Salt Lake City – During the National Governors Association (NGA) Summer Meeting, Matthew McConaughey joined NGA Chair Utah Governor Spencer Cox and NGA Vice Chair Colorado Governor Jared Polis for a conversation about the role of culture in polarization – the focus of Governor Cox’s Disagree Better campaign.
“The anger in our country is a cultural issue as much as it’s a political issue,” said Governor Cox. “Politicians are a big part of the problem, but we can’t solve it alone. Disagree Better is about mobilizing Americans from all walks of life to get engaged in their communities. As soon as Matthew McConaughey heard about Disagree Better, he wanted to get involved. He’s been a big supporter, and I appreciate his willingness to use his voice to change the tone of our national conversation. He’s here, not to push any political agenda, but to advocate simple kindness and curiosity. Whether you’re in Washington, Hollywood, Austin or any small town in between – we all have a role to play in healing our country.”
“It’s important to me; it’s important to everyone,” stated Matthew McConaughey. “We seem to be in a bad situation right now: The extremes seem to be going further left and further right. Decency doesn’t seem to be on the table. We’re going to have conflict and confrontation. Actually, you cannot have any unification if you don’t have confrontation. We need leaders to show how it works, and do a better job marketing that. It’s hard to market and sell success in how people negotiate. It’s not as exciting as the car wreck.
“I’m in the entertainment business. Our leaders don’t need to be in the entertainment business. The leadership, and especially the government, don’t need to look like an episode of The Real Housewives. How do we negotiate, the right way, with decency? And show that the two sides can at least walk away understanding and going, ‘I hear where you’re coming from”?
“It can change. I think we’re all hungry for it. America is hungry for it.”
Earlier Friday, McConaughey joined Governor Cox, Utah First Lady Abby Cox and Governor Polis to support United Way Salt Lake’s “Stuff the Bus” campaign. During NGA’s Summer Meeting, Governors and guests pitched in to stuff 3,000 backpacks with school supplies and handwritten notes for children in Salt Lake and surrounding areas.
Launched in July 2023, the Disagree Better initiative aims to help Americans learn the skills of healthy conflict and 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.
Learn more about 2023 – 2024 NGA Chair’s Initiative Disagree Better here.
