FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 23, 2024
Despite political differences, Wisconsinites share the same goals, dreams, and aspirations.
DELAFIELD, WI – Can rural Trump and Milwaukee Harris supporters have a civil conversation on the issues? One week after the 2024 presidential election, we tried to answer that question. IRG, in partnership with Mercatus Center, brought together residents from Milwaukee and rural parts of the state with diverse political opinions for a four-hour-long discussion on major public policy issues. With equal parts liberal and conservative, participants discussed school choice and socioeconomic mobility. The results were nothing short of amazing. IRG reveals all the insights we gained and the lessons we learned from bringing this group together in its new report, Civil Society Summit: Bridging Wisconsin’s Divides on Education and Opportunity.
Here is what some of our participants had to say about the summit experience:
- From a rural participant: “It was a great experience. I feel like I learned quite a bit. I didn’t really expect how emotionally invested in everybody else you become as soon as you start hearing that their values kind of line up with yours even though they’re from different backgrounds.”
- From a Milwaukee participant: “It was really beautiful to me because we don’t have these conversations a lot in the world and I figured this is the way they have a solution for all of the problems in the world. We need to come together, share like-minded ideas – even if they don’t sound the same or if the path isn’t the same – but just try to figure out ways to understand one another and ways to progress and move forward.”
- From a rural participant: “I love diversity of opinions because that is how you get to good solutions. I could tell that everyone that was there was speaking from the heart and with true honesty. It was a great exchange of ideas and thoughts.”
Here is what we observed during the first Civil Society Summit:
- Despite political differences, there was broad agreement on what the issues in society are and what the end goal should be.
- No one said that the government was the solution to these issues.
- There was consensus on the need for stronger communities, engaged parents, and the need to reform public benefit programs to encourage self-actualization.
- A newfound appreciation for the idea of the American Dream as an ideal based upon individual goals and aspirations.
- Participants walked away wanting to have this experience duplicated for more people and we hope to convene the group in 2025 to further discuss state policy issues.
To see a short video explaining what we did and to hear from the participants themselves, click here. For further insights into this discussion and for all the details of what they discussed read Civil Society Summit: Bridging Wisconsin’s Divides on Education and Opportunity here.
“It’s often overused, but there is truly more that unites us than divides us. That is what we learned from this discussion. We brought together eight strangers with different politics, experiences, and worldviews – asking them to openly discuss what can be controversial public policy issues. The results were eye-opening.
“Instead of arguing, we saw listening. Instead of dismissing one another, we saw this group develop a bond. These eight brave participants went into this exercise as strangers and came out with friendships. What we experienced here can and should be duplicated across the state,” -CJ Szafir, CEO, Institute for Reforming Government.
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The Institute for Reforming Government is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that seeks to simplify government at every level by offering policy solutions to thought leaders in American government in the areas of tax reform, government inefficiency, and burdensome regulations.
