Progress Or Sign Of The Apocalypse?

By Emily Cutler | Late Night TV | December 20, 2016 |

By Emily Cutler | Late Night TV | December 20, 2016 |

Yesterday I warned you that Samantha Bee was sitting down with Glenn Beck, and I had no idea what any of that meant. And having watching the interview twice now, I’m still not entirely sure what I think of it.

Partly because I’ve got a cold and a lot of my upper level thinking is shot. But mostly because I’m having such a hard time finding the right level of reaching-outness. Of course on the one hand, I want to openly embrace people like Beck, with whom I may not agree on every subject, but who has recognized the error of his ways and is trying to make right. On the other hand, Beck having to point out that refugees are sometimes children, and not objects that should be politically pitted against vets seems so obvious that I have a hard time seeing how that’s a concession on anyone’s point.

But given that Bee is right about needing a coalition of anti-Trumpism, I’m willing to give Beck the benefit of the doubt. I’m willing to believe that he’s sincere about wanting to change the country for the better and that he’s recognized that how he was behaving before wasn’t accomplishing that. I’m also willing to believe that I and my fellow liberals could learn something about recognizing the humanity in their political opponents and treating them with the respect that that deserves. But I swear to God, if Rush Limbaugh is up next, I am out.