Rotary Club of Ashland hears from local organizer working to further the national ‘Braver Angels’ effort to strengthen democratic dialogue

By Damian Mann for Ashland.news

When President Abraham Lincoln referred to the “better angels of our nature” in his 1861 inaugural address, it could just as easily be an appeal to heal the divisions of our time.

With that legacy in mind, a nationwide organization known as Braver Angels is taking root in Southern Oregon, trying to find ways to turn down the political heat.

“We want to bring Americans together to bridge the deep partisan divides,” said Ashland resident Bruce Borgerson, a member of Braver Angels.

He spoke before the Rotary Club of Ashland meeting in Wesley Hall at the First United Methodist Church on Thursday.

Borgerson said Braver Angels shares similar beliefs to the Rotary International, a worldwide organization that promotes service to others.

Mark Jaffe, with the Ashland Rotary Foundation, said his  organization has strived over the years to remove politics from its agenda.

“We seek fellowship, not politics,” he said.

Braver Angels started in Ohio in 2016 and has since spread to other states, now numbering 100 alliances and 12,200 members. Originally “Better Angels,” the organization name was changed due to a trademark dispute.

Borgerson said he’s hoping to build membership for a local alliance of Braver Angels, noting it already has about a dozen members from Ashland to Grants Pass.

“We engage with those we disagree with, looking for common ground,” he said.

Borgerson described his own search for common ground while driving down a Central Point street in his electric Chevrolet, when a black pickup truck pulled up next to him.

A bumper sticker on the truck, which was playing country music, stated, “If it’s Brown, flush it down,” an unflattering reference to then-Gov. Kate Brown.

Borgerson also had a bumper sticker, which proclaimed, “I plug in and pass gas.”

Despite the vastly different messages the two vehicles projected, they had one thing in common.

“We were both driving Chevys,” Borgerson said. “The other driver was listening to country, and I was listening to classical.”

The need to search for common ground and to build trust will become more acute as Americans get ready for what could be a contentious political season in 2024, he said.

“This is a critical time in our country,” Borgerson said. “It could be the greatest crisis since the Civil War.”

Some 20 to 30% of Americans will likely not accept the results of the next election, so the efforts of Braver Angels are even more critical to bridge the divide, Borgerson said.

“We have to start doubling down over the next six to nine months,” he said.

Braver Angels seeks to include people of all political stripes, who can learn to appreciate one and other as fellow citizens rather than as rival political tribes.

“Our rule of balance is that at every level of leadership, from the national level to local alliances, we have equal numbers of reds and blues,” according to Braver Angels. “We have more in common than we think.”

Activities to stimulate discussions include community workshops, podcasts, college debates, conversations and other alliances of reds, blues and others.

The Braver Angels workshops provide the skills to avoid acrimony during difficult political conversations and to prevent demonization of individuals or groups.

Workshops are offered to help conservatives deal with living in a blue environment, and similar workshops would be provided for blues living in a red environment.

Skills for interacting through social media to avoid polarization are also being offered.

“One of the goals is to state your position without attacking the other person,” Borgerson said.

In the general election, there will be plenty of issues other than the presidential race that will command attention.

Locally, there could be a ballot measure that could change the Jackson County Board of Commissioners from three to five members and to change the position to nonpartisan.

Braver Angels will not take any position on this or other ballot measures, he said.

“We are not a political organization,” Borgerson said.

At the conclusion of his presentation to more than 50 audience members at the Rotary Club meeting, Borgerson concluded with a quote from Lincoln: “I do not like that man. I need to know him better.”

Reach freelance writer Damian Mann at dmannnews@gmail.com.