Two Nations, One Country, Talking Past Each Other

I watched parts of a couple of Sunday morning news shows this morning (for the first time in I don’t know how long).  Among the stories were (i) the January 6 committee hearing last week in prime time and (ii) the protests outside Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s house and the guy arrested and charged with his attempted murder.

With respect to the January 6 committee, I don’t know if I learned much new.  For me, January 6, and the events leading up to it, told me all I needed to know about Donald Trump.  He lost the election, he tried to overturn the results on specious grounds, and he should not be considered any kind of candidate for any kind of office ever again.  The committee hearings may tell me a little more about January 6, but it will only make him look worse, and the prior sentence is still true. 

The problem is that, while 20 million Americans watched the hearings (which is about one out of seventeen), the problem is that the people watching the hearings already thought former President Trump was horrible.  His supporters and defenders (and those elected officials who cozy to them) aren’t watching and won’t be convinced – of anything.¹

Another issue was the protests outside Justice Kavanaugh’s house and the person charged with his attempted murder.  On one of the shows, one of the people was vehement about – i.e., against – protests outside the homes of Supreme Court justices.  When another person wouldn’t condemn them and just talked about the right to protest, the first person got really upset.  The second person still just went on about the right to protest; this was, after all, about abortion.  It was, all in all, two people just talking past each other.² 

Two nations, one country, talking past each other.  And I don’t know how it ends.  Well, actually, I do know how it could be brought to an end, but I am not sure we have enough politicians with that much courage.
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¹ I would have been more impressed with the January 6 committee if Speaker Pelosi had originally proposed an evenly balanced committee.  She didn’t.  It was heavily weighted to the Democratic side.  And things went downhill from there with respect to the committee’s membership
² It would have been interesting to hear a rational conversation about protests outside judges/politicians’ homes.  I mean, what it they have little kids?  (I don’t believe Justice Kavanaugh does, but Justice Amy Coney Barrett may.)  I don’t know what the Constitution/law provides.  But I do know what common decency provides – except that, if you are doing X or Y, the protesters would say that it is the justice or politician who’s violating decency, not them.