Ever since working on a project encouraging pro-choice and pro-life activists to work on issues important to both groups, I have been on the look-out for potential common ground among “unlikely allies.” Recently, the title of a John Ransom column posted on Townhall.com on March 11 caught my attention. The column, entitled “Five Things Obama Could Do to be the Greatest President Ever, but Won’t”, raised my blood pressure and piqued my curiosity. I have learned from prior experience, however, that this emotional mixture often yields glimmers of common ground, so I took a couple of deep breaths, held my nose, and clicked on the article.

“Hmmm,” I thought while reading, “if Ransom’s snarky tone can be ignored — very difficult to do — then his suggestions could spark some interesting conversations. Consider:

1) “Negotiate with Republicans on Obamacare.”

During the past several years, I have heard progressives and conservatives complain about indecipherable medical bills, too many medical tests, inept pain management, and the increased assembly-line feel of the medical process. President Obama has acknowledged that the Affordable Care Act isn’t perfect, and has signaled his willingness to reach out for suggested improvements. Perhaps, the question “how can the patient-medical professional partnership be strengthened” might be the springboard needed to nudge the health-care system to a better place.

2. “Fold Up Sarbanes-Oxley and Dodd-Frank.”

Most progressives also aren’t thrilled with these bills. I believe the underlying frustration is the too-cozy relationship between the government and large financial institutions. How can this relationship be made less cozy and more transparent?

3. “Approve the Keystone Pipeline.”

Most progressives seem to believe that President Obama will eventually approve the Keystone Pipeline while most conservatives declare that he won’t. Whatever the decision, effectively balancing the potential of new drilling technology with environmental concerns will require some give-and-take from all sides.

4. “Evaluate all legislation and executive action for job cost.”

I found this suggestion especially thought-provoking. To what degree should this apply to entry-level vs. high-end jobs? How should “cost” be defined? For example, how should we address the cost of government subsidizing those employers who pay their employees below-poverty wages through food stamps, Medicaid, and other government assistance? Might raising the minimum wage and indexing it to inflation reduce this cost? And how does NAFTA and other similar treaties connect with job creation?

5. President Obama should resign.

While no common ground exists between those in the “Obama-should-resign” and “Obama-shouldn’t-resign” camps, consider Mr. Ransom’s concluding comment:

“Almost anyone would be better, with the exception of the next presidential nominee of the party-either party-who will likely be much, much worse. Hillary-Jeb 2016? Ouch.”

OK, so what should we be looking for in our next presidential candidates?

The best way to support pro-life and pro-choice activists was to assist them in finding areas tangential to the abortion issue on which they could get excited about working together while not compromising their deeply-held beliefs. Once they had the chance to discuss their experiences with abortion in a safe, confidential space, they gradually were able to acknowledge the common ground they shared, often leading to their willingness to work on preventing teen pregnancy, promoting adoption, and encouraging more respectful discussions about the issue. Over time, I came to realize that the main disagreement among activists was the role government should play concerning abortion, not the “rightness” of the procedure.

Progressives and conservatives are not likely to agree on the proper role of government in healthcare, financial institution regulation, energy, or job creation, but if activists can work together to discover those “tangential issues,” some of the energy being used to demonize the other side could be used to improving the way we live together. Pie in the sky? Perhaps, but activists have the best chance to bring that pie to earth and expand it.