Article March 17, 2008 Issue

VOTE FOR HARMONY!

BY ELIZABETH SCHAEFER

IT WAS A SIGHT to behold—a liberal US senator from up North and a Southern conservative congressman sitting down together around the parlor piano. Neither one could sing particularly well, but they were giving it their best. A scene from days gone by? No, it was one my husband and I witnessed this past summer when friends invited us to join them for dinner.

Although the two men had faced each other on opposite sides of negotiations in Congress, they'd developed a friendship over what seemed like the smallest of common threads—boyhood summers in the same area. What they discovered was more than a shared history. They found they held values in common that transcended politics, and this discovery brought a healing balm to the political landscape.

While neither man's political viewpoint has changed as a result of their friendship, they do bring a respect for each other to the table when doing business. In this day of such strident partisan politics and emotional "hot button issues," it's beneficial to step back from the preoccupation over candidates and issues long enough to get a higher view of basic values and government. Such a view can help voters at decision time, too.

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