When Exhaustion Becomes the Opening
- On Key Strategies
- Nov 13
- 4 min read
At Groundwork Ohio’s Momentum Institute in late October, political pollster Robert Blizzard of UpONE Insights began his presentation with a slide that quieted the room. Nearly 80 percent of Americans, he explained, believe the opposing party’s agenda will “destroy America as we know it.” Most think political violence is more common than it was a decade ago, and most see the country as more divided than at any point in recent memory. Blizzard noted that nothing in the data suggests this environment is likely to change anytime soon.
It was a sobering start. But what came next offered something unexpected—a glimpse of common ground. His next slides, part of new research conducted by UpONE Insights for Groundwork Ohio, the Ohio Head Start Association, Inc., and the First Five Years Fund, told a very different story.
Nearly 80 percent of Ohio voters believe the ability of working parents to find and afford quality child care is either a major problem or a state of crisis.
More than one-third said they or someone they know would consider entering the workforce if they could find affordable, reliable care. Two-thirds believe federal funding for child care and early learning programs is a good investment of taxpayer money, and majorities want that investment to grow. Support for Head Start is especially strong. Across party lines, most Ohioans see it as a smart way to help parents work and children succeed.
In a room filled with advocates and policymakers, that was the rare moment when people nodded in unison. But Blizzard, who has advised campaigns across the political spectrum, offered an important reminder.
Among Republicans, support for these ideas—while high—is also soft. It is not yet the kind of issue that drives votes or defines political identity. It is an opening, not a movement.
That observation stuck with me. In a political culture defined by exhaustion, soft support might be the most important kind of support we have left. It suggests voters are open. They are not entrenched in opposition or consumed by ideology. They are waiting for someone to make it safe to care about something again.
Polarization has made politics a permanent state of tension. The people who live in the middle have learned to tune it out. But what the polling shows is that ordinary voters are not nearly as divided as the political noise suggests. They are worried about paying the bills, about keeping their jobs, about finding care they can trust for their kids. They are tired of the fight and ready for something that feels practical, decent, and real.
That is where advocates have an opportunity. The mistake would be assuming that high levels of public agreement automatically translate into political action. They do not. Consensus is not momentum. It becomes meaningful only when someone turns it into a story that resonates inside the political system.
Soft support is a starting point. It means the field is open for the right messengers to step in. It is a signal to business leaders, community voices, and pragmatic policymakers that they have room to lead. And it is a reminder to advocates that the goal is not just to convince, but to activate—to give voters a sense that their shared exhaustion can lead to something constructive. Turning parent frustration about child care into kitchen-table credibility, not talking points, is where that work begins.
What Blizzard’s presentation underscored for me is that we are not returning to a less polarized era anytime soon. The political climate will stay loud and divisive. But advocates can still succeed inside that reality if they stop waiting for the temperature to drop and start learning how to operate within it. That means leading with credibility, choosing messages that connect to economic security, and lifting up trusted local voices who can carry those messages to skeptical audiences. It means framing child care not as a partisan issue or a social service, but as a foundation for work, family stability, and community growth. If candidates ignore what families are saying about child care, they are misreading the moment.
Exhaustion, in this sense, becomes an opening. When people are tired of the constant fight, they start listening for what sounds true. The data from Groundwork Ohio, the Ohio Head Start Association, and the First Five Years Fund show that child care and early learning are among the few remaining notes of agreement in our political culture. The opportunity lies in playing that note clearly and consistently enough to cut through the noise.
There was a moment during Blizzard’s presentation when his slides shifted from national numbers to Ohio data, and you could almost feel the energy in the room change.
After all the charts about polarization and fear, there was finally a slide about families. That small shift in tone reminded everyone why this work still matters. Even in an environment that shows no sign of calming down, people still want their leaders to focus on what will make life a little easier, a little more secure, a little more fair.
That is where the center still exists. It may not be political, but it is human—and it is the only place left where progress still feels possible.
