Now before my Republican friends delete me on Facebook, hear me out.
I've always admired Mrs. Judy Teller. If you don't know Ms. Judy, you've missed out on one of Fannin County's treasures. A friend recently described her as "the key to Bonham," and after watching her service all these year, she earned that title.
Ms. Judy is a Democrat. A hardcore Rayburn Democrat. Past President of the Fannin County Democratic Women - state convention kind. She doesn't whisper it either.
And I'm a registered Republican. More of a Rayburn-crat, if we're being honest. The kind that occasionally gets accused of not acting enough like a Republican.
Ms. Judy and I are also separated by a generation. She's closer to my mom's age than mine, yet still has the spunk and curiosity of many of my former high school students.
On paper, we don't match. Yet I invited her to H. Compton's, Republican campaign watch party.
The scandal.
Imagine one of the best-known Democrats in Fannin County walking into a room full of Republicans. Not to protest, argue, or convert anyone to a cause, like social media would have you believe.
Just to support someone she believed was the best choice for Fannin County.
And there were other Democrats there too.
Weird, right?
On the drive over we talked about clothes, family, county issues, and yes, even politics. Not once did either of us say, “You Republicans" or "You Democrats.” And not once did we blame each other for ruining America.
Instead, we talked about Fannin County and its future. The things that actually matter here. And I learned so much from her.
Somewhere along the way, we've convinced ourselves that political parties are identities instead of tools.
They're not.
A hammer is a tool. A political party is supposed to be a tool too.
You choose the tool that you believe is best suited to accomplish a goal. Neither one is supposed to become your personality.
Imagine watching someone try to drive a railroad spike with a tack hammer.
You'd probably squint, suggest using a sledgehammer instead, offer yours, throw in some curse words and call them stupid because you don’t agree with their tool choice.
I doubt anyone would judge their character over their choice of hammer.
Yet somehow we've reached a point where people are willing to end friendships, dismiss neighbors, and stop listening to one another because of a political label.
James Madison warned about factions in Federalist No. 10. He understood that people naturally form groups. His concern was what would happen when loyalty to a group became more important than loyalty to the common good.
I suspect Madison and Washington would both be surprised to find Americans dividing themselves into two giant camps that spend more time blaming each other for what our country has become than working together to improve it.
Instead of "We the People," we've become "We the Party.
Because that's exactly what's happening.
Ms. Judy reminded me that there are still people who care more about the future of this county than winning political arguments, and care more about neighbors than labels. People who understand that character matters more than party affiliation.
The next 250 years won't be determined by which political party wins the next election. It will be about how we listen and respect each other’s differences.
By whether we're willing to listen.
By whether we're willing to work together.
And by whether we're willing to loan somebody a better hammer when they need one.
As for my date and me?
Don't worry.
You'll never catch us identifying as hammers. However, you may catch us together using some to break down some walls.
