In Wisconsin, when a man offers you a brat, you take it from his hand, thank him, apply spicy brown mustard and sauerkraut (but never ketchup) and eat it while drinking his beer.
Today, Governor Scott Walker is serving up the sausage of reconciliation. Those who are turning down his invitation are being sore losers, and nobody likes a sore loser.
Most of the problems in this world are caused by super self-serious people of high principle. Many are vegetarians.
This is not me. I would take a Johnsonville brat from the hand of a Koch brother if it were offered with the proper condiments and a good beer.
Do you think conservatives are going away any time soon? Do you think strong disagreement on all kinds of issues will disappear once people simply understand what you know? Do you think money is leaving politics in our lifetimes or that powerful special interests won't push their weight around?
This is the real political world we live in and, in fact, while I'll grant you that Citizens United has made it worse, it's pretty much the political world that's always existed. If you're going to wait until all that gets cleaned up, than you might as well pack it in and quit.
We live in a world of well-funded special interests and lots of people who are not liberals. The best we can hope for is to get to know and understand our rivals as human beings rather than as political caricatures.
Once we stop vilifying one another, then there's at least some chance of compromise and progress. In Wisconsin, there's no better place to start than over a grill.
