Perceiving is Believing

I heard a story on Michigan Radio this morning about a partnership between two politicians – Republican State Senator Tom Casperson from Escanaba and Democratic Senator Bert Johnson of Detroit – that made me think.

Tom Casperson

The two unlikely allies – one from the Upper Peninsula and one from gritty Motown – came together around transportation issues. Apparently Casperson decided to advocate for a regional transit system in southeast Michigan that connected Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw Counties after riding on city buses with Johnson during a trip to the D. The experience “opened his eyes to the beauty and plight of Detroit,” he said, and made him realize how much we’re all in this together.

Back when I worked at the State Capitol in the 1980s, longtime State Representative Dominic “Jake” Jacobetti – the powerful chair of the House Appropriations Committee who had been in office since my mom was a teenager and took care of his U.P. district like no other – worked closely and amicably with Representative Morris Hood, Jr. from Detroit. Death and term limits put an end to that partnership (term limits were approved by voters and took effect in 1992; Jacobetti died in office in 1994) and an era of respect and cooperation between the “Yoopers” (for “U.P.-ers”) and the “trolls” (the people who live “under” the Mackinac Bridge that connects our two peninsulas) ended.

Bert Johnson

Although more than 400 miles separate Escanaba from the Motor City, Senators Casperson and Johnson seem to be bridging the gap again.

I might have written about this before – my perception is that I haven’t but maybe I’m wrong – but I’m amazed at the extent to which perception can shape reality.

Maybe politics hasn’t really become as coarse and caustic as I thought. Maybe legislators from both sides of the aisle do still work together, forming alliances and putting the needs of their constituents ahead of their party, fighting for their principles during the day and then meeting for drinks afterwards like they famously used to. Maybe we’re just not hearing about it because conflict sells newspapers better than cooperation. (I know – newspapers are fast becoming as relevant as carburetors. Go with me here.) Maybe things aren’t really as bad as they seem and the partisan gridlock we hear so much about is surmountable after all.

I’ve learned that perception dictates reality in relationships too. If one person thinks there’s a problem or everything’s not peachy-keen, then there’s an issue in need of attention whether the other person sees it or not. You can think something is working, is solid or as good as it can be, until the cows come home but if that’s not your partner’s perception, then it’s not true. Conversely, you can think the worst – that the grass is greener elsewhere or it’s time to throw in the towel – but if your mate insists that the glass remains half full, your mind can be changed and your spirits rejuvenated.

Anyway, I’m thankful to Tom Casperson and Bert Johnson for giving me hope in our state lawmakers again and glad that Michigan Radio helped ‘em out.


Source: Michigan Radio.