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I recently took a vacation from my normal editorial crusade for real human contact and posted a question on Facebook - one I frequently ask in person, too. Yes, Facebook: the technological tool that has often reduced the concept of a "friend" from flesh and bone to, often times, little known.
The question: Considering how divided we seem to be as a nation, has "hate" won? Is there hope for compassion, collaboration, discussion and compromise?
Whether the answers came via cyberspace or in person, the candor was undeniable.
Though not included as part of my question, governmental politics received most of the attention.
Politics: The word most likely to induce fear, elicit groans and disengage human edit buttons the moment it's injected into a public forum.
My favorite definition of "politics" comes from Merriam-Webster: "The total complex of relations between people living in society." Why? Politics are undeniably in play practically anywhere power is desired. Political maneuvering can be found inside all levels of government and in the office, on volunteer boards and within homeowners associations, in the classroom and even at Little League games.
I also chatted with politics' dynamic duo, the pair who have come to symbolize the ultimate marriage of left and right wing ideologies: Mary Matalin and James Carville. It's not just that the pair has successfully navigated a 20-plusyear marriage and raised two children, but their professional lives have provided them collective access to all corners of our nation's political arena.
As an author, television and radio host, political contributor, pundit and public speaker, Mary Matalin is one of the most popular conservative voices in America. She served under President Ronald Reagan, made her mark as George H.W. Bush's campaign director, and most recently served as assistant to President George W. Bush, and as assistant and counselor to Vice President Dick Cheney.
Her liberal husband, James "The Ragin' Cajun" Carville,...