Because my first of several meetings on the House side was in close succession to my only visit on the Senate side, I managed to get from one side of Capitol Hill to the other by going underground. It is a pretty sweet deal when you can pull that off. I’ve only done it once before. Had I not been pressed for time and had a scheduled appointment, I wouldn’t have been granted permission.
They say you live and you learn. Going forward, I’ll never been reluctant to schedule back to back meetings in order to make myself eligible. As you know, my writings have always steered clear of politics. The polarization that has swept our country always renders conflicting sides archenemies. Never has it been more important to keep my political thoughts private.
Of course, I’ve always played my cards pretty close to my chest. Years ago when Craig and Becky were stationed at Camp Pendleton in California prior to the birth of their first child, Becky worked for Orange County Child Welfare. She made an observation that her boss was too conservative to be good in his role. Craig countered that his dad is very good in his role and no one could be more conservative. Becky assured him that I was not conservative.
Initially, I missed Craig’s call, but he left a voice message for me to call. He indicated it was important. He said, “I held the key to solving a dispute between him and Becky”. He wanted to know if I would describe myself as conservative? Of course, it was his belief that I clearly fell in that corner of the universe.
When I telephoned him back, I told him conservative is a relative term. When we lived in Austin, I fell within the framework of folks thought to be conservative. At the time of Craig’s call, we were living in Midland. Nothing had changed about me except the location I called home.
I’m certain there were folks in Midland that might describe me as a wild-eyed liberal. I jokingly, often said” It was illegal in Midland to make a left turn in traffic”. If you want conservative, you need look no farther than Midland, America.
I did add in my conversation with Craig, that hard-core conservative people aren’t particularly known for their empathy and passion for providing assistance to the down-and-out. They often considered the plight of the poor as their own problem. Did I fall into that category? Absolutely not is my answer. Bottom line, in Austin I was conservative. In Midland, I was relegated into a different category by comparison.
Okay, so how did I mess up yesterday? I messed up last night by turning on the television. It was that simple. It was a mistake. Before I found the HGTV channel, the PBS live broadcast of the question and answer portion of the impeachment process was being televised. I sat glued to the television until the hearing adjourned.
Without any intent to make a value judgment regarding any of the players, the assertion by one of the lawyers that indicated there were no limits to what a President could do if he thought it was in the best interest of the country. At least, that is my interpretation of the comment made by Alan Dershowitz. He said this:”If a president does something which he believes will help him get elected in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment.”
I worked for an individual once that was of the belief that achieving the results she desired was all that mattered. You could, lie, beg, borrow, steal, throw others under the bus – nothing mattered by the outcome.
I wasn’t brought up that way. Civility and respect, an adherence to ethical standards, and following the Golden Rule so to speak, orchestrates a more favorable outcome.
What is to become of us if we choose to collectively do whatever it takes to get what we want even if it includes a no holds barred mentality for the good of the country? The simple truth is this: “A house divided cannot stand”.
All My Best!
Don