Last week our Recording Secretary, Jack Saunders, wrote a post about the Unity Rally that Seneca Scott and Neighbors Together Oakland held last Friday. Jack’s account was very good, but I wanted to offer my own observations.
Seneca had specifically asked us speakers to kindly avoid politics, and stick to the theme of Unity. I was glad to do it. I can be fairly combative toward political opponents in writing, but I have no trouble separating the political me from the “real” me, who is a friendly, loving person. I enjoy getting along with people and talking and learning from them. In fact, one of the best parts of my Coalition job is meeting people, both in and not in government, regardless of our political orientations. I buy them a cup of coffee, and then we just sit and relax and chat and get to know each other a little better.
My understanding of politics is that you can be a bitter opponent of someone on the issues, but at the end of the day, you lay your disagreements aside and share a drink or something. I’ve always loved the story about Tip O’Neill and Ronald Reagan getting along so well. Tip was the liberal Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives, Reagan was obviously the conservative Republican President, and they’d go at each other like fierce warriors when they clashed on issues such as taxes. But they liked and respected each other. When Reagan was nearly killed in an assassination attempt, O’Neill visited him in the hospital, and according to a former Reagan aide, “When O’Neill entered Reagan’s hospital room, he…walked over to the bed and grasped both the president’s hands, and said, ‘God bless you, Mr. President.’ The president still seemed groggy…with lots of tubes and needles running in and out of his body. But when he saw Tip, he lit up and gave the speaker a big smile, and said, ‘Thanks for coming, Tip.’ Then, still holding one of the president’s hands, the Speaker got down on his knees and said he would like to offer a prayer for the president, choosing the 23rd Psalm.”
It’s not like Tip and Reagan were BFFs. But “There was a respect for each other and a respect for institutions,” says Chris Matthews, the former MSNBC host who was a top aide to O’Neill, in his book, “Tip and the Gipper: When Politics Worked.” I too have a “respect for institutions.” For example, I’ve often expressed my differences with my City Council representative here in District 3, Carroll Fife. But it’s never personal, and when I caught up with her at the rally (as Jack described), and asked if we could meet, and she agreed, I found myself liking her. I would never call her “Carroll,” just as I would never call Gov. Newsom “Gavin” although I could. To me, he’s “Governor.” To me, Carroll Fife is “City Council member.” The title is important; using it is a mark of respect for institutions.
I did ask Council Member Fife out for tea; I have yet to hear back from her. I find, for myself, that the more time I spend with people in Oakland, the greater becomes my perspective on issues such as housing, encampments, crime and policing. By the same token, the less opportunity I have of meeting with others, the firmer become the walls of the bubble in which I tend to live. I have my opinions, of course, but as Isaac Asimov observed, “Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won't come in.” I’ve learned from everyone I’ve met in Oakland since I became involved with the Coalition: from powerful movers and shakers to the young guy I met at the Lake the other day, just a “regular dude” out walking his dog. He shared with me his thoughts on homelessness, and I learned from him, too.
I hope Ms. Fife will get back to me. We can all work together in Oakland by listening carefully to each other and finding middle ground. Lord knows it’s the least we can do for the city we all love.
Steve Heimoff