In a December 13 op-ed piece, Jessica Grose wrote in-depth on the Convergence Collaborative on Supports for Working Families. The piece was full of optimism around Convergence’s methodology and the policies that this project aims to impact. Grose wrote:  

“There’s a group of people of all ideological backgrounds — social conservatives, progressive activists, budget wonks and lots of people in between — that’s been convening over the past year, and that gives me a bit of hope for family policy’s future. It also offers a road map for people who disagree vehemently on issues to have productive conversations and find points of connection.”

Jessica Grose ended the piece by reflecting on her own experiences with others from different viewpoints:  

“I came out of observing the discussion mostly wishing that we could all have mediators like Fairman at our holiday tables. We can’t simply wish away the profound disagreements many of us have. But I’ll certainly be trying to ask more clarifying questions of people I don’t agree with. Quieting my rebuttal mind, as a professional opinion haver, will be a rough one, but I’m going to do my best, and I’m going to try to maintain as much good faith as I can muster. We’ll need it in 2024.”