Two Democratic presidential candidates have come under criticism in recent days: Joe Biden, for showing too much tolerance toward segregationists; and Kirsten Gillibrand, for showing too little toward pro-lifers. My latest column for Bloomberg Opinion offers a way of thinking about citizens who hold views we find appalling. An excerpt:
Gillibrand’s description of the state of play in our society is obviously mistaken, indeed self-refuting. We have not corporately decided to treat opponents of abortion as the equivalent of racists, which is why she feels compelled to draw that comparison. Nor have we made the opposite conclusion, that supporters of legal abortion should be shunned as enemies of human rights. There are, in our country, intelligent and well-meaning people in each camp. Politicians who can’t see that, or pretend not to see it, are unlikely to help us navigate our divisions to reach a better place.