A Rallying Cry for a Rational Middle

In recent years, Americans have heard frequently about how divided we are. Now, as the presidential race intensifies and the two major opposing parties spend months attacking each other, things will surely only get worse.

It doesn’t have to be this way. My work in the energy sector and my life as a mom in Houston – a so-called blue city in a red state – shows me every day what’s being left out of the national conversation: a truly rational middle.

There’s a reason that, in recent years, more people than ever have been calling for a third major party. In October, Gallup reported that 63% of U.S. adults agreed that the Republican and Democratic parties do “such a poor job” of representing Americans that “a third major party is needed.” It marked a 7-point jump from a year earlier, and the highest level in the two decades of Gallup asking the question.

Republicans were primarily behind that increase, with 58% wanting a third party. Among Democrats, the figure was a still relatively high 46%. This is a crucial sign for us as a nation. Huge numbers of Americans are not firmly in a “right” or “left” political camp. Tens of millions of us want a real change in government so that we all can work together.

We’re concerned about extremes on both sides. On the right, there’s “Project 2025,” which The Associated Press calls conservative groups’ “plan to dismantle the U.S. government and replace it with Trump’s vision.” As Politico recently put it, “From nationwide abortion bans to classroom culture wars, assaults on climate science and political weaponization of the military, his return to the White House could make Trump 1.0 seem tame.”

But that doesn’t make us all go running to the Democratic Party. Many voters are turned off by the left’s increasing focus on identity politics. They also often put more trust in the GOP on certain issues such as prosperity and keeping the nation safe from international terrorism.

So, sure, when people are surveyed about a race between just President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, they are split. But these polls don’t generally reflect how many people would love to have different choices altogether.

I know that people can create alliances across differences because I see it happen regularly in facing what may be the biggest challenge of our time: ensuring adequate energy supplies while tackling the perils of climate change.

All too often, talk of climate change leaves out the necessity of increasing energy supplies. Energy is vital for lifting people out of poverty around the world; for powering schools, hospitals and sanitation facilities; for allowing medical advances; and for much more. The U.S. Energy Information Administration predicts that global energy consumption will keep rising through 2050. While “zero-carbon technology – renewables and nuclear – will meet the bulk” of that new demand, it won’t be enough to decrease carbon dioxide emissions under current laws and regulations. U.S. energy needs alone are likely to reach record highs this year and next.

That said, renewable forms of energy are not yet scalable enough to cover all those energy needs. If there’s a massive, sudden decrease in the oil supply, energy needs won’t be met – and the limited oil available could become unaffordable to most people, thus worsening inequity. It’s no surprise that OPEC is pushing for continued investment in oil.

Many people on the political extremes only seem to recognize half the problem. Some on the left call for immediately halting the extraction of any and all fossil fuels; some on the right still deny climate change, even though the science is firmly settled. But most Americans agree that climate change is real and that human activities are primarily responsible for it.

In the energy sector, people are coming together to develop all sorts of solutions. Contrary to stereotypes, even most people inside big oil companies want to be a part of the solution. Their leaders include scientists working on renewables and executives focused on the path to net zero emissions. In fact, Shell is backing an organization that’s all about finding a “rational middle” to achieve a just energy transition.

Here in Houston – a city that is 100% powered by renewable energy, mind you – people committed to leading the energy transformation work together all the time precisely by setting aside political differences and finding common ground toward impactful solutions.

My company, ALLY Energy, does this every day. Serving as a digital nexus for jobs, connections and skills across the energy sector, we convene professionals, companies, startups, schools, civic leaders and organizations as one team. Together with partners, ALLY is launching the first ever Houston Energy & Climate Week in September, bringing together stakeholders to discuss capital, technology, workforce and policy needs to enable a just and orderly energy transition.

This kind of thing should happen in industries and communities across the country. The current U.S. political system is designed to drive people apart. As New York Times columnist Thomas B. Edsall once wrote, “Hostility to the opposition party and its candidates has now reached a level where loathing motivates voters more than loyalty.” The more we feel this antagonism, the more we turn on our fellow Americans – letting our irrational minds overtake rational thinking.

What we need is a political home for the massive numbers that feel politically homeless in both parties. A full 43% of Americans identify as independents, compared to only 27% each for Democrats and Republicans.

Those of us in the middle should come together to develop pragmatic solutions through cooperation. The more we do this, the more we’ll help people entrenched in the political extremes see that “my way or the highway” leads nowhere. Real change takes compromise.

Together, we’ll show Washington and the nation that there’s a better way forward.

Katie Mehnert is founder and CEO of ALLY Energy, the award-winning online platform that accelerates connections, jobs and skills to power a diverse energy workforce of the future.