If they win, we lose: American unity must outperform this November

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The political conventions are over and Americans are buckling down for what is bound to be one of the most fierce elections of our lifetimes. When I speak to elected officials around the country, there seems to be a growing fear that this will be the election that breaks our nation’s back.

Raised in a divided household, I have always held the belief that there are good, intelligent people that I love on both sides of the aisle.

As a millennial legislator, but most importantly as a mother to three boys under 5, I pride myself in putting people over politics, reaching my hand out across the aisle and working to get the job done for the constituents I represent.

But not every leader goes to St. Paul or Washington, D.C., to do right by the people.

I have unfortunately witnessed that for many, it is a sporting match. Some wear red jerseys, some wear blue jerseys, but none of them are playing for Team USA. The damage they cause and the bones they break on their path to victory doesn’t matter, so long as their team is holding the trophy at the end of the day.

Whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris claim victory in November, we as Americans cannot let biased media and partisan messaging divide us. At the end of the day, it is the American people and the spirit of Minnesota who must be the ultimate victor.

In the last presidential election I saw families break apart, friendships end and neighbors become enemies.

There is certainly much at stake. Don’t get me wrong, after I tuck my boys in I spend many nights contemplating what type of republic their generation will inherit.

But politicians and mainstream media shouldn’t have the ability to tear this great nation apart. Regardless of who wins the White House, it is we the people who hold the ultimate power. We must not forget this.

Will we let agenda-driven media form our opinions? Will we let social media cost us our friends? Will we let differences in opinion tear us apart?

So often I find a lack of communication and understanding breaks down relationships of all kinds. I encourage those who are firm in their political camps to have a cup of coffee or glass of wine with someone of the opposite party this election cycle — not with the goal of persuading or debating, but with the goal of asking questions and understanding.

Understanding, compassion and compromise have become dirty words in today’s political climate. The extreme ends of both parties’ bases demand their elected officials maintain a cultish-level of party purity while loudly demonizing the other side. Modern media advertising budgets need the parties to fight and shine a spotlight on extremism in order to sell ads.

Don’t. Let. Them. Win.

When we reach our hands out across the aisle, when we seek to understand, we give ourselves the power to become a force that cannot be divided, manipulated nor turned against one another.

Let us knock on doors, work hard, and stand firm in our convictions — but let us not lose our humanity along the way. We as Americans are stronger than those who seek to divide us.

Julia Coleman, R-Waconia, is assistant minority leader in the Minnesota Senate.