01907 Spring 2022

SPRING 2022 | 29
Bringing
the ends
to the
middle
BY ALLYSHA DUNNIGAN
Bob Scheier of Swampscott is the co-chair of the New England Chapter of the Braver Angels, an organization commited to getting progressives and conservatives around a
table sharing their views.
PHOTOS: SPENSER HASAK
The political spectrum is
broader than ever with
conservatives on one end and
liberal Democrats like Bob Scheier on
the other. Scheier wants both ends to
meet in the middle.
Scheier thinks he has a way to soar
above the social and mainstream-media
storm swirling around former president
Donald Trump and fueled by the
COVID-19 pandemic.
The Swampscott resident is co-chair
of the New England chapter of Braver
Angels, a national group consisting of
more than 11,000 members formed
after Trump's 2016 election as a way
for people in opposing parties to learn
to hear each other out and respect each
other's differing views in a civil way.
Scheier's co-chair is state Rep. Lenny
Mirra, a Georgetown Republican,
who stands at the other end of the
political spectrum from Scheier. Braver
Angels strives for an equal liberal and
conservative membership, as well as
leadership structure, to offer views and
opinions from both sides of the political
spectrum.
"Many Braver Angels groups around
the country are predominantly blue, or
liberal leaning, and we really need many
more strong conservatives so that we
can have the genuinely challenging but
rewarding conversations that we need,"
Scheier said.
The Angels' mission is to reach out