A Talk To Remind You Of What You Believe In

As the presidential primary season marches on around the country, the nasty political ads and robo calls are taking their toll. Many people are, to paraphrase former Vice President Al Gore, getting snippy about their political differences. If we’re going to make it till Election Day, commentator Gwen Thompkins thinks we’d better all learn how to disagree without being disagreeable.

I had the most invigorating political discussion the other day with a man who didn’t believe a word I said. I didn’t believe anything he said, either, but that made the conversation all the more fun.

We had met years ago when I was a newspaper reporter and needed somebody to teach me — fast — about Louisiana politics. He was a political consultant — a Cambridge-educated man, no less — and when others recommended him to me, they consistently used the word “brilliant.”