Citizens crave bipartisanship, bemoan high prices, rancor
You can ride for hours across the continental United States without seeing much of anything that’s wet. On the chalky prairies in the middle of Texas. Across the high desert of New Mexico surrounded occasionally by stunning brick reds and rusty browns of mesas and peaks in the high desert. And along the straw-filled prairies that stretch from Montana through Kansas.
Until you make an 8,000-mile trip across 22 states, you might not fully grasp how blessed the Lowcountry is to have an abundance of water.
This was one takeaway on a pre-election trip called Listening Across America in which we drove from Charleston through Texas to California and Oregon. And then we turned back east to head for home, through parts of Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Arkansas, Mississippi and Georgia.
The trip’s purpose was to listen to and share what everyday Americans were saying in shops, bars, restaurants and gas stations about the trajectory of the country. And boy, once they got talking, they didn’t hold back.
The most common complaint centered on high prices of everything from gas and diesel to food and everyday items. People described how they and their friends often struggled to make ends meet. They occasionally griped about national policies, such as the widespread imposition of tariffs and their impact on the economy as well as a war with Iran that seemed to come out of nowhere.
Three things were crystal clear:
Blue wave. Across America, Democrats expected a blue wave of voters to elect new people to counteract the Trump agenda in Congress for the last two years. These enthusiastic voters expected Democrats to retake the U.S. House and were hopeful they would retake the Senate.
Quieter on Trump. Eight years ago during a similar trip before the 2018 midterms, voters of all stripes constantly brought up President Donald Trump and his impact. This year, interestingly, Republican-leaning voters didn’t bring up the very guy who they were proud of eight years ago. Over and over, we heard how Republican voters were just tired of the continuing drama out of Washington and wanted things to move on.
Work together. And finally, people on both sides of the aisle wanted our politicians at national and state levels to stop negative and partisan bickering over everything. They were clear in saying how they want both sides to reach across the aisle and get real victories for people throughout the country.
Listening in 10 video episodes
Here’s a recap of the trip that focuses on what people said. You can find more than 90 minutes of interviews in 10 video episodes online at ListeningAcrossAmerica.com.
Episode 1: South Carolina (08:22)
Charleston to Norcross, Ga.: 355 miles
Arun Drummond, Charleston artist: “We all have to participate to make change happen … I definitely think we need to change directions. There’s been a lot that has happened in the last few years that has reversed progress.”
Michael Saxon, Leesville, S.C.: “I may vote for a Democrat and that’s not something I typically do … But I pride myself in my ability to think for myself and look at some things and namely, Lindsey Graham’s sister. I think it was very nice in his memory that she (U.S. Sen. Darline Graham) wore one of his dresses to the debate.”
Episode 2: Georgia to Alabama (08:24)
Norcross to Jackson, Miss.: 431 miles
A hurricane swept through the South. In Norcross, a branch smashed the window of a rental car, leading to a cloudy trip to the airport for a new vehicle.
Gerard Moore, groundskeeper, Lilburn, Ga.: “I hate to say it, but it just seems like things are getting worse. Every time I go on social media or look at the news, something always bad happens. It’s unfortunate we live in these times.”
Dr. Randy Brinson, head of the Christian Coalition of Alabama, Pike Road, Ala.: “This is going to be, kind of, a watershed moment for the Republicans. If it indicates these cultural issues affect the family directly – these are the things people are concerned about. Not only affordability, but child care and education … are on people’s minds.”
Episode 3: Mississippi to Louisiana (06:16)
Jackson to Waco, Texas: 451 miles
Todd Stauffer, executive director of AAN Publishers, Jackson, Miss.: “Journalists are cynics and are worried about the quality of the election, the quality of the counting and the polling and what we are actually going to see when we get to the end of the election in November and what we see in January.”
Brenda Gorham, Monroe, La.: “I hope he [Trump] gets a good-old whangdoodle message. I’m talking about a good-old Southern message. … Whangdoodle is like a pop … hey, get back.”
Episode 4: Texas (10:05)
Waco to El Paso (two days): 683 miles
It took parts of three days to go from east Texas to El Paso in the west. But the grueling, arid drive offered beauty in the reddish tan soil pocked by sage green shrubs. Dining note: The huevos rancheros in El Paso are awesome.
Beto O’Rourke, former congressman, Austin, Texas: “People are really excited. … In my life, I’ve never seen conditions so positive for Democrats. … There was no one for Republicans to blame for high diesel and gas prices, for low wages, for the ICE roundups that have not just broken up families and put fear into communities, but have killed people.”
Michael Lynch, retired, Sonora, Texas: “Democrats don’t have their acts together. They’re all fighting each other. That party is a mess.” Asked whether Republicans were a mess, he agreed, but said they were more organized.
Episode 5: New Mexico (05:49)
El Paso to Santa Fe, N.M., to Hurricane, Utah (two days): 899 miles
After visits with folks in rural Hatch (of green chile fame) and Santa Fe, we traversed the expansive high desert before ending up in southern Utah.
Joel Olvera, car dealer, Hatch, N.M.: “Diesel’s going up, gas is going up, prices and food are going up, rent’s going up. … We have tenants that have been struggling with paying the rent these past two years, so the economy is getting worse. I think he said he was going to make America great again, but I think it’s making it a little worse.”
Diane Silva, shuttle driver, Santa Fe, N.M.: “I think the country is doing O.K., but I don’t think every state is doing O.K. I live in a blue state. I think we need changes in this state. We seem to be electing the same people all of the time so nothing changes.”
Episode 6: Utah to Nevada (09:28)
Hurricane to Wells, Nev., to Reno, Nev. (two days): 810 miles
Stuart Stout, cattle farmer, Hurricane, Utah: “I feel like we’re heading in a better direction since Trump has been in, but I mean if the Democrats would come with a good idea, let’s hear it and do it, but I haven’t even heard a direction we want to go.”
Benjamin Wood, editor, Salt Lake City Weekly: “Utah Republicans have always been more Trump-skeptical than most Republicans around the country. … I think a lot of Utah Republicans have been done with him for a long time. They might not say it, but this state has been ready to move on for a while.”
Kris Vagner, managing editor, Reno News and Review: “As of late, things are so much more divisive. There’s so much more divisive language. … I am seeing more energy and more resolve for this midterm election than I’ve seen in a while.”
Episode 7: California (08:09)
Reno to Davis, Calif., and Sacramento, Calif.: 161 miles
Caleb Swaby-Pierce, student, University of California at Davis: “There’s a lot of bad things happening around the country and abroad right now. I do have hope that we’re going to see the youth show up. I have hope we’re going to see a big change. … and we’ll see real action, real pushback against the corrupt administration we’re dealing with right now.”
Stephen Magagnini, editor-in-chief, Sacramento Observer: “We’re praying hard for a fair election. And we’re praying hard for the values that we thought people were going to office for, such as the rule of law, fairness, equality and justice, will once again prevail.”
Episode 8: Oregon (07:04)
Sacramento to Eugene, Ore., to Astoria, Ore. (two days): 680 miles
Aaron Mesh, editor, Willamette Week, Portland, Ore.: “I think the question is whether there will be enough Democrats on Capitol Hill to hold Donald Trump accountable. There’s no love lost for him here. I think Portland is one of the five cities that Trump is least likely to visit.”
Tennessee Jones, busker in Seaside, Ore.: “There are people above the law and people below the law, and that’s how it’s set out. I don’t think anybody should be above the law and definitely not our president.”
Episode 9: Idaho and Montana (09:51)
Astoria to Spokane, Wash., to Bozeman, Mont., to Rapid City, S.D. (three days): 1,297 miles
Mary Wolfinger, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho: “I did take a look at that Ohio [gubernatorial] ad and did some research on it and it is disgusting. Someone who has been sexually abused as a child and then to have her opponent come after her like that, that is disgusting and it is not O.K. Ohio deserves better than that.”
David Bacon, small-business owner, Missoula, Mont.: “I am concerned about the inflation and things getting more and more expensive. … The lack of bipartisanship is really killing us. We should be able to work together a little bit better.”
Episode 10: Kansas to Arkansas (09:49)
Rapid City to Salina, Kan., to Springfield, Mo., to Little Rock, Ark. (three days): 1,180 miles. Then Little Rock to Charleston (two days): 883 miles
Mary Prochaska, antique shop owner, Winfield, Kan.: “What I hear a lot in here is food prices – and meat, especially. … It’s hard to be able to get a good steak and afford it … Things that are important to me are things that affect your life.”
Jorja Lageschulte, student newspaper editor, Missouri State University, Springfield, Mo.: “Politics seems to come up at least once, I would say, in every one of my classes.”
Alan Leveritt, publisher, Arkansas Times, Little Rock: “With the tariffs losing the soybean market to China, the Iran war with the price of diesel, it’s really unforced errors on the part of the president. … I’ve been disappointed so many times that I can’t imagine the Republicans doing well.”
Epilogue: What Americans said (06:35)
The camera finally got turned off after Little Rock, but we still had 1,200 miles to go. After some family time in the Atlanta area, we got back to Charleston just in time to vote. On Monday, we get a haircut.
Listening Across America illustrated what you probably already know – that America is a huge and diverse country. And despite what you read in most media and hear on polarized television reports and Internet media posts, there’s really a lot more that pulls us together than divides us.
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