Politicians need to listen more to the majority of Americans and not the extremes

Do you ever feel like politicians in Washington are speaking a different language than you and your neighbors? You’re not alone.

According to Gallup, only 16% of Americans consider themselves “very conservative” or “very liberal.” But in our polarized political climate, the most prominent voices are often found the farthest from the center.

This small minority of highly partisan Americans dominates the political news media, writes the policy agendas shaping the direction of the country, and pulls our political parties away from the center towards a my-way-or-the-highway worldview that makes compromise almost impossible.

That split in our politics has a real impact. A 2014 report from The Washington Post found that "congressional performance runs closely in tandem with the size and strength of the political center....as legislative 'moderation' declines, Congress and the president more frequently deadlock over the salient issues of the day."

As a result, it’s easy to feel like we’re hopelessly divided.

But is that really the case?

Believe it or not, recent No Labels polling shows there are a lot of issues where many Americans share common ground. Wide majorities of Americans support strengthening our border security, while also providing a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers brought here as young children.

We’ve found that most Americans want to pursue more clean energy in the future, while still making use of the abundant energy resources we have today to ensure energy is affordable.

And most Americans believe Congress should do more to lower prescription drug prices.

The list of areas where we actually agree goes on and on.

And a poll from last year found that three in four Americans would prefer Republicans and Democrats in Congress to compromise in order to work together and solve issues. That includes majorities of Republicans, Democrats, and independents.

But the progress that the majority wants is too often ignored in favor of the obstruction on which partisanship thrives. Perhaps that’s why 58% of respondents in that same poll had “no confidence” that Congress could actually come together and get things done.

As a result, for the millions of commonsense Americans more concerned with putting in an honest day’s work, pursuing their passions, and spending time with friends and family than they are with harassing political opponents on Twitter, it’s easy to feel like they no longer have a place in our politics.

No Labels was founded to be that very home. We’re not another party. We’re a community of Republicans, Democrats, and independents who believe in our principles, but more than anything believe in doing what is best for America, not what’s best for any political party. We believe in good-faith debate over partisan warfare, compromise over stubbornness, and progress over gridlock.

If you share our view that politicians should listen more to the majority of Americans and less to extremists on the far left and right, please join No Labels and help us provide a voice for the commonsense majority.