Friends Across Party Lines: Is it Possible?

Professor Dierdre Paul

It was Monday night, October 27, 2014.  I had just finished another day of battening down the hatches outside my home. The pool boy quit and the lawn man is under paid. I was tired and drained by a hard day's work. A friend called and said that her husband wondered why no one from Englewood was in attendance at a political forum. Truth be told, a forum was the last thing I wanted to witness. I was all set to watch this week's episode of The Good Wife while enjoying a massage in my ijoy chair. I said, yeah, sure, I know why folks aren't there.

Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr.

The event had been billed as a meet Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. type thing. I mean, why? So I had not planned to go. Another friend called and gave me a whole new perspective. He said that Dr. Dierdre Paul was going to debate Congressman Pascrell. Now that is a horse of a different color altogether. I threw overlarge jeans on over my pajamas and rushed to the church with my camera. This, I wanted to see.

I wanted to witness this intelligent, well spoken African American woman and Professor at Montclair State University debate the seasoned over the hill Congressman. Yeah, I said that. My blog, my opinion.

Dierdre speaks with a Teaneck Resident

Dr. Paul's wrap up explained what type of Republican she is. I agree, Dr. Paul is a different kind of Republican. Congressman Pascrell is a different kind of Democrat. Listening to the 2 of them go back and forth, it was difficult at times to decide who was the Republican and who was the Democrat. In my ripe old age, I am becoming a much more discerning voter. I vote people and issues, not parties. The old man did not seem to understand that much of his talk when referencing the Home Mortgage and Student Loan situations show him to be too much Republican for the Democrat in some of us. His language was condescending at times and so were certain responses.

Pastor Taylor looks on.

I guess that is the way some male politicians respond to intelligent African American Women. Right, Mr. Skurnick? Some politicians really need to polish up their filters or just get some,especially since they find it really easy to criticize the populace. I was not impressed by him or his message. What was his message anyway? (Crooked Bankers are a fact of life so make sure you can afford that home before taking out a mortgage.) Someone please tell Politicians that the middle class is disappearing? Or is it gone already? How many families actually make that much money today? $250,000 per household, per year. That means that teachers are not middle class. Are you middle class? If not, just understand that 98% of the Politicians are not addressing us. Are we chopped liver?

Is that the reason that the people in attendance  were not from Englewood? I wonder.

John Babb, Pastor Taylor, Theresa Thomas, Richard Stanard

Dierdre and I have had conversations about Vouchers and we do not agree. That is the nature of friendship. Individuality is a virtue to some. Pascrell supports Charters and I don't like those either. Neither of them seem to get the fact that both of those institutions are financed by the same special interest groups/private industry that fund PARCC and the Common Core. Rich folks making money off Public Education. Every Tom, Dick and Jane thinks they can run a Charter and do a better job than the Public School System. Where does that leave the public schools that everyone seems more than willing to watch decay?

I am proud of my friend. It is not everyday that an African American Woman decides to take on such a fight when she knows full well that she lives in the middle of Democrat country.

I wish she was still a Democrat so we could fight together on issues other than education. Even Education seems to be going partisan lately. I also wish that the conditions that drove her to the other side did not exist. Oh Well. I have never voted the way my union or anyone else told me. I have always voted the way I wanted based on the people and the issues. I hope that African Americans will begin to read and vote the issues as well. There are far too many Liberals who see themselves as our natural born saviors and leaders or who feel they know better than we who should be our leaders. I prefer to choose my own, thank you very much.

Good luck, Dr. Dierdre Glenn Paul. I know that you are a different kind of Republican  and I am proud to call you friend.

".........................And how are the children?"