Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis and Pat McCrory Speak on Partisanship and Its Place in American Democracy
The Rev. Dr. Benjamin Chavis Jr. (middle) and former North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory (right) held a talk in the Stone Center here on campus last Wednesday, February 8th. Source for photo: nolabels.org
On February 8th, Dr. Benjamin Chavis Jr., civil rights activist and lifelong Democrat, and Pat McCrory, former Republican Governor of North Carolina, spoke on partisanship in today’s political climate. They discussed the issues of partisanship and how it’s affecting some of the U.S.’s most pressing issues as well as the danger it may cause to the system as a whole. The discussion was mediated by Admiral Dennis Blair, former commander of the Pacific Fleet, who posed questions that allowed the speakers to discuss their views on division in the government and division amongst the public. Both men come from storied, yet very different, backgrounds and have been extremely active in politics throughout their lives.
Dr. Chavis Jr. was a huge part of the Civil Rights Movement and a former assistant to Dr. Martin Luther King in the 1960’s. He was also part of the Wilmington 10 in North Carolina, a group that was wrongfully convicted of arson and conspiracy and received sentences ranging from 15 years to 34 years – considered an extreme punishment for a fire where no one was killed. Eventually, the group appealed their sentences. After nine years of prison and four years of court battles, the 10 individuals were eventually released. Upon his release, Chavis continued his activism and went on to become the Executive Director and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples (NAACP), a historic civil rights organization that has been instrumental in the fight for equality amongst black Americans. Dr. Chavis Jr is also the creator of the National African American Leadership Summit, a series of meetings held between leaders of civil rights organizations and important activists. He is still very active in the political and social justice realms and currently is the President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association.
On the other hand, Pat McCrory is a North Carolina businessman who grew up outside of Greensboro, North Carolina, after his parents moved from Ohio. He began his political career a little later than Dr. Chavis Jr. at the age of 33. He started as a member of the Charlotte City Council before becoming the Mayor and eventually became the governor of the state. Since his term as governor ended in 2017, McCrory has stayed active in the political realm and ran for the United States Senate in 2020, losing the Republican nomination to Ted Budd. It is likely he lost his favor among Republican voters after accusing former President Trump of “destroying democracy,” which subsequently led to Trump’s endorsement of Budd and ultimately Budd’s victory. McCrory and Chavis Jr. spoke about this election on Wednesday, with Chavis jr. stating “He may have lost the election, but [McCrory] became a stronger man by losing that election. You [McCrory] have my utmost respect, because you stood on principle.”
Although these men come from vastly different backgrounds, they got up on stage to promote the same message. Both men are part of a political collective called “No Labels,” a group that “demands American leaders and citizens alike declare their freedom from the anger and divisiveness that are ruining our politics and most importantly, our country. A United Front.” They came to the University not only to speak on their group and promote its message, but also to act out that message by having a civil discourse about issues plaguing the country and showing a united front. In the words of Dr. Chavis Jr. “I’m a black Democrat, and he’s [McCrory] a white Republican. But we’re working together. Why? Our democracy is at stake.”
Chavis Jr. and McCrory spoke on a number of pressing issues affecting our country and were adamant that bipartisan solutions could be the key to solving some of those issues. They discussed the mounting issue of social security, an issue that McCrory found especially pertinent. He was shocked to see, that in the recent State of the Union Address given by President Joe Biden, Social Security was hardly mentioned. The way he sees it, “He's [Biden] taking a great risk because the pain's not arrived on Social Security. As we found out last night in the speech, everyone agreed we're not going to do anything on Social Security. Well, that's an easy decision. Let's not do anything, you know, blame on both sides right now. But we know the numbers because we heard the numbers. It's bankrupt in 11 years and you all can kiss goodbye if nothing is done.” Both men agreed that Social Security is an issue to be dealt with now, but criticized the lack of movement on the issue by politicians in Washington.
According to McCrory as well as several public opinion polls such as the National Academy of Social Insurance, the majority of Americans have a positive attitude towards Social Security and many more would even pay more in taxes now to ensure the programs continuance. McCrory even shared an anecdote from an interest group meeting he attended in Florida that was trying to come up with potential solutions to the issue of dwindling social security. In the story, he shared that “We met with some extremely smart public officials who you could tell were smart with their values and with ethics and intelligence impressed me. But their biggest concern was not their solution to the debt crisis or Social Security. They're both very, very great solutions. But their biggest problem was, well, if I introduce this, who will come along and what will be left stranded by myself politically and then not lose the general election.” McCrory shared that while this particular special interest group may have come uo with solutions for Social security and the debt crisis, they were scared to say anything due to how it may affect their upcoming campaigns. He went on to say “There were both sides who were worried about this in the primaries. They're coming up with a proposal that works with the other side. And in fact, we were concerned about whether it would get out. Who was in this meeting? Because it hurt both sides politically.”
Chavis and McCrory also discussed the debt ceiling and the alarming reality that the United States may have to default on its debt for the first time since 1971. This is due to the fact that the Federal Government already hit its budget after the debt crept over $31.4 trillion dollars. If the government fails to raise the debt ceiling, or pay interest on the current debt, then a default may occur. However, both men, and McCrory in particular, think there is a way around this situation. In the above quote, McCrory mentions a potential solution to the debt crisis that emerged during a special interest meeting he attended but also explains that the solution has yet to see the floor due to potential backlash. Republicans could face backlash for wanting to extend the debt ceiling or pay interest, as the party plans to try and stall the crisis to cut some of the spending programs headed by Democrats. Conversely, Democrats could face potential backlash for wanting to cut spending and stall the crisis, as the party aims to increase the debt ceiling to keep government spending the same.
The debt crisis is an issue that most American citizens feel very strongly about. In a poll compiled by FiveThirtyEight, 54% of registered voters said that they opposed raising the debt ceiling and 46% were in favor of raising it. Currently, the government has been in heated debate over whether or not to raise the debt ceiling, although an agreement must be reached by the 30th of September this year.
The issue that both men raised – that of partisanship in modern American politics – is one that has been on the forefront of politics for the past 20 years, but has entered the spotlight in the last eight, starting with the election of former President Donald Trump. Since the election of the former president, events such as the killing of George Floyd, which led to riots in Minneapolis, the Kenosha, Wisconsin shootings, which led to further riots, and the January 6th Capital Riot have only served to deepen the divide between Americans. In a poll conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2019, before all the events above, Americans differ on issues of gun control, racial attitudes, climate change, social safety net, and immigration by 40 or more percentage points. In that same poll it was also found that party affiliation was the determining factor for 39% of Americans on these issues. Since that poll the partisanship has only deepened, and results in a PRC poll from 2021 suggest that the political disagreement has furthered itself into pure negativity from each party. Since the election of the former president back in 2016, the percentage of Republicans and Democrats that believe each other to be close minded, unintelligent, lazy, dishonest, and immoral has grown across the board. Furthermore, the number of Americans that believe the other party has four or more of those qualities has grown from 30% to 53% for Republicans and 22% to 43% for Democrats.
The American political system has been fostering this system of distrust and negativity for the past few years as evident by the polls. According to McCrory, this is a problem that has begun with the parties and their leadership, but has now seeped its way into the whole system. During the talk, McCrory shared how the method by which the parties choose their candidates has changed greatly over his 30 year career –and not for the better. He described how each candidate is sent a survey and they'll give you ten to twenty yes or no questions. “Do You believe in this, do you believe in this, and especially on social issues. Five social issues. I don't think you need it. But you know, the big five social issues (abortion, gun control, education reform, social security reform, and immigration). And if you ask any of them as we're undecided, they know we are not going to support you or mailings to say you're not one of us. To both the left and the right. The left politicians get this and the right politicians get this from the groups that send out mailers. And to win or lose primary and there are absolute litmus tests that are forced upon senators, House members, the president and governors.” He went on to voice his displeasure with the current system citing it as “absolutist.” He argued that if Americans and our politicians keep pushing for 100% of what they want, nothing is going to get done. McCrory advised “If we as a people can’t learn to compromise and understand each other we may be headed in a dangerous direction.” Chavis Jr. spoke on the issue as well and likened it to his time serving under Dr. Martin Luther King fighting for civil rights in the 1960’s. He stated “Compromise is a principle, and Dr. King understood that principle. None of what the civil rights movement accomplished could’ve been done without compromise.”
But, partisanship is only getting worse. Often, a congress member like Marjorie Taylor Greene says a statement that outrages the left, and a congress member such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says a statement to outrage the right. Both Chavis and McCrory understand this situation, and their group No Labels understands this and has made it their mission to fight against this type of division. Not only do the people actively fighting against partisanship recognize this issue, many American citizens recognize this issue as well. In a poll by FiveThirtyEight, it was found that during the 2022 election, 3/10 Americans believed that partisanship is the greatest threat to our democracy. Furthermore a lot of the issues that are dividing the country a majority of Americans agree upon. For example, according to the PRC, 61% of Americans agree that abortion should be legal, and in a separate poll, it was found that 53% of Americans want stricter gun control. These are two of the biggest issues in modern American politics, yet most Americans agree on these issues. It may be time to take a look at these big issues that are affecting our country, and closely examine what Americans want –not what these parties want. The political system exists to serve the people of this country and currently it is only bringing more division among its constituents.
The solution to this large of a problem may be unclear, but, according to Dr. Chavis Jr, there may be a solution. The youth in America are less active in the polls than older generations. In the 2022 election, only 27% of young people (ages 18-27) voted in a poll conducted by Tufts University’s Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. In contrast, that number is around 10 points lower on average than voters above the age of 30 according to FairVote. Chavis believes a solution to the inequality between actual policy and what the majority of Americans want is youth voter turnout. If we want to see more representative politics, everyone must vote according to Chavis, “Democracy will never be stronger, if we don’t get everyone to vote. We need all young people to vote.”