Do yourself and loved ones a favor: Don’t talk politics at the Thanksgiving table | Opinion
With impeachment in the air, President Donald Trump in South Florida and now officially a Sunshine State resident, it will be tempting to talk politics at the Thanksgiving table.
After all, on this most American holiday, we celebrate that we are a nation of immigrants, and look at us now, vilifying and closing the door, from the White House to the county commission, on modern day pilgrims.
There’s plenty to be worried about, but don’t take the bait.
Do yourself and your loved ones a favor: Don’t talk politics at the table. Put family first.
No, God, no, politics isn’t “inevitably on the menu,” as the well-meaning No Labels organization asserts in a press release touting its manual “The Ultimate Guide to the 2020 Election.”
When the Washington-based bipartisan group says its “unbiased look at the challenges facing America” can “ensure any holiday conversations are grounded in the facts,” it’s dreaming the dream.
Political civility isn’t possible under the governance of a raging bull. And, thanks to the proliferation of partisan news outlets, “facts” have become highly debatable these days.
Believe me, there will be no winners if you invite the president and the fraying state of our nation to your smorgasbord of fall harvest flavors.
Those who love, like and respect the president aren’t going to change their minds no matter what he does, says, or how much evidence you and the U.S. House Representatives have amassed to prove corruption and obstruction.
Those who hate, loathe, disrespect the president at every turn because he deserves it aren’t going to change their minds because you reel them into the conversation with some clever “let’s talk only the issues” line.
Just skip the divisiveness this one day, people, for the sake of family relations.
What we’re all craving is an oasis of peace for at least one day.
Give the state of our politics and our nation a rest. It’ll be good for your heart, mind, and your stomach, which has more than usual to digest.
Every time you’re tempted to talk Trump, think “turkey.”
No pun or offense intended.
I’m only suggesting it as an easy-to-remember code word for — danger zone! Sort of like when you’re told to wrap a rubber band around your wrist and prick yourself to keep bad thoughts at bay or to change a behavior.
Talking turkey can be a smooth topic changer.
You can praise the turkey before you, the host, the Pilgrims for giving us another reason to gather with loved ones — and, surprise, you may end up gifting something you don’t get enough of these days: a large serving of gratitude.
Or, if education or humor is your game, throw in some historic trivia.
Did you know that some researchers think the Pilgrims actually ate lobster and eel on their first Thanksgiving?
Well, they landed in Massachusetts!
Duh.
I know it’s hard, really hard to hold yourself back when you’ve got politicians in your face who can’t even give their anti-immigrant agenda a break on Thanksgiving week.
Our no-sanctuary-in-Florida governor, for example, started the holiday week on Monday peddling on Twitter e-Verify legislation of employees, which is already federal law, to
the Florida Legislature.
It’s, of course, the diversion Gov. Ron DeSantis and his people need to throw shade on the evidence of wrongdoing revealed in weeks of public hearings in Washington — and also a little gift to make the president feel oh so welcomed.
See how easy it is to walk down the path of politics?
Let me throw in some more trivia to lighten the mood.
When the Mayflower left England and landed in September 1620 on the shores of today’s Cape Cod (they moved to Plymouth Harbor in December), Florida had already been a Spanish settlement for 55 years.
The state’s first governor: Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, a cartographer and expert navigator who took to the seas at 14.
He founded St. Augustine, the oldest city in the United States.
So many pilgrims, old and new, so much family and country to celebrate with gratitude in our hearts.
Happy Thanksgiving.
This story was originally published November 27, 2019 at 6:00 AM.
