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Tony Snow And Elizabeth Edwards: The Cancer Is Focusing On The Party

March 28th, 2007
By JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief

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This has been a wrenching — and revealing — week for many Americans of both parties and no party.

First, Elizabeth Edwards’ cancer returns and she and her husband Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards decide that given the fact we all are not guaranteed more than the present and our yesterdays, they will continue his campaign for President.

Now, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, a star among conservatives and on Fox News for years before he took the stress-inducing job of White House press secretary (but seemed to enjoy the give and take most of the time) goes in for an operation and learns that his cancer has now spread to his liver.

On a more personal note, a very close relative of mine is now valiantly and uncomplainingly battling a particularly brutal form of cancer and it is one of several reasons why my posting output here fell off until recently (when I decided to follow HIS example and try to focus on the tasks at hand and making full use of the moment). I learned about this in late January when I cancelled all my shows for a weekend and went to visit him…but suspected the reason why he wanted me to visit ASAP.

The wonderful thing about the new Wild West of the 21st century called the Internet is that ideas, thoughts and arguments all move within a megasecond. And anyone hooked on reading websites (like yours truly) could see early on that the VAST majority of politicos, readers and weblog writers realized a truth:

When it comes to some things such as learning someone has a potentially terminal illness the REAL CANCER is to remain focused on their political party or ideology.

It’s not the time to try and use the news to score political points or either partially or openly root for that person’s physical deterioration or death…because you simply disagree with him, her or his or her husband or wife on political issues.

In fact, there were some on the right and some on the left who seemingly couldn’t put aside the angry passions of mega-polarized America. But most Americans we are sure (and would bet) didn’t do that at all. And, certainly, if you read weblogs you could see most weblog writers and commentors wished these people well.

Tony Snow and Elizabeth Edwards do not live in a vacuum and they’re not engaged in the political world 24 hours a day. They’ve touched many people in their non-political moments. They’ve laughed and cried over personal events in their challenging lives. They most certainly had positive non-political impacts on some young people. They have friends and relatives whose warm relationships and long friendships with them don’t hinge on their political positions. And if you hired a detective you could place money in Vegas that you’d find that they are well-liked by people who may bitterly disagree with them — who would even likely wish them failure in their political goals.

I did shows at a middle school last year where a student got in trouble because he brought a hat and just would not take off his hat in school. He didn’t care what happened, he didn’t care what school freedoms he lost, he simply would not take off his hat.

When things like this happen, it’s time to take off the political hats.

And although there are some who still won’t take off their hats, most Americans all over the country have been taking off their political hats and wishing two fellow flesh-and-blood human beings well.

And tonight they may say a prayer…or two.



This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 28th, 2007 at 4:30 am and is filed under Ideology, Elizabeth Edwards, Tony Snow, Medicine, Republicans, Politics, Health, Democrats, Blogging. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

 
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