Brack: America’s fighting spirit is alive and well

Commentary by Andy Brack | SPOKANE, Wash. | America really is much bigger than you think.

Sure, you’ve heard it, but when you travel for days across a landscape that shifts from coastal plain to barren scrub to rusty mesas and then conifers for as far as the eye can see, you really feel it.

The immense size of this country and how people share more common values than you might think in an age of polarizing Washington politics are two big takeaways from a three-week Listening Across America tour. After more than 4,000 miles from Charleston to Washington state, we’re finally headed east toward home as we hear from more people.

A big lesson so far is that many people seem worried about the high prices of gasoline, food and the increasingly unaffordable other costs of daily living. This common stressor is pulling people together. Democrats are excited about how this year’s November election could shake things up at home and in the nation’s capital. Republicans are less enthusiastic about President Donald Trump’s leadership than in the past, and often admit that having Congress controlled by one party and the White House by another might not be horrible – especially in light of recent political intransigence.

In Utah, for example, a cattle farmer told us he continues to support Trump, but really doesn’t like the policy to buy foreign beef. In that state’s capital, an editor told us Utah Republicans have been considered more middle-of-the-road than most MAGA Republicans and as such, Trump is wearing thin these days. They’re ready to move on, he said.

From El Paso to Spokane, various people worried about ICE raids and the impact they are having on the nation. Others relayed how they desperately want congressional leaders to really talk with each other and reach across the aisle to come up with real solutions – rather than bickering in partisan echo chambers. You can see why former S.C. Gov. David Beasley’s call for people to break bread together to break down barriers seems to be having increasing success.

Here are several other observations that have cropped up in two weeks on the road:

Decency. You still hear about common political flashpoints – improving education and health care – in political discussions. But most everyone seems to want a return to treating people with more decency like how America was before invasive influences of social media.

Water. In South Carolina, we often don’t realize how blessed we are with an abundance of good water. Across much of the country – particularly in the middle of the top and bottom, there are a lot of dry places where plant growth seems a miracle.

Settlers. People in Western agrarian areas seem pretty dang tough, what with the expenses, distances and ongoing challenges with water. Driving across this land makes one marvel at the grit that it took a pioneer family in a wagon headed west from the East Coast. Today, it’s almost unimaginable to think of how tough frontier life was. For example, think about how hard they have to work continually just to find potable water every day in dry conditions on a dusty journey that could take half a year.

Truck drivers. We’ve got a huge new respect for long-haul truckers. It’s hard driving a car 400 to 500 miles a day. Doing the same in a big rig seems heroic.

What’s clear from this trip is there’s no need to make America great again. It always has been. We just need to get back to the basics of respecting the rule of law, working together, fueling the American dream and fighting corruption.

The election is Nov. 3. Get out and vote.

Andy Brack is editor and publisher of Statehouse Report and the Charleston City Paper. Have a comment? Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com.