By Kay Nolan
For WisBusiness.com
Madison business owner Bret Gundlach firmly believes 90 percent of people are in the middle politically.
So it has been a bit disturbing for him to witness such political division in Wisconsin.
“I feel like the division is more marked than it has been in many, many years, as long as I can remember,” said Gundlach, a 44-year-old father of two who runs a sales and marketing consulting firm.
While he says political differences haven’t hurt his family life, some friendships haven’t survived the turmoil within the past year over current events in Wisconsin.
“My wife and I, we’re pretty much on the same page on things, and I think most of her family sees things the way we do,” says Gundlach. “My mother is a dyed-in-the-wool liberal, you know, so we certainly have different opinions on things. But it certainly hasn’t affected our relationship in any way.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the fourth installment of WisBusiness.com’s part of the We the People/Wisconsin 2012 economy project. Members of the statewide media coalition will follow Gundlach and Wisconsin families throughout the year telling their stories and their views on the state and national economy.
The project involves Wisconsin media outlets based in Appleton, Chippewa Falls, Green Bay, La Crosse and Madison.
Now in its 20th year, We the People/Wisconsin provides a unique voice for citizens all across Wisconsin. WTP’s mission is to broaden residents’ participation in public life through citizen-based reporting, town meetings, candidate and issue forums. Since it began in 1992, WTP has sponsored more than 100 live televised forums, candidate debates, statewide conferences and town hall meetings.
ARCHIVE:
5/6/12: Business owner favors political individuality over group identification
3/31/12: Gundlach says he’s had to ‘buckle down’ due to rising gas prices
3/3/12: Intro: Meet Bret Gundlach
But Gundlach adds, “I do see other people who are having a hard time. We’ve obviously got different opinions from some friends, and it’s caused a rift, I think. I feel bad about that. I think we can move beyond that stuff, but it may take some time, and maybe some of those friendships will never be healed, I guess.”
And he knows not all families are immune to the tension.
“My wife’s sister and her husband had a blowout over the recall election,” he said.
Gundlach has always tried to keep up with current events, and he sees at least one positive aspect to the heightened political discussions these days in that it’s helping him and others realize the importance of various issues.
“I think people have examined their thoughts and feelings more in the last couple years than they have in a long time,” said Gundlach. “Now my dad has never voted in his life, and I don’t think he thinks it affects him from day to day. I think a lot of people feel that way and maybe now we’re more aware of how some of these decisions are affecting our lives.
“From a fiscal conservative point of view, I see mounting debt and I see mounting costs and things like that and that’s not just going to go away. Something has to be done about it and maybe we’re getting to the point where it’s turning into a crisis and we better start thinking about it.”
Gundlach admits that Facebook discussions have changed his opinions of some acquaintances. People he was sure would take a conservative stance have surprised him with liberal comments, and vice versa.
But as long as other people don’t get too upset, Gundlach says he enjoys a good political debate.
“I’m one of those pot-stirrers who will post something, you know, copy something from the Walker campaign or whatever and say, ‘Hey, this is good stuff,’ and then of course I get all the ‘It’s all a lie, and whatever’ and I find it kind of entertaining that people get that excited about it,” he says. “But at the end of the day, I try to say, ‘Hey, we’re still all people.’ There was a time when we could have very different opinions about things and yet go have a beer at the bar afterward and it didn’t have to ruin personal relationships.”
Gundlach said he tries to persuade others to his point of view only when they are open to it and when he can provide information they might not know.
“I do have a good friend who always considered herself to be liberal, but after hearing her views on some things, I told her she’s really more middle-of-the-road, or even slightly conservative,” said Gundlach.
While his friend might be surprised to hear that she’s more moderate than extreme, it doesn’t surprise Gundlach.
“Again, I think 90 percent of us live in the middle and we really want things to be more peaceful and try to work things out together,” he says. “Can we do it? I guess I think we can. Yeah, I think we will come together more than we have been.”
