This was SO good and much of it where my thoughts have settled as well.
A counterweight from just this morning.... I got a KIND pm from a friend I haven't seen in a while asking if I understood KH's position on abortion and pointing me to a post. The post was by someone I am not a fan of at all, BUT..... there was NO meanness or attack in my friend's message and it made me step back and make sure I could articulate my position. IT WAS SO REFRESHING! I don't know if the convo will continue but I was so grateful to even be able to have dialogue.
I really appreciate your insights on all of this. Thank you for taking the time to explain so thoughtfully. Your grace and kindness with a steel spine and raw truth are a beautiful and desperately needed combination.
Thank you, Shannan. There is no doubt the Heritage Foundation will implement “Trumpism” if he’s elected. Evangelicals have been working toward this for decades. What’s so horrifying to me is it was a reaction to Civil Rights, segregation and the Equal Rights Amendment (like what). I’ll never understand how they claim to be Jesus followers yet are so willing to follow DT.
ALSO... I just listened to her response to the protesters in Arizona. It was kind and firm and not like the night before when she did not respond with grace.
I'm paying attention to this, too. So many of us are horrified by what's happening in Gaza. I appreciate that she seems willing to grow and change and make adjustments as she goes rather than doubling down on everything!
I would love to see this on the Op Ed page of NYT or wapo and your local and state newspaper. May as well submit and see what happens. Thank you for putting your experiences and feelings and thoughts and facts into words!
Thank you for sharing this, Shannan. I know talking about politics publicly is hard. I truly appreciate you sharing your thoughts and sources with the internet. :)
I worked in a Christian preschool for years. As I taught the children and read books to them, my thoughts were often “if we adults would just listen and put this into practice, the whole world would be a better place.” Jesus summed it up in Mark 12 with Love God and love others. What would our country look like if we measured everything we do against these guidelines?
I hate abortion, as a 61 year old woman I have several friends that had one in their younger days and still struggle with forgiving themselves even as they fully understand the grace of God. It is not an easy solution. But either is the way of making it illegal and not helping. Leaving confused and hurting young women out there. Sending young moms home with a body of a yearned for baby in their womb that has already gone to the arms of Jesus? How is that loving others?
Nobody is perfect and no political party is perfect but I will be voting for the party that makes helping and loving others a priority, even if it reduces my personal wealth.
Dear Shannon. I love you and your pure heart. But in my pure heart, I see errors in your thinking. I’m not as articulate or smart as you and yes, Donald Trump is a mess and I hate some of the things he says. But I disagree with the democrats more. Neither candidate is fit to serve and lead America. But this is where we are
Look at us, disagreeing without being mean! 🫶🏻 You don't have to engage if you'd rather not, but I'm curious if there's a particular issue that sways you toward the R party? Either way, thank you for listening to my heart!
This one feels like you’ve been in our home listening to the conversations (politics,Christianity,real daily life of having all the feels about this political season,how we grew up,where we are now,changes in our thoughts,seeing/hearing the awful rhetoric,from being so stressed out to a place of joy,hopefulness, knowing together we can have a better future! Even if our life puzzles differ sometimes put it aside and still be kind and thoughtful and hang out together ♥️ thank you for this beautifully written post, and for excellent tips on other things to read….love can bind us together!
Shannon, I think you and many others are bring played by a manipulative, partisan media. All of your points were documented by partisan sources and as a former researcher for the THF that is disappointing. There is no perfect candidate or party. Politics has always been a shady, manipulative game. I am 78 y.o. and I have witnessed many political administrations. I have been duped by the created and managed public image. Obama is my prime example. Reporters and media outlets have swung from exposing ALL hypocrisy and lies from ALL candidates to broadcasting the created public profile in order to manipulative public personas. That said, I would never support Harris and Waltz. Instead of using media perceptions, and as a professional researcher, it is disappointing that you did not use government voting histories of the candidates to develop your insights and choice of candidates. Now, as for Trump, he is a flawed candidate for sure. This list is long in ego driven political candidates who have had known affairs even while in office. (Bill Clinton, JFK, etc) Trump is bombastic and speaks (thankfully, off the cuff and doesn't read the prepared campaign schick as do most candidates. Warts and all he shows up authentically. So refreshing. Kamala slept with a married politician. Moral lapse. I have learned that much of Trump's remarks are severely and liability edited versions to control the public perception. Example: when he said: you will never have to vote again HE DID NOT MEAN HE WOULD BE A DICTATOR and abolish our constitution. I urge you to talk to use your research skills and dig deeper than current media sources to assess candidates. We ALL have current perceptions developed by our personal histories with figures in authority. I can't defend either party. And if you must limit your viewpoint to liberal sources or experience with the Heritage Foundation, consider doing non-media sources and do a deep dive into Marxism. Obama used that playback very successfully. I voted for him. You can't imagine the regret and shame I feel about buying into "hope & change" offered by an attractive black man, whom I thought would improve race relations. I warn you, if you vote for Harris and Waltz you will rue that choice in the future. Research Obama's roots and influences too. In our current times, integrity, morality and honesty are in short supply. It breaks my heart that my grandchildren won't have the safe and secure life I grew up enjoying. Blessings to you and your family
Hi Marylou! With the exception of the opening quote about THF, I made sure to quote sources that were identified as not biased, per the media bias chart I linked. Because you called this into questions publicly, it's important for me to clarify this. Also, your comment about Kamala's "relationship" is verified misinformation, which you are now spreading. Further, Fox News (an "entertainment" entity) tried hard to get Trump to walk back his comments about not needing to vote again and he refused.
You drank the Kool-aid. Her affair is a matter of record. You directly communicated with Trump himself about that issue? Why didn't you screenshot and post your question to him and his response to you? That would have been an original source. I don't trust or believe any reports or videos in the age of AI. I agree you need to vote your choice.
I feel so seen and delighted in this piece! I didn’t connect we were in DC at the same time until now. I was a Congressional Page 2003-2004, so Tortilla Coast was on our walk to the dorm, and I wonder if our former selves passed each other. I was also staunchly conservative Christian, voted “most likely to try to get George W Bush elected for a 3rd term” in my Page yearbook and even years later quoted the Heritage Foundation in an essay I wrote as part of my MSW application 🤦♀️
Check. Check. Check. All of this.
Onward we go. 🙏🏻
This was SO good and much of it where my thoughts have settled as well.
A counterweight from just this morning.... I got a KIND pm from a friend I haven't seen in a while asking if I understood KH's position on abortion and pointing me to a post. The post was by someone I am not a fan of at all, BUT..... there was NO meanness or attack in my friend's message and it made me step back and make sure I could articulate my position. IT WAS SO REFRESHING! I don't know if the convo will continue but I was so grateful to even be able to have dialogue.
We will never be a country united around one party or person - that's a good thing! But we CAN get back to this.
I really appreciate your insights on all of this. Thank you for taking the time to explain so thoughtfully. Your grace and kindness with a steel spine and raw truth are a beautiful and desperately needed combination.
We are all shaped by our experiences. Thanks for hearing mine! 💚
Thank you, Shannan. There is no doubt the Heritage Foundation will implement “Trumpism” if he’s elected. Evangelicals have been working toward this for decades. What’s so horrifying to me is it was a reaction to Civil Rights, segregation and the Equal Rights Amendment (like what). I’ll never understand how they claim to be Jesus followers yet are so willing to follow DT.
ALSO... I just listened to her response to the protesters in Arizona. It was kind and firm and not like the night before when she did not respond with grace.
I'm paying attention to this, too. So many of us are horrified by what's happening in Gaza. I appreciate that she seems willing to grow and change and make adjustments as she goes rather than doubling down on everything!
I would love to see this on the Op Ed page of NYT or wapo and your local and state newspaper. May as well submit and see what happens. Thank you for putting your experiences and feelings and thoughts and facts into words!
Thank you for sharing this, Shannan. I know talking about politics publicly is hard. I truly appreciate you sharing your thoughts and sources with the internet. :)
I worked in a Christian preschool for years. As I taught the children and read books to them, my thoughts were often “if we adults would just listen and put this into practice, the whole world would be a better place.” Jesus summed it up in Mark 12 with Love God and love others. What would our country look like if we measured everything we do against these guidelines?
I hate abortion, as a 61 year old woman I have several friends that had one in their younger days and still struggle with forgiving themselves even as they fully understand the grace of God. It is not an easy solution. But either is the way of making it illegal and not helping. Leaving confused and hurting young women out there. Sending young moms home with a body of a yearned for baby in their womb that has already gone to the arms of Jesus? How is that loving others?
Nobody is perfect and no political party is perfect but I will be voting for the party that makes helping and loving others a priority, even if it reduces my personal wealth.
Dear Shannon. I love you and your pure heart. But in my pure heart, I see errors in your thinking. I’m not as articulate or smart as you and yes, Donald Trump is a mess and I hate some of the things he says. But I disagree with the democrats more. Neither candidate is fit to serve and lead America. But this is where we are
Look at us, disagreeing without being mean! 🫶🏻 You don't have to engage if you'd rather not, but I'm curious if there's a particular issue that sways you toward the R party? Either way, thank you for listening to my heart!
This one feels like you’ve been in our home listening to the conversations (politics,Christianity,real daily life of having all the feels about this political season,how we grew up,where we are now,changes in our thoughts,seeing/hearing the awful rhetoric,from being so stressed out to a place of joy,hopefulness, knowing together we can have a better future! Even if our life puzzles differ sometimes put it aside and still be kind and thoughtful and hang out together ♥️ thank you for this beautifully written post, and for excellent tips on other things to read….love can bind us together!
Thank you. Such good writing and important insight. 🫶
I hope it's helpful!
Thank you a thousand times over
Shannon, I think you and many others are bring played by a manipulative, partisan media. All of your points were documented by partisan sources and as a former researcher for the THF that is disappointing. There is no perfect candidate or party. Politics has always been a shady, manipulative game. I am 78 y.o. and I have witnessed many political administrations. I have been duped by the created and managed public image. Obama is my prime example. Reporters and media outlets have swung from exposing ALL hypocrisy and lies from ALL candidates to broadcasting the created public profile in order to manipulative public personas. That said, I would never support Harris and Waltz. Instead of using media perceptions, and as a professional researcher, it is disappointing that you did not use government voting histories of the candidates to develop your insights and choice of candidates. Now, as for Trump, he is a flawed candidate for sure. This list is long in ego driven political candidates who have had known affairs even while in office. (Bill Clinton, JFK, etc) Trump is bombastic and speaks (thankfully, off the cuff and doesn't read the prepared campaign schick as do most candidates. Warts and all he shows up authentically. So refreshing. Kamala slept with a married politician. Moral lapse. I have learned that much of Trump's remarks are severely and liability edited versions to control the public perception. Example: when he said: you will never have to vote again HE DID NOT MEAN HE WOULD BE A DICTATOR and abolish our constitution. I urge you to talk to use your research skills and dig deeper than current media sources to assess candidates. We ALL have current perceptions developed by our personal histories with figures in authority. I can't defend either party. And if you must limit your viewpoint to liberal sources or experience with the Heritage Foundation, consider doing non-media sources and do a deep dive into Marxism. Obama used that playback very successfully. I voted for him. You can't imagine the regret and shame I feel about buying into "hope & change" offered by an attractive black man, whom I thought would improve race relations. I warn you, if you vote for Harris and Waltz you will rue that choice in the future. Research Obama's roots and influences too. In our current times, integrity, morality and honesty are in short supply. It breaks my heart that my grandchildren won't have the safe and secure life I grew up enjoying. Blessings to you and your family
Hi Marylou! With the exception of the opening quote about THF, I made sure to quote sources that were identified as not biased, per the media bias chart I linked. Because you called this into questions publicly, it's important for me to clarify this. Also, your comment about Kamala's "relationship" is verified misinformation, which you are now spreading. Further, Fox News (an "entertainment" entity) tried hard to get Trump to walk back his comments about not needing to vote again and he refused.
Fox is not an unbiased source. There aren't any left.
You drank the Kool-aid. Her affair is a matter of record. You directly communicated with Trump himself about that issue? Why didn't you screenshot and post your question to him and his response to you? That would have been an original source. I don't trust or believe any reports or videos in the age of AI. I agree you need to vote your choice.
👏🏻 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I feel so seen and delighted in this piece! I didn’t connect we were in DC at the same time until now. I was a Congressional Page 2003-2004, so Tortilla Coast was on our walk to the dorm, and I wonder if our former selves passed each other. I was also staunchly conservative Christian, voted “most likely to try to get George W Bush elected for a 3rd term” in my Page yearbook and even years later quoted the Heritage Foundation in an essay I wrote as part of my MSW application 🤦♀️
This is WILD!!!! Did you hear Tortilla Coast is gone? I'll never forget their Inside Out burriot.
I was sad to see with my own eyes that it was gone when I was back in DC for my 20 year Page reunion in February!