Can't We Just Get Along?  

     Humans are tribalistic. It's part of our sin nature, says reporter Timothy Lamer. "This means the growing racial and religious diversity of Western countries is ... a historic challenge." 

     He critiques a book, The Great Experiment, by Yascha Mounk, who writes, "We don't have a blueprint for making diverse democracies work. Great Experiment is whether we can come up with one. If we fail, our children face a bleak and possibly violent future."

     Mounk, whose politics are left of center, admits that progressives are undermining the experiment. Environmentalists, for instance, oppose economic growth that creates opportunities for everyone to excel. 

     He also opposes those who try to make "racial identity the dividing line of American life." 

     Lamer writes, "American progressives have said ... that mass immigration will create a permanent majority for left-wing politics. Many conservatives are concerned that large-scale immigration is a natural boon to the left." 

     Mounk, himself on the left, thinks "these worries are unwarranted.  Rigid political beliefs can disappear in a relatively short time. Growing rates of intermarriage raise a challenge to identity politics." 

     "For our Great Experiment to succeed, members of every group must have confidence that they and their children have a fair shot at prosperity," writes Lamer.   

     Mounk admits the success of Asian Americans and other immigrants, many of whom have more upward mobility than white Americans. His greatest weakness, Lamer thinks, is his commitment to the welfare state. 

     Thomas Sowell asks, "What if welfare undermines the values that are the key to prosperity?" Lamer: "If welfare encourages a culture and holds back poor Americans, then welfare is not a solution but a problem." 

     "Mounk doesn't mention our $31 trillion debt, but it's surely an obstacle to the Great Experiment," Lamer concludes.