Spreading holiday cheer with some bipartisan icing

On Dec. 14, the official portrait of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was unveiled in the U.S. Capitol. Pelosi deserved recognition not only as a longtime public servant, but as a history-maker. She is also reviled among members of the Republican Party. Still, GOP leaders such as Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the House minority leader, attended the unveiling ceremony.

McCarthy and Pelosi are not friends. McCarthy once joked about hitting Pelosi with a gavel. Pelosi recently said that McCarthy didn’t have what it takes to be speaker, while he is in the midst of running to be the speaker. Still, they both put that rancor aside for at least however long the ceremony lasted.

They put politics aside, if only for a moment, to acknowledge something bigger than their differences. There is a lesson for us in their actions.

All of us have read and heard about the divisiveness in our political climate. Bipartisanship is dead, etc., etc. Fewer and fewer of us are viewing this divisiveness as a problem that needs to be solved. A 2019 poll found that 65% of Americans said it was very important to reduce divisiveness. In 2022, that number has dropped to 48%. It appears that we are all either much more politically entrenched than we were just three years ago, or more of us are losing faith that such entrenchment can be overcome. Neither option bodes well for that American ideal that the government represents all of us, and not just some of us.

Though it is hard to maintain faith that it will be solved, I still believe that the divisiveness is a problem that must be solved. That’s not me being idealistic, either. That’s me being pragmatic. We simply cannot get anything accomplished if we continue to govern from a place of disagreement, rather than agreement.

Getting things done is important. The American people strongly dislike Congress because Congress gets nothing done. Congress gets nothing done because the parties cannot (or will not) agree. Nothing changes because there is no incentive to agree, because divisiveness, not bipartisanship, is rewarded with our attention, which is then turned into votes or campaign donations. I’ve said it before and I will say it again: We are the problem, not our politicians. If it is true that a politician will say or do anything to get a vote, then what they say or do is not their fault; it is ours.

With that said, we are in the holiday season. I would like to think that spreading holiday cheer is bigger than politics. In that vein, I want you to try something for Christmas this year.

When it comes time to return unwanted gifts or shop those great after-Christmas specials, consider buying one more gift for someone that you know is aligned with the opposite political party. Yes, like those adopt-a-family for Christmas things. Adopt-a-Republican (or Democrat). Give that person a gift, and in the giving, make sure they know that you are not a member of the same political party.

I know. You’re probably rolling your eyes right now. You’re probably calling my idea cheesy, juvenile, and maybe worse: “Surely he doesn’t think that gift-giving will solve divisiveness.”

You’re right. My idea is cheesy and juvenile. But that’s kind of the point. “Cheesy and juvenile” gestures generally make people smile.

To be clear, I don’t expect one simple gesture to resolve the current state of divisiveness. I’m not insane. But I do think it can, if done in good faith, be a start. It can be the beginning of reminding ourselves that some things, like Christmas (and portrait ceremonies), are bigger than politics.

There is a part of you right now summarily dismissing my idea because you don’t want to do anything nice for the other side. They don’t deserve it. Another part of you is dismissing my idea because you don’t think it will change anything or because you may fear possible rejection from the recipient. Those are all understandable human reactions.

Consider that all of those parts of you that are joining together to dismiss my idea are the same thoughts/feelings that politicians may deal with when they consider stretching their hands across the aisle.

Remember, they are us. If we cannot overcome those feelings ourselves, in the quiet, where no one is looking, then there is no hope for our elected representatives, who operate under glaring lights, where everyone is looking.

This small gesture can be the first step in setting a new standard for those who represent us. If we can do it, there is no reason that they can’t do it too.

Spread some holiday cheer this season by giving a gift to the other side.

Eric Foster, a community member of the editorial board, is a columnist for The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com.