I don’t think they need to. I think they just need to shake hands and say it’s okay to have a different opinion.

There have been a number of studies around the world, plus some real world examples (Utah gubernatorial 2020) where showing your opponents in a sympathetic light can make a big difference in reductions in political polarization.

It’s especially effective when signaled by the “elite”: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00323217241300...

Edit: I hear plenty of stories of people abandoning family members over a difference of political opinion. My MIL won’t talk to a niece of hers after the niece made the same decision. I won’t go so far as to say that’s never warranted, but it seems these days that it’s happening a lot more.

To me, this implies we’re losing acceptability of political “others”.

Counterpoint: dehumanizing trans people, black people, other minorities, women, is not acceptable. It's not "a different opinion". When Republican politicians or prominent conservative talking heads talk about replacement theory, other conservatives shoot up synagogues or super markets in a minority neighborhood. I don't want to talk to you if this is what you support, unless what you're saying is you've had a change of heart.

> this implies we’re losing acceptability of political “others”.

I think this is being seriously accelerated by Trump. Why should I treat those I disagree with with dignity and respect when the President (who theoretically is a leader for all Americans, not just the people who voted for him) says things like this?

"And when you look at the agitator, you look at the scum that speaks so badly of our country, the American flag burnings all over the place, that’s the left. That’s not the right."

When Trump and Vance start setting a positive example for others to follow, maybe I'll rethink my position, but leadership and accountability start at the top.

It's rough when very basic premises, "political violence, no matter who causes it, is abhorrent," are up for debate. The minority people who support, defend, ignore, or rationalize actions which have no place in this country is a major part of the issue.

Turn on the largest mainstream media "news" channel, and you'll hear nothing but mindless hate for 20 hours a day, without consideration for what actual news is occurring.