America needs a reset; lunch is a good first step
By Richard Porter
Real Clear Wire
The proverb “Every dog has its day” has ancient roots, perhaps dating back to ancient Greece; some even see an early reference in the Bible. The proverb means that at some point, everyone will have some kind of success or recognition. And in the U.S., we take seriously the idea of giving every person, group, or cause a day, week, or month of recognition: In addition to 11 national holidays, there are (at least!) another 54 days, 20 weeks and 58 months recognizing or commemorating a person, group, or event every year.
We all have favorites among these celebrations – mine happens to be today. Thanksgiving was practiced in the U.S. for hundreds of years before Congress established the national holiday – the fourth Thursday in November was selected by a joint resolution that was then signed by President Franklin Roosevelt on Dec. 16, 1941.
President George Washington made the first national proclamation on Oct. 3, 1789, and President Lincoln made another Thanksgiving Proclamation three score and 13 years later. Of course, the first Thanksgiving was declared by Gov. William Bradford of Massachusetts to be Thursday, Nov. 29, 1623.
All these Thanksgiving proclamations call upon the people to unite in giving thanks to God for the blessings He has rendered and the protections He has granted to us. And, while Thanksgiving is conceived as a day for reflection and thanks, it has also become by tradition a family feast and fun day.
Except that in these days of discord, many families are bitterly divided over politics, walking on eggshells to avoid confronting simmering anger over differences of opinion. Most agree that Thanksgiving just isn’t the time, nor is that family dinner the place, to “have it out” over what divides us: Happy talk is the order of the day.
As I previously discussed, a poll conducted last month by M3 Strategies of likely Democratic primary voters highlighted just how deeply alienated Democrats are today from their Republican family, friends, and neighbors. For example, 81% agreed with the statement “Trump and his supporters are like Nazis.”
M3 Strategies asked in one question, “In your own words, please tell us what you think motivates Trump supporters to vote for him” and received 444 responses, most of which were dripping with vitriol. They used words like “racists,” “white supremacy,” “hate,” “KKK ideology,” “brainwashed,” “uneducated,” “cult,” “bully,” “blind faith,” “fear,” and even, of course, “Fox News”!
Less frequently, they used more traditional words that reflect a more moderate disposition, such as “frustration with the status quo,” “economic hardship,” “religion,” “conservative values,” and even the insightful “Democrats too extreme.”
To say that Democrats are feeling down about Republicans and the nation is a generous understatement. Something needs to be done, and it’s probably too much to ask Democrats who live in a bubble of simmering hate to find their way back into fellowship with Americans on their own.
We need an intervention, and it’s up to the rest of us who understand that we are living in the Golden Age of America (and of humanity at large) to be the bigger people and reach out to the depressed Democrats in our lives.
President Trump has already taken steps in this direction – consider his dinner with Bill Maher and his gracious reception of New York City’s Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.
He should build on this approach and declare yet one more special day of recognition by presidential proclamation: a National Take a Democrat to Lunch Day.
In more normal times, Thanksgiving served as a day when Americans put differences aside and refreshed relationships in mutual thanks for the many blessings of God. But how does one respond to an estranged family member or former friend who is willing to tell a stranger that you are a racist, brainwashed Nazi?
This is too big a lift for Thanksgiving – this problem needs a special day dedicated to the challenge.
First, angry people need incentive to come and meet – and what Democrat doesn’t believe Republicans owe them a free lunch?
Second, inviting a Democrat to lunch, and paying for it, inherently extends an olive branch to that angry person and conveys a strong interest in maintaining and developing a relationship.
Third, if you’re paying, the Democrat will be more inclined to listen to you and perhaps even discuss differences in a civil manner, in exchange for the courtesy and kindness you extend through lunch.
Fourth, making this “a thing,” indeed a national thing, highlights in a fun way the need for some national reconciliation, and while it’s teasing Democrats gently, it’s also a nice way to gently rebut the over-the-top way Democrats speak about their opponents.
The question is: When should the National Take a Democrat to Lunch Day occur? April 20 leaps to mind, but perhaps Martin Luther King Day is more in keeping with the spirit of this event. Martin Luther King Jr. refreshed our national spirit by reminding us that God created us all equal and endowed us with the liberties we cherish, calling the Declaration of Independence a promissory note signed to all Americans.
Could there be a better day to take a Democrat to lunch, to pull him or her out of alienation and to remind us all of our mutual humanity?
Richard Porter is the former National Committeeman to the RNC from Illinois.
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