In the past few years I’ve encountered some actual, real-life white supremacists.

And I’ve had the unsettling shock of thinking to myself, “Lord help us! These people are in the same political party as I! What on earth!?!?!?”

But the other political party poses a threat to the causes most precious to me: the life of the innocent unborn, religious liberty, the health of the nuclear family. So, I don’t like that I’m in a political party with these people, but I’m stuck here.

Here’s the thing, I know a lot of black friends who, from what I can tell, look at folks who think it’s child abuse when a baby is born to say, “It’s a girl!” THEY are thinking, just as I do about the white supremacist, “What on Earth!?!?!?” But they feel stuck.

The radical edges of our parties have too much power. And each of us is afraid of the radical edge of the other party.

I think we are living in the middle of one of the most tragically missed opportunities we’ve had in a long time—a missed opportunity to realize and sympathize with how trapped most of us really are.

I’m sure that presents political opportunities—opportunities for party realignment—but I’m more talking about the missed opportunity to realign the way we feel about each other and speak about each other.