This should be a time of soul searching, of careful consideration, of thoughtfulness. How might they build a more persuasive platform? How could they convince others—and, once convinced, get those folks to vote?
Both left and right need to exercise this sort of thoughtfulness. The problem is—in an age in which we’re encouraged to vent and complain, to share “how we’re feeling” without prudence or pause—the national mood has tended less toward thoughtfulness, and more towards castigation and denial.
But progressives wanting to make a difference in 2018 and 2020 will not be able to do so by booing their political leaders on their night out to the theater. Rather, they’ll need to use winsomeness to woo and convince.
Winsomeness is the ability to dialogue with those different from you, and persuade them via kindness—not contempt. It’s the ability to say, “Have you considered this other way?” and tempt others to that other way via gentleness and maturity.
Obviously, we’ve not seen much winsomeness anywhere in 2016. But that doesn’t mean we should discard the ideal. Both parties will need to pursue political winsomeness if they want to convince voters. And beyond convincing voters—winsomeness might foster the sort of civic empathy that enables us to work together in the future.
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