Sen. Morgan McGarvey (D-Highlands) and I have been friends for several years. He’s as blue dog a democrat as the day is long. I’m a libertarian leaning conservative who hates big government. But we can find common ground and we can advance dialogue. I don’t ask you to agree with everything said in this two part episode, I simply ask you to listen and learn.

For me, it was not necessarily about challenging each other’s view (although we did some of that) it was about learning each other’s perspectives. America will not be able to advance meaningful public policy that deals with serious issues affecting our society until we can come to simple understandings about what our common goals are and until we can take the time to learn each other’s perspectives.

You simply cannot effectively debate someone when you don’t know where they are coming from. It’s not about convincing each other that we are wrong or right, it’s about crucial points of agreement to advance solutions.

My dad is a builder by trade. When framing a house you bring different pieces of timber together that serve different purposes, they have different shapes, sizes and lengths. They come together at key joints. These joints don’t necessarily change these pieces of timber, but they combine to serve a larger purpose in building a stronger house. This is part 1 of a two part conversation.

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