The Nov. 5 election certainly has flipped the wigs off of many. In reading election post-mortems, quite a few on the left feel that 50 percent of the nation are hateful bigots who want to oppress the other 50 percent. On the right, people are so disturbed by the direction of the nation economically, culturally and in foreign policy, they felt compelled to vote for a man who all but said he wants to be a tyrant. People today are so convinced of their way of thinking that they refuse to even entertain ideas of opposing views. In their righteousness, they don't bother to consider how their actions might affect their own end goals, or the people around them. We’re no longer searching for common ground. The mushy middle is definitely out of vogue.

The recent presidential election revealed that many either voted in a way that makes no sense to their long-term interests or sat out the election. Many apparently didn’t feel comfortable with the language of the left, seemingly crafted in faculty lounges with adherence demanded under threat of cancelation or worse. Even harsher critiques can be leveled against the Republican Party, now fully dominated by Trump’s MAGA movement.

People increasingly feel alienated and excluded from the parties that used to be focused on middle-class issues. Over time what has happened is the rich have gotten richer, the poor get a lot of attention and the middle class gets forgotten.

In my armchair post-election analysis, I thought Kamala Harris did a good job as a candidate, given the circumstances. Maybe Biden should have dropped out sooner, or maybe there should have been an open primary. Be as it may, it is what it is, and now we must wrap our minds around the current situation. As such, Democrat-dominated Ulster County and Kingston now have to plot a course in this new era of Trumpism. Some voices will try to convince us New York and Ulster are safe, with walls and moats of policy that will cushion the coming onslaught of change. But these believers would do well to take a closer look at voting results in New York State to understand things are not quite as deep blue as some may think.

New York State voted for Harris by only 55 percent vs. 45 percent for Trump. Compare that to Biden’s win of 61 percent in 2020, Hillary Clinton’s 59 percent in 2016, and Obama’s 63 percent in 2012. Cracks are opening up. It’s not just rural upstate counties voting for Trump. So is Long Island, and in New York City, Harris lead Trump by only 33 percent. In 2020, Biden led Trump by a 53 percent margin, a 20-point loss. According to the renowned political pollster Nate Silver, “Almost no place has seen a bigger increase in Trump support than the five boroughs [of New York City]." As for Ulster, Harris won the county by the same margin as Biden, Pat Ryan won by a spread of less than 10 percent, and Josh Riley won by less than 1 percent. Given all the newly registered Democrats in Ulster over the last four years, you would have thought Democratic candidates might have done better. We may be insulated here, but it’s a thin wall.

While there isn’t much of a local Republican Party to negotiate with in Ulster, there are many moderate Democrats and former Republicans. And many increasingly feel their concerns ignored by local government. It has often been consumed by issues such as “defund the police,” cancel culture, permissive immigration, neo-pronouns and anti-business sentiment. There is no doubt important lessons are to be learned on each of these issues, but it’s taken much of the oxygen out of the room and left little room for common-ground issues. And that is of the upmost importance now — we need to build bridges, not hunker down into respective camps.

One area of shared concern is the environment. Believe it or not, most people do care about protecting flora and fauna, and the air, water and land. The degree to which it precludes everything else is the grey zone of dispute. Another area I think is ripe for collaboration is support for entrepreneurship and small business. Small business owners and start-ups represent people from all identities, classes, backgrounds and abilities. Being an entrepreneur is highly self-empowering and builds community networks and social capital (a term referenced in one of my recent columns).

Statistically, small businesses create more jobs than large corporations. They’re more dynamic, responsive and risk-takers. They are essential for a resilient economy. They often have existing roots in the community and reflect its values. Becoming an entrepreneur is wide open to any impassioned person who is willing to work hard, take a leap of faith and remain determined. And having a lot of luck helps! Start-ups and small businesses have a number of concerns such as financing, space, staffing, regulations, training, counseling and support groups. As I can attest, running a business can be tough, but very rewarding.

While “celebrated” locally, small business doesn’t get supported nearly enough by local officials. A periodic hat-tip is nice, but too often today, all businesses are getting caught up in the anti-development fervor. While the current county administration does a number of things well, it doesn’t seem to have the language to comfortably engage with the business community. It comes across as stiff and aloof and appears to give permission to the anti-development sentiment that drives local agendas. This attitude is trickling down to municipalities and various agencies, who increasingly put their thumbs on applications and permitting.

Every week I hear another story that illustrates anti-business sentiment from local government. Just the other day, I listened to a businesswoman explain how she’s been waiting for seven months for a simple building permit, with no explanation. There is no controversy at issue — just silence. And on top of that, town officials periodically drop-in unannounced to her business, and casually press her with ever more permitting demands, moving the bar higher for approval.

While I won’t disclose whom I spoke with, I will say this businessperson has a stellar local track record. Sadly, this is not an uncommon scenario today.

There is no defensible reason to put a small business applicant through such a capricious process. It raises costs of doing business, adds uncertainty for applicants, and sends a warning to all potential businesses interested in the area: You too will go through hell at every step of your application process. This has to change.

Most will agree we need our small businesses and should encourage the entrepreneurial spirit. This is another area (including the environment) where we can find common ground — left, right and center. By finding subjects to work together on, we can build greater trust, relationships, community, and strength. All of which we need today in abundance.

The alternative to the above consensus approach is for local politicians and party machineries to tack further to the extremes, taking increasingly radical positions and actions. At a recent post-election meeting of activist group For the Many that Kingston Wire covered last week, its audience of 20-something white Democratic Socialist women in attendance wanted to fight. They see no reason to change or to find common ground. While just one group, it has significant influence over many local elected officials. As such we may see a more confrontational style in the coming months, and as a result squeeze out possibilities to collaborate and build community. And not only that, I could see such confrontations grab the attention of a certain “someone” one late night on “X” who brings a ton of unwelcome attention to our community. Buckle up.

Raleigh Green is a local business owner specializing in marketing communications consulting and services. If you enjoy this column, please “like” it on social media and share online. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer; they do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Kingston Wire Editorial Team.