Common Ground for the Common Good
Common Ground for the Common Good is a report laying bare the troubled state of Washington’s body politic. It synthesizes the conversations of six roundtables hosted by Lt. Governor Heck this summer in communities across the state, bringing forth shared concerns for the current state of our civic health.
This report served as the basis of the conversation at the Project for Civic Health Summit on October 19 – a group effort by our office, the University of Washington’s Evans School, the William D. Ruckelshaus Center, and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation. Over 150 elected officials, community, and business leaders had come together to discuss the problems addressed in the report and work on policy ideas to strengthen Washington’s civic health.
We accentuated our differences during campaigns to get people to make a choice. But once we were in the legislature, it was about governing […] Now it’s campaigning all the time and saying that the other side is full of evil people.
Washington Legislator
Sensationalism gets the most views, usually with rhetoric that demonizes people and instills fear. That can be addictive.
High School Student
We don’t give our youth the tools to do that [civic engagement]. In fact, it’s the opposite. We don’t want them to feel uncomfortable. But that discomfort is part of how we learn.
College Education Leader
We no longer have as many social bonds to act as a counterweight to the risk of disagreeing on something.
Participant