The One Thing That United These 12 Biden and Trump Supporters

NYT OPINION: The One Thing That United These 12 Biden and Trump Supporters
By Unknown Author
Section: Opinion
Source: New York Times
Published Date: May 9, 2023 at 03:00AM

The group discusses the economy, union membership and politics.

What divides and unites us as a country? It’s a familiar, almost stale question but one that’s complicated and crucial to explore for a society and democracy as interdependent as ours. For our latest Times Opinion focus group, we decided to try something provocative: Gather a mix of Democrats, Republicans and independents who all had one unifying aspect: their membership in labor unions, which value cohesion and collective action. Do they feel some sense of solidarity with one another, despite their differences? What does solidarity mean to them? What does “working class” mean? “Middle class”? What’s the value of a strike in pursuance of a contract? And what happens to collective action when partisan politics enter the picture? There were fascinating moments in the conversation when the Republicans and Democrats were in close agreement, only to be pulled apart when specific leaders (starting with Donald Trump and President Biden) were mentioned. The power of personalities to tear at shared values was on vivid display. “I think we’ve all been criticizing politicians and maybe some problems with unions. I think the adversary is the corporation or the business and the stockholders and what commitment they have to them and maximizing their profit. So that’s where we can come together and join, Democrats and Republicans,” said Kevin, a teacher. After asking the participants how closely they’d been following the indictment of Mr. Trump, John, a customer service representative, said, “I’m glad you saved politics till the end, because, oh, boy.”

Read more at: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/05/09/opinion/union-members-focus-group.html