The American Political Middle Ground DOES Exist

If you look at the front page of the New York Post, watch MSNBC, or read posts on X, you’d think that Americans hate everything about each other. But the disagreements that hate is based upon are—in many cases—illusions exacerbated by the media industry. According to extensive polling, Americans agree on moderate solutions to many of the hot topics discussed in the media right now—including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, debates over immigration, and a woman’s right to an abortion. The gap between our shared opinions and our hyperpolarized political and social landscape is one that can be closed. That solution starts with recognizing our shared values rather than arguing about our differences.

Currently, the most prominent issue in American foreign policy is the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Thousands of articles have been written—in publications from The New York Times to The Spectator—and although some articles look for common ground and resolutions, many are simply defending one side and denouncing the other. These articles make it seem like no one can agree on any aspect of the long-running conflict and that resolution is impossible to achieve. However, this conclusion does not reflect the true beliefs of the American people. In a 2023 poll from the Pew Research Center, 58% of Americans agreed that Israel had valid reasons for engaging in the conflict, and only five percent of Americans believed that the way Hamas carried out the attacks on October 7 was acceptable. Additionally, according to the same study, 40% of Americans—the single largest statistical group in the poll—believed that the best resolution for the conflict was a two-state solution. Unfortunately, this broad support for compromise isn’t typically reflected in our politics or media, which hide the less inflammatory content from the public eye in favor of the more attention-grabbing headlines.

On the domestic front, border control has been a hot topic in politics, but there has yet to be a bipartisan resolution. The issue here is not a lack of support. In a poll conducted by The Wall Street Journal this February, 58% of Americans supported increasing the number of legal immigrants coming to the US—compared to the 36% who opposed it—and 59% were in favor of a bipartisan immigration bill that planned to give the federal government the power to completely shut down the southern border if illegal border crossings passed a certain threshold. More than half of the country agrees that legal immigration is a net positive but that the level of illegal immigration America currently has is too high. However, our system doesn’t promote political compromises. The same Senate bill that 59% of Americans were in favor of failed to pass in February 2024 because former President Donald Trump came out in opposition to it, writing in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, “They are using this horrific Senate Bill as a way of being able to put the BORDER DISASTER onto the shoulders of the Republicans.” Political resolutions are already difficult, and the inclusion of extremist, polarizing politics like Trump’s makes them even more challenging. These political ideologies imply that all decisions are made in order to hurt one’s enemy, completely disregarding the collective goals of progressing the country. American politicians need to recognize that we want and need compromises. 

Another one of the most divisive legal issues in the past 50 years has been Roe v. Wade (1973)—a Supreme Court case that ruled that abortion was a protected right under the Constitution’s protection of privacy, which was overturned in June of 2022 by the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. Since then, abortion has become illegal in 14 states. Despite this ruling, more than half of the country agrees on the fundamentals. In a study conducted by the Pew Research Center after the ruling, 62% of Americans agreed that abortion should be legal in most cases, and 71% also stated that there are exceptions to their support or opposition. People not only generally agreed with one side of the argument, but they were also willing to accept that there were special circumstances and that their views were not infallible. People want to agree on these topics, but nuances are often overlooked in favor of divisive ideas that create the appearance of people disagreeing on ideas in their entirety. When presidential candidate Donald Trump referenced his support of in vitro fertilization and state determination of abortion laws on Truth Social, he was attacked by fellow Republicans such as South Carolina Senator Lindsay Graham, who fought him on the idea that these were rights and whether these rights should be enforced federally at all. These two men are part of the same political party and agree on many policies, but their voices are elevated when they disagree because of the outreach of social media platforms like X, where much of this discourse takes place. These platforms promote content that provokes people and make money by forming divisions, even inside party lines.

The American political landscape is clearly divided, but it doesn’t have to be this way. People want compromises, and these statistics make that clear. Our political leaders need to step away from the ideology that has been preventing progress for years and instead pass bills that help the American people, not their respective parties. We citizens also need to do our part. First, read a variety of articles from people with different views. Don’t just stick to Fox News or CNN. This idea doesn’t just apply to the media we read. High schoolers often stick to people who are like-minded, and as a result, form close-knit friend groups with them. These groups can be great sources of connection, but it is important to venture out and engage with those who hold differing opinions from your own. By having constructive conversations with people we disagree with, we can realize how much we truly agree on—something that often can’t be seen in the media. Politicians and students alike need to recognize our similarities and shared goals and work together to achieve them for the sake of our communities—no matter whether you’re thinking about Stuyvesant High School or America.