--- title: How Veterans Can Change the Politics of a Divided America description: These neighbors of mine didn’t just care about political parties or punditry. They wanted to know that someone was fighting for them. canonical: https://time.com/5019495/veterans-day-divided-america/ author: Daniel McCready article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-11-11T20:01:03.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T18:12:14.374Z article:section: Ideas og:title: How Veterans Can Change the Politics of a Divided America og:description: People aren't that partisan at heart og:url: https://time.com/5019495/veterans-day-divided-america/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How Veterans Can Change the Politics of a Divided America twitter:description: People aren't that partisan at heart twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Veterans Can Bring a New Kind of Politics to Heal a Divided America > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. Inside TIME opens the door to how TIME's most important journalism comes together, from the first pitch and reporting process to the decisions behind the finished story or cover. Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs takes readers inside the newsroom, revealing the journalists, ideas and editorial choices behind the stories shaping the global conversation. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=6d74cfbc-0e84-4a02-b52a-1d9cbd3aa268&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 430,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 50.7% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Sam Jacobs, Editor-in-Chief | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership Globally minded knowledge seekers. Readers who turn to journalism to understand the world, with meaningful concentrations among educators, students, media professionals, civic institutions and knowledge workers. ### TIME Inside TIME: key statements * Inside TIME is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * Inside TIME is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=6d74cfbc-0e84-4a02-b52a-1d9cbd3aa268&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/subscribe?i=6d74cfbc-0e84-4a02-b52a-1d9cbd3aa268&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is Inside TIME? Inside TIME is a twice-weekly newsletter written by TIME Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs. It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. It reaches 430,000 subscribers with a 50.7% open rate as of August 2026. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. by [Daniel McCready](https://time.com/author/daniel-mccready/) ## Daniel McCready Nov 11, 2017 8:01 PM UTC by [Daniel McCready](https://time.com/author/daniel-mccready/) ## Daniel McCready Nov 11, 2017 8:01 PM UTC This [Veterans Day](http://time.com/4976729/first-veterans-day-immigrants-citizenship/), we join together to honor our veterans and the many sacrifices made to keep our country free. But even on this day of national unity, if you turn on the TV, you’ll see an America torn apart by [political parties](http://time.com/4861005/terrorist-attack-bipartisanship-survey/) and [protests](http://time.com/4973738/white-supremacists-charlottesville-rally-richard-spencer/). This Veterans Day, it seems, we’re impossibly divided. But a new generation of veterans can heal our broken politics. I got my education in the Marine Corps, where I led a platoon of 65 Marines in Iraq. It’s where I learned that, no matter your background, we all wear the same color uniform. It’s where I learned that leaders eat last, after their men, and that no one gets left behind. It’s where I found the spirit of common purpose that makes our country great. So when the pundits say we have nothing in common with the other side, I don’t buy it. I’m six months into a run for U.S. Congress. My congressional district, North Carolina’s 9th, is like a slice of America. The district includes southeast Charlotte, one of the most prosperous parts of the country, and runs east near Fort Bragg through communities hit hardest by bad trade deals and automation — areas that President Trump won big. I’m running as a Democrat in a red district, the kind of place that Democrats have [nearly forgotten how to win](http://time.com/5007331/donna-brazile-2016-election/). But I’m finding that most folks here aren’t extreme party loyalists. They just want to build a better future for their families. Shortly after I started my campaign, I spoke to a small group in one of the most disadvantaged parts of the district in an old warehouse in a once-thriving mill town. As a candidate brand new to politics, I gave the stump speech I had prepared and invited folks to ask questions. I expected the kinds of questions I often see debated on TV, questions about [Trump vs. Hillary](http://time.com/5008708/donald-trump-twitter-hillary-clinton-dnc/), Democrat vs. Republican. Instead, the first question was from an older woman who raised her hand and asked, “Will I still be able to afford my eye glasses if [I lose my Medicaid](http://time.com/4566900/medicaid-donald-trump-healthcare/)?” It wasn’t a question I had expected, but it was one I needed to hear. She hadn’t come to debate politics or policy. She came to find someone who could help. Several weeks later, I traveled to a Veterans of Foreign Wars outpost in the suburbs. Again, I gave my stump speech and invited questions. A gentleman who had voted for Trump stood up and asked, “How do I know you won’t go to Washington and just become [part of the](http://time.com/donald-trump-drain-swamp/) problem?” I answered him honestly. “I don’t care about what Paul Ryan or Nancy Pelosi has to say, I just want to fight for the people in our district,” I said. I’ll work with anyone for the good of our state and country. That was enough for him. I had his support. In the end, these neighbors of mine didn’t just care about political parties or punditry. They wanted to know that someone was fighting for them. Putting people before party might be a revolutionary concept in modern politics but it’s nothing new for our nation’s veterans. For veterans, the idea of “service over self” isn’t a talking point. It’s part of our DNA. Many of us joined the military after 9/11 because we wanted to serve. Now, at a time when veteran representation in Congress is at a historic low, more than 100 veterans are running for Congress because we feel called to serve again. We know what it takes to bring a divided country together, and we’re ready to do it. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5019495/veterans-day-divided-america/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5019495/veterans-day-divided-america/"},"headline":"Veterans Can Bring a New Kind of Politics to Heal a Divided America","datePublished":"2017-11-11T20:01:03.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T18:12:14.374Z","description":"People aren't that partisan at heart","url":"https://time.com/5019495/veterans-day-divided-america/","keywords":["politics","Military","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Daniel McCready","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/daniel-mccready/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/politics/","name":"politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5019495/veterans-day-divided-america/","name":"Veterans Can Bring a New Kind of Politics to Heal a Divided America"}}]}] ```