Sen. Bernie Sanders has a friendship with Utah Sen. Mike Lee.

If that surprises anyone, it shouldn’t. The duo was instrumental in passing a Senate resolution earlier this year that directed the removal of U.S. troops from Yemen who were sent there without approval from Congress.

Lee has built relationships with a handful of other “surprising” colleagues, including Democratic Sens. Cory Booker, Dick Durbin and Dianne Feinstein.

And if viewers made it to the end of Tuesday’s three-hour Democratic debate, they would have stumbled on this final question: “What friendship have you had that would surprise us, and what impact has that had on you and your beliefs?”

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard pointed to Trey Gowdy. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and former Vice President Joe Biden both mentioned John McCain. Sen. Elizabeth Warren said she befriended Republican solicitor general Charles Freed. Sen. Cory Booker has Bible study with Sen. Jim Inhofe and takes his Republican colleagues out to lunch. Sen. Kamala Harris noted the work she did with Sen. Rand Paul. Sanders referenced Lee.

Presumably at the risk of offending the left-leaning audience, each candidate felt compelled to clarify their relationships: “We don’t agree on anything, however …” (fill in the blank). “He’s a deeply principled Republican, but we still …” (insert bipartisan achievement here).

Maybe it’s time for America to live more within those exceptions than to settle for the falsehood, “we have nothing in common.” And maybe it’s time the country stops labeling these partnerships as “surprising.”

Not everyone in Congress agrees on everything, nor should they. But bipartisanship isn’t — at least it shouldn’t be — a myth. It’s how things get done.

Bipartisanship isn’t — at least it shouldn’t be — a myth. It’s how things get done.

Living within those exceptions — the spaces where common ground pokes through a tangle of thorny divisions — is the hallmark of a good legislator. And it should be the aim of everyone as they sit down to dinner, chat with neighbors or engage friends online.

But data released by the Pew Research Center last week shows most people aren’t doing so well. Almost three-quarters of Americans now say they not only can’t agree on policy plans but that they also can’t agree on basic facts.

That means it’s up to the remaining 26% who at least have their facts straight to bridge the divide and search for agreement. Debating opposing views is helpful, and sometimes entertaining, but when progress is needed it’s the common ground that always gets the votes.

These “surprising” friendships are what will ultimately move the needle on immigration reform, public safety, health care and federal spending. No position among members of Congress is so extreme it doesn’t allow for a spot of common ground. That’s where legislation needs to live, especially heading into an election year that threatens to consume any semblance of bipartisan lawmaking.

And no individual opinion should be so extreme it precludes even talking to someone who thinks differently.

Sen. Klobuchar closed her final minutes with this statement: “What unites us is so much bigger than what divides us. ... Our job ... is to change the tone in our politics.” It’s more than a squishy sentiment; it’s a way of life that’s slipping away. Living in the exceptions will keep America running strong.