'We don't have to hate each other just because we disagree'
Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, said she is known for working across the aisle to accomplish tasks in the Senate. “There's always, always, always an opportunity for bipartisanship,” Warnick said. She believes that despite political parties, most of the legislature is trying to do what is best for the people they represent instead of prioritizing partisan arguments.
COURTESY PHOTO/OFFICE OF SEN. JUDY WARNICK
Andrew Koeppen, Grant County Republican Chair donated blood and made a post about it on the GCR Facebook. Koeppen said he tries to post content that will engage people in civic conversations. He said the comments under his post encouraging people to donate blood were from both parties and overall positive. He said that sometimes civil conversations need to start with what two people have in common, instead of what makes them different.
On Saturday in Moses Lake around 500 people gathered for a protest regarding immigration deportations. There were both civil interactions with people asking questions, honking with agreement and also less civil interactions with people stopping to yell slurs from their vehicles, flip off protestors and make other negative gestures.
Grant County Democrats pose for a photo outside their Grant County Fairgrounds booth. Stephen Starr, the chair of the GCD said the booths are helpful to promote dialogue with fair attendees. As people walk in through the red gate on one side are the Grant County Democrats and the other is the Grant County Republicans.
Rep. Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake, said it is crucial for people to work across party lines. Dent said he is an advocate for bipartisanship because things don't get done without civil discourse and cooperation He said the only way to accomplish anything in the Washington Legislature is to be willing to work with people you don’t fully agree with. He emphasized finding similarities instead of focusing on differences.
Lt. Gov. Denny Heck, one of the collaborators on the Project for Civic Health said he would like to see more respectful discourse, principled compromise and expansion for people’s capacity to disagree better. He said he has noticed a decrease in civil interactions regarding politics especially in conversations where parties disagree with one another.
MOSES LAKE — In a time marked by increasing polarization and divisive rhetoric, the Project for Civic Health in Washington state aims to foster respectful dialogue and collaboration across party lines.
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