EITHER AGREE WITH HIM OR WON'T
% DIRECTLY DISAGREE AND SO THERE'S
% THIS AMBIGUITY IS THERE THAT
% LETS PEOPLE FEEL LIKE MAYBE
% SEEMS LIKE THE ELECTION WAS
% REASONABLY CONDUCTED BUT MAYBE
% IT WASN'T OR MAYBE THERE WERE
% SOME PROBLEMS EVEN THOUGH ALL OF
% THE AUDITS, ALL OF THE LAWSUITS,
% ALL POINT TO THE SAME STORY,
% WHICH IS THAT WE DO THAT REALLY
% WELL IN WISCONSIN.
% >> WHY DID YOUR CENTER EMBARK ON
% THIS STUDY?
% >> WE REALLY CARE ABOUT WAYS WE
% CAN REKNIT TOGETHER THE CIVIC
% FABRIC.%THIS IS A STATE THAT
HAS ELECTED
% PEOPLE IN STATEWIDE ELECTIONS
% FROM BOTH PARTIES.
% IT'S A STATE THAT HAS HAD VERY
% TIBIAL AND VERY CONSERVATIVE
% LAWMAKERS REPRESENT US AND WE'VE
% BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT IN WAYS
% WHERE WE COULD TALK TOGETHER,
% WORK TOGETHER, TRY TO SOLVE
% PROBLEMS TOGETHER, AND AS THOSE
% THINGS FRACTURE, BECOMES HARDER
% TO DO THAT.
% WEPT TO UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM
% SO WEB HEM ARTICULATE A
% SOLUTION.%>> MIKE WAGNER, TH
ANKS VERY
% MUCH.%>> MY PLEASURE.
% >> FOR MORE ON THIS AND OTHER
% ISSUES FACING WISCONSIN, VISIT
% OUR WEBSITE AT PBS WISCONSIN