While Ian Brown was crossing the country by bus, photojournalist Barbara Davidson did the same by car.Barbara Davidson/The Globe and Mail
This past summer, Globe feature writer Ian Brown spent two weeks riding the bus from Los Angeles to New York, through the undecided swing states of pre-election America.
After the publication of the story, Brown answered reader questions about the trip, the many people he met along the way and what he wrote about the mood of the U.S. ahead of the Nov. 5 election.
Readers asked about the growing divide between blue and red states, approaching strangers for an interview, and whether the trip left him more or less hopeful about the political future of the United States. Here are some highlights from the Q+A.
Taking the temperature on American politics
When you ended your trip, to what extent did you feel there really was or wasn’t a blue state-red state divide? How real is the polarity described in the media?
Totally real. And mostly unpredictable: I could never predict who was going to come down on which side. But, and this was interesting, I found most everyone I spoke to keen to talk and think, once I had broken the ice. But no one brought up politics unless I did, and many people told me they never talk about this stuff even with their friends, for fear of offending everyone. And – one more caveat – I think the divide is heightened because both the Democrats and the Republicans are so adept at targeting their messages to individuals on social media. That brings out the appearance of a divide that sometimes isn’t so severe.
For all the stuff in our world that forces us into our private silos, we long for human connection
How often were people’s views driven by hope versus anger?
Overall, I’d say it was close to 50-50. The Western part of the trip, through red states and very conservative swing states, they were angrier and more resentful. They wanted to vote for Trump because they felt hard done by. The farther east I went, the more hopeful my respondents became. I suspect it has something to do with population density. In Arizona, in small towns, you can go a day and meet only a few people. In the city where I live, I meet five people on my way to the dry cleaner – and three of them confront me in some way or another. So tolerance is built into the urban fabric – or, as a Westerner said to me when I described it, “I guess in the cities you just get used to it.”
Despite differences, all people want the same things in life. Safety, security, a reasonably prosperous life. Did you find that this was the case in your journey?
Yes, absolutely. The one thing some people wanted that others didn’t was civility in discourse. Some people wanted to talk, but others just wanted to complain and throw flames. They showed up on both sides of the political divide.
Cloie Hotz and her sister, Carli, say the pledge of allegiance during a baseball game at Fifth Third Field stadium, Aug. 10. Behind the sisters, Scott Wilson, a Desert Storm Vet., renders a military salute.Barbara Davidson/The Globe and Mail
Meeting people on the road
How did you start up bus conversions? Did you just sit down and start talking?
Excellent question. I’ve been a reporter for almost 50 years, and I still have a small conniption every time I break out my notebook. What if they say no? What if they don’t like me? What if we get into it? So I just force myself to say, “Hello, excuse me, my name’s Ian Brown, blah blah blah, would you mind chatting?” They rarely mind. I must have spoken to several hundred people on this trip, but only one turned me down. I actually find that kind of reassuring. For all the stuff in our world that forces us into our private silos, we long for human connection. We should pay attention to that, in my opinion.
At what point in a conversation like those you had on the bus does a reporter typically disclose that they are a journalist?
I always disclose it right away, at the outset, because I don’t want them to think I’m trying to trick them later on. And I have to say, despite all the misinformation I see about how untrustworthy the media are, and how no one believes reporters anymore – despite that, people actually talk more when they learn I’m a journalist. They want to talk and tell their stories.
Were any of the many people you spoke with curious about you — your background/opinions etc. — and about Canada?
[Now] that you mention it ... no one asked me anything about myself, ever. Not that I minded. But they were not curious about life in Canada, with the exception of one Democrat who said he’d move here if Trump won again.
A Freemont street performer, dressed as a 'showgirl', appears worn out from the blistering Los Vegas heat as she waits for tourists to pay to have their photo taken with her in Las Vegas, Nev..Barbara Davidson/The Globe and Mail
Looking ahead to the election
What did you learn that forecasts the future of America?
I’m not sure I can generalize. But I was astonished by how much American politics (and we’re just like them) has become theatre, rather than a real discussion about issues. I mean, the quality of the public campaign conversation about the economy alone is appalling, full of generalizations and rhetoric, without any real confrontation of the facts – which is admittedly difficult. Instead we get this carnival show – the accusations that people are eating dogs and cats, the spectacle of crowd size at rallies. Vance even admitted he just says stuff to grab attention. That’s not politics; that’s propaganda. I found myself hoping (against hope, probably) that someone will figure out a way to bring political issues down to the personal, practical level.
Did your trip leave you feeling more or less hopeful about the future of America regardless of the outcome of this election?
Less optimistic in the short run, alas. I was astounded by the number of Americans who said they planned to vote for Donald Trump, even when it was clearly not in their interests. I think it’s as much of a psychological issue as it is political or economic. They think they can finally get his approval if they vote for him, after having been “unapproved of” for so long by so many elements of the society they live in. But that’s just speculation on my part. So short run, ugh. But long run, more hopeful: All the most oppressed people I met were the proudest Americans. That has to be worth something.
Questions have been edited for length and clarity.