Kerby Anderson

The political divisions in America are evident to just about anyone. Which leads to a sincere question: Are there any issues with significant bipartisan support? Actually, there are quite a number as George Barna discovered in a post-election survey. As he surveyed Republicans and Democrats, he found a half dozen issues that are supported by a supermajority of voters in both parties. Americans may be divided, but you can still find issues which voters support in overwhelming numbers. More than four out of five Americans (83%) support the idea of expanding the domestic manufacturing base. Four out of five adults (81%) support the notion of investing heavily in the improvement of our national infrastructure. Making Social Security and Medicare financially solvent is another bipartisan issue. Eight out of ten adults (80%) back such a concept. Reducing the federal debt is another popular idea for three-quarters (77%) of adults. Likewise, reducing the federal income taxes for individuals also appeals to nearly three-quarters (73%) of adults. A large majority of Americans (73%) want to give parents more school choices for their children. By contrast, George Barna found a clear lack of bipartisan support for many of the key issues in the Biden administration agenda. That would be such items as increasing the number of US Supreme Court judges from 9 to 13 and eliminating the use of fossils fuels as part the “Green New Deal.” If you look at his polling results, you realize that there are many important issues where Republican voters and Democrat voters can find common ground. But few of those issues are being promoted. Often it seems to me that many of our political leaders want to increase conflict and polarization rather than solve problems that have overwhelming support.