LETTER: How a confrontation in GOP tent ended in detente, smiles

To Ozaukee Press:

Ted Poull’s letter to the editor in last week’s Ozaukee Press was very interesting to me. Like Mr. Poull, I volunteered in a political booth at the Ozaukee County Fair, and I, too, had a discussion with a couple who walked in ready to challenge me. And to be clear, they were loaded for bear for the “fight” they thought they were walking into. She is the daughter of a Wisconsin  Democrat congresswoman and he passive-aggressively referred to “people like you” (me) as a “bitch” at one point in his Trump rant.

However, unlike Mr. Poull, I wasn’t volunteering my time in the Republican Party of Ozaukee County’s tent to shut down our guests’ arguments. Here are some snippets from how our lengthy conversation went:

I shared with her that she and I have a lot more in common than she realized when she walked into the RPOC tent that day. I shared with them both why I believe in the party and am engaged not to fight with the other side but to hold our elected reps accountable to the party’s core values and founding principles.

I conceded that some of today’s divisiveness is the GOP’s fault (check out what the Freakanomics guys have to say about the Newt Gingrich’s speaker-of-the house years) and I am working in my tiny little sphere of influence to correct that. I shared two of our complimentary bottles of water with them, and they appreciated the cool drinks on a hot day.

At the end of our chat, she hugged me and said, “I wish I knew more Republicans like you.” I hugged him and said, “Hugging you even though you have a potty mouth.” They left me with smiles on their faces, and I had one on mine too.

That’s how you represent your values, your party and the world you want to leave to your children, in my humble opinion. Not by looking down at “the other side” and belittling them for their values, but finding common ground and building together in those spaces where we agree.

Jennifer Clearwater
Port Washington