Whose mind do you think you’re changing?
Has anyone changed your mind about something by yelling at you? Or the reverse – have you succeeded in changing someone’s mind by badgering or belittling them?
The answer to both questions is probably no. Yet, this is a popular approach when discussing politics.
In a healthy society, different views don't disqualify a friendship
I was living in Washington, D.C. when my son was born. All my “mom” friends were back home in Wisconsin.
Feeling isolated, I joined an app called Peanut, which is essentially Tinder for moms. The idea is to find mom friends, which can be challenging — especially for new moms who refuse to leave their homes until they fit back into their pre-pregnancy jeans. It seemed like a good option for me until I actually started “swiping right.”
When I started connecting with moms, little did I know how much political acrimony was hiding on Peanut, waiting to strike.
Send my National Guardsman husband home from the Capitol. Or at least support him
When news broke last week that soldiers serving in the Maryland National Guard on active duty at the U.S. Capitol were banished to a cold, exhaust-filled parking garage, Congress rushed to offer outrage.
Social media exploded with vows from members to “get to the bottom” of things and to “make them right.” Unfortunately, that passion from just a few days ago has faded into business as usual on Capitol Hill.
Coronavirus sucks, but did it have to ruin MLB opening day?
That’s it. I’ve had it. Can we all please collectively focus our cancel culture on the coronavirus? I can deal with postponed work events, limited social gatherings, and work-from-home mandates. But depriving me of baseball? Absolutely not. I will not stand for it. If COVID-19 wants me, tell it to look for me at the main gates of Nationals Park.
As Nationals spring training kicks off, F.P. Santangelo opens up about the team
Days before hopping on a plane down to the Washington Nationals spring training facility in Palm Beach, Florida, F.P. Santangelo, color commentator for the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, sat down with me at a crowded coffee shop in Alexandria to chat about winning a World Series title, the upcoming 2020 season, and what kind of makeup he wears on TV.
Want to win an election? Pay attention to sports
If you want to win elections in Wisconsin, political operatives understand that you never call or knock doors on Sunday afternoons during football season. In Alabama, the only teams that matter in college football are Auburn and the Alabama Crimson Tide. You’re considered rude if you don’t smile politely and nod for the entire 30 minutes or more it takes for a fan of either team to explain why. In Florida, it’s OK to poke fun at the Miami Marlins, but not too hard, and in Missouri, if you’re not all-in on Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, you may as well move to Cleveland.
Anthony Rendon’s departure puts Nats fans through the five stages of grief
This morning started out beautifully. I woke up early, had a great workout, crushed some work, and ordered the last thing on my Christmas shopping list. I was feeling good, feeling accomplished. I was ready to take on anything Thursday could throw at me.
Then I looked at Instagram.
Washington Nationals TV broadcaster F.P. Santangelo posted a selfie he took after the Nationals won the World Series. It was with Anthony Rendon, my favorite baseball player. (Sorry Christian Yelich, you’re a very close second.)
Five things Washington should learn from the Nats winning the World Series
I’m usually not a fan of mixing something as pure and joyful as baseball with something that is neither of those things, such as our current political culture. But the Washington Nationals, 2019’s team of destiny, gave this town too many important lessons to ignore.
So as you battle through exhaustion today (and perhaps a hangover), I hope these gems, courtesy of our world champions, sink into your consciousness.
Political incivility has gone too far when even baseball isn’t safe
Booing is a normal part of the baseball experience. I’ve personally participated many times this season — mainly when the Phillies’ $330 million slugger Bryce Harper came to bat and during a certain Wild Card game earlier this month. It’s a healthy and generally lighthearted tradition in baseball.
But booing a president attending a ballgame, no matter how terrible you believe that person to be, is never okay. It’s not healthy or lighthearted. It’s terrible and it speaks to the devastating virus that has infected too much of the American culture: political incivility.
Nats’ magical World Series run faces toughest test yet
The Washington Nationals are going to the World Series. At least that’s what Captain Obvious’ sign read on Oct. 15 as it flashed on my television screen between jubilant high-fives and waves of shark chomps.
I’m excited. Don’t think for a minute that I didn’t purchase tickets to the big show. (My landlord really won’t miss my November rent, right?) While I personally appreciate all the Instagram stories and photos showing rainfalls of champagne and questionable dance moves, there are some tough realities all Nationals fans need to face when the high of a pennant wears off and the hangover sets in.
Washington is a better place when the Nationals are winning
For the past few weeks, I’ve been down on the Washington Nationals. (Please understand that I’m from Wisconsin, and the Nats crushed my Miller Park playoff dreams.) But the Nats deserve some serious credit. It was a toss-up whether they would win the wild card game against my Brewers last week. They were severe underdogs in the NLDS against Los Angeles. In fact, they were such long shots to win the series that the Dodgers, and probably all of their fans, are still in a state of shock the day after the Nats came back from a two-run deficit to beat the Dodgers.
How to talk about the Nationals at happy hour
It’s October, and that means postseason baseball is well underway. Thank God for that, because this town desperately needs something interesting to talk about at happy hour.
For all of you who (shamefully) neglect America’s greatest pastime in lieu of lesser interests, like politics, here’s a basic road map that will help you navigate any Washington-centric postseason conversation you may unwittingly find yourself in.
Increase civility, decrease violence
Yesterday, multiple people, including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, were shot during a congressional baseball practice in Virginia. Reports show that prior to this terrible event, the gunman specifically asked whether the practice was for Republican or Democrat players.
This is an extremely disturbing example of just how bad the political atmosphere in America has become, but it’s certainly not the only example. The flames of hate are fanned every single day on social media and in the news, and there’s no denying that the toxicity of this rhetoric feeds into the unspeakable actions of those such as yesterday’s shooter, and countless others over the years.
Town hall 'uprising' is scripted and doesn't reflect the people
Earlier this month, my colleague Eric Harris, who serves as communications director for Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), published a perspective in The Washington Post on the volume of phone calls being made to Congress in recent weeks.
In his piece, Harris thanks “furious callers who continue to bombard” their office because “their sentiments come from a genuine place of sincerity and alarm” about the current administration. He also labels these calls as a “spontaneous grass-roots uprising.”
From where I’m sitting, “spontaneous grass-roots uprising” is a gross mischaracterization of what actually is occurring on Capitol Hill and in district offices throughout the nation, and specifically here in Wisconsin.