Builders, Not Dividers: Voting for Character Over Party

In a world that rewards outrage, it can feel safer to avoid politics, religion, and money altogether. But the silence doesn’t fix anything, it just pushes the tension into Facebook fights, family dinners, and comment sections where people forget there’s a real human on the other side. In this conversation with Stacy Blakeley, Executive Director of the Builders Movement, we talk about how “us vs them” thinking became normal, and why it’s keeping the thoughtful majority stuck on the sidelines.The Builders Movement is a citizen-first movement built to push back on the outrage industrial complex and rebuild civil dialogue in real life. Stacy explains why Builders isn’t a think tank with an agenda, it’s a movement that starts by listening, polling, and meeting people where they are, then creating guardrails so conversations don’t spiral into “everything is broken.” The goal is practical: get citizens back in the driver’s seat, and build solutions from common ground without pretending differences don’t exist.We also dig into Citizen Solutions, the Builders program that brings a carefully selected group of everyday people across race, income, and politics into a two-day, facilitated process to practice good conflict and find actionable policy solutions. Stacy shares what this looked like in Tennessee (including the documentary Tennessee 11) and in Wisconsin, where citizens helped drive legislation to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage, proof that the system can move when regular people stay in it long enough.Finally, we talk about the Builders mindset and the four C’s: curiosity, creativity, courage, and compassion. We unpack why people are often kinder in person than online, how algorithms fuel tribalism, and why the real problem isn’t “the other side,” it’s an incentive system that rewards extremes. If you’re tired of the circus and wondering what you can actually do, this is your reminder: small groups change the world, and it starts with staying human.CHAPTER MARKERS:00:00 Friends Across Politics: Liberal vs Conservative civil discourse01:08 What Is the Builders Movement? Ending “us vs them” political division02:53 Fighting Outrage Culture: social media algorithms and the outrage economy04:20 Citizen Solutions Explained: bipartisan dialogue that leads to real policy05:26 Tennessee 11: guns, polarization, and finding common ground08:11 Wisconsin Win: postpartum Medicaid extension (citizen-led legislation)10:50 Texas Healthcare Solutions: affordability, access, and practical reform13:29 Local vs National Impact: civic engagement that scales from communities19:38 Builders Mindset: the Four C’s (curiosity, creativity, courage, compassion)23:27 Rewarding Builders in Politics: voting for character over party29:37 Builders Index + C4: rating candidates as Builder vs Divider32:51 Voting Beyond Party: independents, open-minded voters, and reform35:11 Broken Incentives: donors, PACs, lobbying power, and extremism36:01 Citizen Solutions Hope: why everyday citizens can still change the systemRESOURCES MENTIONED:Builders Movement: https://buildersmovement.org/Tennessee 11 Documentary Trailer: https://youtu.be/p-drQKzz2q0?si=ulCjPJeR5xHXtXLlBridge Grades: https://www.bridgegrades.org/Builders Texas Primary Campaign- Turn out or rollover: https://youtu.be/va4dmwxtqXE?si=JqNGa5KdokVFV9yhBen Sasse 60 Minutes: https://youtu.be/dDveT8OesWA?si=-gfjZB6j7RHA-kn0Political Integrity Substack: https://politicalintegrity.us/Good for the Soul: Raye “Joy”: https://youtu.be/taHYtEGxLnw?si=NpLgzbEJTMapPfMU and the live performance: https://youtu.be/2scS3s_I050?si=bkp9PLF9Mz6AilmROur Website:https://www.wevegottotalk.com/LINKS:On Instagram https://www.instagram.com/wevegottotalk/ On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WeveGotToTalkOn Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/weve-got-to-talk/id1797423701On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0qJVgTvjciUffRmoUienx2How to find Nicole https://nicolefonarow.com/How to find Jolene https://dibledough.com/