OPINION: Identity politics

What is the first thing you want people to notice about you? 

Many people find their identity and sense of belonging in politics. But, oddly enough, this often isn’t the first thing we notice about each other, and it isn’t the main thing that builds community. 

When we pause to hold the door open for someone, we don’t check who they voted for first. When we cheer for kids at the local T-ball game, we cheer for every team member. When a bicyclist is injured on the side of the road, we rally around them to help. When Kootenai County experiences tragedy, we don’t ask about the political affiliation of the victims or their families before stepping up and lending a hand. 

At its core, Kootenai County embraces these values. 

And yet, we still struggle with tribalism. Have we been so brainwashed as to believe that even saluting an American flag that happens to be carried by a Democrat in the local parade is traitorous? 

In today’s hyper-polarized world, many people have come to define themselves almost entirely by their political identity. It’s how we choose our news sources, our churches, even our friends. Politics — once the way we debated ideas — has become the way we define who’s in our community and who isn’t. It’s how we decide who we’ll listen to and who we’ll dismiss. And for some, it’s even how they decide who they’ll still talk to in their own family.

We’ve gotten it backward.

What if we stopped asking people, “What party do you belong to?” and started asking, “What do you believe in?” What if instead of finding our identity and our community in a party platform, we found it in shared values?

In America, we are one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. In Kootenai County, we are kind people who show up for each other in times of trouble. 

You would be shocked by the number of people you interact with daily who hold moderate to left-leaning views. Knowing this, would it change who you helped?

What if instead of finding community in political affiliation, we created community around shared values?

Are you someone who believes in kindness? In education? In accountability? In hard work? In protecting our public lands? Do you believe people deserve second chances? Do you believe our elders deserve care and our kids deserve a future? That every person has dignity?

Because those values exist far beyond party lines — but they’ve been buried under the weight of our loyalty to political labels.

Many of us were raised to believe in decency and family first. But in recent years, we’ve been told — by talk shows, by social media, by politicians — that we should see the “other side” as not just wrong, but dangerous. We’ve been told that merely talking to someone who votes differently is an act of disloyalty, that compromise is betrayal, and that curiosity is weakness.

That’s not political conviction. That’s brainwashing.

Think about it: Have you ever watched a family fracture over politics? That’s not strength; that’s tragedy.

It’s one thing to care deeply about issues. You should. Democracy requires it. But when political affiliation becomes a stand-in for morality — when it becomes the litmus test for love, trust or friendship — we’ve lost our ability to build community.

Here in Idaho, and especially in places like Kootenai County, we’ve seen these tensions play out in homes, in churches, and in public meetings. Political party meetings have turned into purity tests, where people are pushed out for not being “conservative enough.” The local Republican Party has been particularly vocal in pushing out members they deem insufficiently loyal — even elected precinct captains who were chosen by voters.

Here’s the truth: you can support justice and also value tradition. You can care about working families and also worry about taxes. You can believe in secure borders and still support human dignity. You can think for yourself and still belong in Kootenai County.

Because real communities aren't built on political branding; they are built on the kindness we show to one another. 

So the next time someone asks what you believe, lead with your values.

That’s how we build community and keep a Democracy healthy. That’s how we move forward, together.

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Sarah Martin is chairman of the Kootenai County Democrats.