A More Decent Union

Getting back to civil discourse to ensure universities are where disagreement sharpens thinking rather than destroy relationships

LINCOLN, Neb. —I remember watching the 2008 presidential campaign when a woman at a town hall told Senator John McCain she could not trust Senator Barack Obama because he was “an Arab.” Senator McCain took the microphone back and replied, “No, ma’am. He’s a decent family man and citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues, and that’s what this campaign is all about.”

Years later, after being diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor, Senator McCain asked President Obama to deliver a eulogy at his funeral.

It is difficult to imagine moments like this in today’s political environment.

According to a recent NPR/Marist poll, 30 percent of Americans believe political violence may be necessary to “get our country back on track.” That reality should alarm us all. Nearly one-third of Americans now view violence as a potentially acceptable political tool. Sadly, it’s not hard to see how we arrived here.

The hostility in our political culture continues to escalate as our divisions deepen. In Minnesota, former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed by a man impersonating a police officer. Political activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated on a college campus. We have witnessed multiple assassination attempts against President Trump. There was even the recently thwarted domestic terror plot targeting the UFC Freedom 250 event held on the White House grounds, and according to the FBI, spearheaded by a Nebraska resident.

Seeing each other as enemies has profound consequences. It fuels mistrust, misinformation, and political gridlock. It weakens civic institutions, damages personal relationships, undermines our sense of community, and erodes public trust during moments of national crisis.

Yet, most Nebraskans are not ideological extremists. We all want safe neighborhoods, good schools, economic opportunity, and a stable future for our children. We likely have far more in common with one another than our politics would suggest. Yet we increasingly speak to one another as though we are confronting the most radical caricature of the opposing side.

I have experienced this firsthand during my campaign for the University of Nebraska Board of Regents.

In what is supposed to be a nonpartisan race focused on higher education, I have seen social media posts, emails, and messages that showed little interest in the university itself and instead sought to personally dismantle and discredit me. Some crossed the line into harassment and flirted with violence. The attacks come not only from anonymous accounts, but also from people within our own community who should know better.

I have spoken with elected officials who describe two common reactions to this environment: either it hardens their resolve and pushes them deeper into political combat, or it leaves them exhausted and discouraged about the pursuit of public service altogether.

This is not healthy for our community or our democracy.

Our universities should be places where disagreement sharpens thinking rather than destroys relationships. Healthy disagreement is both necessary and valuable in a democracy; it is how we test ideas, strengthen institutions, and move our society forward. Decency also requires integrity – the strength to be transparent about our principles, accountable for our words, and honest about our actions for the future we hope to build together. We are stronger when we engage opposing viewpoints, widen our circles, and wrestle honestly with the difficult challenges facing our communities. Strong convictions are not the problem. Losing our ability to see one another’s humanity is.

That is why I have committed to running a campaign focused on issues rather than personal destruction. I will still be serving this community as a neurosurgeon long after this election is over, and I have no interest in sowing division in my home city. 

My wife and I are raising our three young children here, and it matters deeply to me that they see a father who believes decency, integrity, and statesmanship can coexist with public service. I want them to understand that our neighbors are not our enemies. They are people trying to build meaningful lives, raise families, and create opportunities for future generations, just as we are.

Politics does not have to become a blood sport for us to care passionately about the future of our state.  We can disagree without dehumanizing one another. We can debate without abandoning basic dignity. But if we cannot recognize the humanity in people with whom we disagree, we will lose far more than elections. 

But if we choose to model a politics rooted not in contempt, but in character, I still believe Nebraska, and America, can become a more united, more hopeful, and more decent place for the next generation.

About Dr. Jeremy Hosein

Dr. Jeremy Hosein is a Nebraska neurosurgeon and policy adviser who's running for a seat on the NU Board of Regents.