Nashville, Tennessee – National Governors Association (NGA) Chair Utah Governor Spencer Cox and Tennessee Governor Bill Lee collaborated for the latest in a series of events in support of Governor Cox’s NGA Chair’s Initiative: Disagree Better. Launched in July 2023, Disagree Better is a yearlong initiative to help Americans bridge the partisan divide.
“I started Disagree Better because I’m deeply concerned at the division and hatred consuming the country,” said Governor Cox. “We’ll never make progress on important issues when each side thinks the other is the enemy. Politicians need to do better, but there is a role for everyone. There are practical steps, like service, we can all take to heal the divide. I hope this campaign inspires more Americans to discover the transformative power of volunteer service in their communities.”
“We can disagree and stand firm for our beliefs and principles, but we should never forget the dignity of the other human being,” said Governor Lee. “I’m proud to join Governors across the nation in demonstrating that civility is not a weakness – it’s the Tennessee Way and the American Way.”
Centered on the theme of building dialogue skills and fostering positive contact, the Nashville event featured panel discussions with bipartisan experts, and keynote addresses from Moral Courage College Founder and CEO Irshad Manji, and Citizen University Co-Founder and CEO Eric Liu.
Speakers and attendees also worked together on a service project in coordination with Comfort Cases, an organization that assembles and distributes care packages for children entering the foster care system.
Disagree Better aims to change the political behavior of both voters and elected officials, showing that the right kind of conflict often leads to better policy, can be more successful politically than negative campaigning, and is the pathway to restoring trust in our political institutions. Through public debates, service projects, public service announcements and more, Disagree Better models a more positive and optimistic way of working through our problems.
Learn more about the Disagree Better initiative here.
