There are people who feel America is hopelessly divided.
These are people who have never tailgated at Lambeau Field.
“When people gather together at places like a tailgate, you’re experiencing your life,” said Skye Perryman at a tailgate party she organized. “You’re experiencing your friendship. These are the things that really bind us as people in this country.”
Perryman has a day job dedicated to politics, leading the legal group Democracy Forward which has sued the Trump administration more than 100 times. Perryman’s new book, Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times, sprung from her observation that Americans may vote in largely Democratic and Republican camps but they still share many common values that defy partisanship.
“We are busting the narrative that we are so hopelessly divided,” Perryman told UpNorthNews. “I wrote a book that has steps of what we can all do in this moment to fight for our country and for our democracy. And one of the things we can do is to connect with each other, and even connect with people who don’t see eye to eye with us.”
Perryman calls it “tailgate accountability,” the social exercise of building bonds and reducing polarization by being unafraid to talk about the common ground on which political debates are built. She and her team organized a party ahead of the Green Bay Packers game against Atlanta, waving over passers-by to enjoy a brat, a beverage, and some civil conversation.
There are economic concerns that drive much of this year’s election chatter, but Perryman said people also want to go beyond pocketbook issues and discuss the helplessness they feel about how some of their neighbors are doing and how they’re being treated.
“We can’t rely anymore just on politicians,” Perryman said. “It has to be ordinary people getting out, getting engaged. Many people want to do that, but they’re not sure where to start, so the book lays out several simple steps.”
Civic engagement does not have to be political from the start, Perryman said, with plenty of groups such as neighborhood advisory councils welcoming an extra hand — or being political but nonpartisan with activities like helping neighbors register to vote.
People, then politics, in Green Bay
“We’re united in celebrating Packers and democracy,” said Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich, who stopped by the tailgate party and used the example of his city, which has a long reputation of extending hospitality toward visiting fans from opposing teams.
“We bring people together of all different ideologies all the time,” Genrich said, “often at our city council meetings to talk about what’s really important to people here in the city.”
Genrich, a former Democratic state legislator who recently announced he would not run for another term as mayor next spring, said there’s a lot to do in support of democracy that doesn’t involve partisanship at all.
“It’s important that we encourage everybody to exercise their right to vote,” Genrich said, “to organize behind any candidate that they’re passionate about, to let people know about the opportunities to vote [and] we share these opportunities with people who come together irrespective of their partisan background and just have a good time and celebrate democracy.”
“You can have a tough rivalry and still shake hands at the end,” said Rep. Amaad Rivera-Wagner (D-Green Bay). “That’s Green Bay in a nutshell. We can be passionate. But the truth is, you’re still my neighbor. We still live in this community after an election. We’re still going to see each other at a booya bash or a kringle competition. We’re going to see you in the Festival or the Meijer or the Woodman’s. And because of that, we have that neighborly attitude where we can disagree but still be in the same community.”
Becoming political out of compassion
Some people step out of their comfort zone and become politically active in a way that might seem partisan to some, despite politics having little to do with it. An increasing number of physicians and other healthcare workers have run for office or assisted with campaigns because of threats to coverage from politicians who cut Medicaid funding or restrict access to reproductive healthcare.
“A lot of people will say, doctors, stay out of politics, stay in your lane,” said Dr. Erin Stevens, an obstetrician-gynecologist greeting people at the tailgate. “But medicine, particularly reproductive healthcare, has become so politicized that we have to stand up for our patients, for our ability to care for patients. And that’s why I’m here.”
“People [at our tailgate], suddenly their guard comes down and they’re happy to be here. And so this is so fun to see,” Stevens continued. “People from both teams or any party come together and work together to make this a good place. I’m here standing up for democracy. Let’s bring everyone in this country together.”
“This has nothing to do with politics,” said Dr. Kristin Lyerly, an ob-gyn from the Green Bay area. “It has everything to do with being human.
Perryman said the success of the Lambeau Field tailgate will propel future events at college, professional, and high school football games.
“They say democracy begins at your front door,” Perryman said. “I think it also begins at a tailgate.”
