Gov. Mark Gordon has joined with a group of his counterparts from across the country in the National Governors Association’s recently launched “Disagree Better” campaign. The campaign is intended to help breach the nation’s deep political divide by bringing governors together from different parties to focus on what they have in common instead of their differences.

This campaign, while lighthearted, features a Republican and a Democratic governor speaking together about the many beliefs they share as well as the things they don’t see eye-to-eye on in a way that shows that there is more that unites us than we think.

The videos and articles are funny, heartwarming and effective. The campaign page notes that “Americans are deeply concerned and exhausted by the hyper-partisanship and polarization in our country, and rightly so. We’ve forgotten how to persuade without hating each other. But our nation’s history shows there’s a better way, and we all need to re-learn how to Disagree Better.”

The overarching theme is a good one: that politics should never be the thing that separates families, friends and neighbors from one another. It’s a worthy goal. And it brings up a word that deserves deeper consideration: hyper-partisanship.

This word denotes something very negative, and yet, for far too many on both sides of the aisle, it is now a desirable core value for the party faithful. It shouldn’t be.

Hyper-partisanship is destructive to our form of government. Think about the founders of this country. Our first president, George Washington, warned against partisanship in his famous farewell address. If he and the other founders had been hyper-partisan, America and Wyoming would not exist today.

Gov. Gordon recently praised President Joe Biden for stopping the continued development of a blockchain facility a stone’s throw away from Cheyenne’s F.E. Warren Air Force Base, home to one of America’s most strategically important, top-secret nuclear arsenals. Several hours after this press release, another such missive was sent from the governor’s office, this time announcing the filing of litigation against the Biden administration over Title XI issues.

Now some might say, “What the heck? Why is the governor praising and then fighting the Biden administration on the same day? That seems nuts!” But I would say this is the kind of pragmatic approach the “Disagree Better” campaign encourages, and the kind we need more of in our politics here in Wyoming. Think of it as calling balls and strikes in the political arena. We want more politicians willing to give praise where it is due, while still holding the line on the issues important to the health of our state. By doing this, they are clearly showing how important it is to not be hyper-partisan, but rather clear-eyed about the policies they firmly support, while being able to show grace and appreciation to the other party when it is warranted.

So first, why did Gordon “express support” for Biden’s actions?

It centers around the recently built bitcoin facility, which is located directly behind F.E. Warren and is meant to house computers used in bitcoin/blockchain financial schemes. The fear, after the foreign national company who took over ownership of the facility was identified as having direct ties to the ruling Chinese Communist Party, was the proximity of the facility to some of America’s most sensitive defensive weaponry, with the huge possibility of spying from next door.

Gordon said this about the Biden administration’s order to remove the foreign ownership:

“I am pleased that the Administration recognized the potential threat and took steps to ensure the security of our military installations and the safety of Wyoming residents. Protection of our infrastructure remains paramount to protecting our national security and must always be our highest priority.”

The actions of the president warranted this praise, and Gordon was right to give it. It doesn’t make him more or less conservative or liberal; it simply shows him to be a man who can call balls and strikes in the political arena with a clear head.

In contrast, why did the governor push back against the Biden administration’s stance on Title IX later that same day?

Because he saw it as an example of federal overreach, plain and simple. “Wyoming will fight the Biden Administration’s attempt to rewrite Title IX. The state adamantly upholds its core principles of fairness, privacy and the sanctity of women’s sports, opposing any imposition of ambiguous standards that threaten these ideals. This is yet another instance of federal overreach, seeking to impose a new interpretation on a longstanding law.”

In other words, he was doing what governors are supposed to do, protect their state’s sovereignty whenever and wherever they see it being threatened.

While we can all disagree on the politics of each of these decisions, we should see the pragmatism and appreciate our governor’s practice of discernment. We can all recognize how deeply the country is divided and we can choose to be part of the solution or part of the problem. While many of our policy differences are real and profound, they are not new to us.

Wyoming has seen deeply divisive legislatures and weathered the storm. But we did this by electing politicians who acted pragmatically and did not glorify hyper-partisanship.

Gordon is setting an example by participating in the “Disagree Better” campaign. Whether you are looking for a candidate more or less conservative than him, the one characteristic you’d do well to find in a candidate is a pragmatism and discernment in engaging with those who hold opposing views. This is an important quality that we are losing in far too many of our politicians.

Capable leaders should possess core values like honesty, integrity, kindness, courage, trustworthiness, compassion, empathy, forgiving, humility and generosity. Hyper-partisanship is not on the list.

As election season gears up, look over a list of the core values that matter most to you. Then vote for the candidates who display those values.

Amy Edmonds is a former state legislator from Cheyenne. She can be reached at amyinwyoming@icloud.com.

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