To jtallen83,
"When I am getting ready to reason with a man, I spend one-third of my time thinking about myself and what I am going to say and two-thirds about him and what he is going to say".
Abraham Lincoln
I do not quote from the great minds of world history to be cute, clever, or appear to be intellectually superior. Their collective genius is the legacy
they have left for future generations, to find common ground, to inspire us.
Lincoln, arguably our greatest president, was a master at making friends of his adversaries through the power of his eloquent debate.
I agree with you that the truth usually lies in the middle, but I would argue
that a no compromise position will not lead us there.
I do believe that we the people, all of us, have allowed extremist's from both sides of the political spectrum, to hijack and distort the truth.
Each election cycle, the majority of Americans complain loud and clear that they are fed up with the negative sound bits and dogma, from both sides.
But it continues to poison our national debate, and real change for our collective good is not happening, and we are angry and frustrated.
No one here is suggesting that you, or anyone, surrender or compromise your
core values. It's really, I think, a question of how we proceed forward with
the debate.
Therefore, I for one, will be looking for a Lincoln this coming election, not a Nugent. Of course I won't find him, he belongs to the ages. But I will look for and support those who promote his leadership qualities.
One last quote, if you please,
" Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail. Without it, nothing can succeed".
Abraham Lincoln
My intent all along has been, in some small, modest measure, to draw the conversation
away from the extreme. Also, to see if a moderate voice can co-exist within this
wide range of strong and differing convictions. I think, yes!
Time for me, now, to step back and listen.
Regards,
JS
