“You don’t fight fire with fire, you fight it with water.”
Those were the sagacious words my friend and mentor Alan Colmes gave me after a particularly fiery cable news segment. Throughout the 2016 election season, I reminded myself of his words; they were my calming force during tense political exchanges.
News of his death Thursday brought tears to my eyes, for not only has the television industry lost a valuable contributor (he appeared for years as the liberal side of Fox’s “Hannity & Colmes”), but America has lost a needed role model amid a divided political climate.
In an industry where self-promotion is the name of the game, Alan was selfless. When I was just an unknown conservative college student, Alan took the time to counsel me and help get me started in the field of cable news as an intern. His kindness and compassion cut through party lines and transcended social status; his love for others was truly indiscriminate.
Our ideologies could not have been more at odds, but Alan would occasionally send me little notes of encouragement. “You handled that really well last night. Don’t pay any attention to critics. … You maintained your composure and dignity and this is key.”
I spent yesterday reflecting upon Alan’s legacy of empathy superseding ideology. Perhaps that is what made my encounter in CNN’s greenroom Thursday night so fitting.
My political career began on the other side of the fence from the liberal filmmaker Michael Moore — both literally and figuratively. As a young intern for the Bush-Cheney 2004 campaign, I was tasked with attending a Moore rally four days before the general election.
Arriving at his rally carrying Bush-Cheney signs and paraphernalia, I peered through the fence to see Moore with his megaphone. My counterparts and I shouted, “Four more years,” to which Michael replied, “Four more days.” The back and forth continued as we each passionately advocated for our alternate viewpoints.
I did not meet Michael that day nor at any other point in the subsequent 12 years — until last night, when we crossed paths in CNN’s greenroom.
I was talking with a producer when a gregarious voice greeted me. Much to my surprise, it was Michael Moore. Though we have gaping ideological differences, he was gracious, complimentary and down to earth. We had a cordial, friendly conversation until he was whisked away to the set of “CNN Tonight.”
Though we had exchanged political barbs on the opposite side of a literal fence 12 years earlier, here we were building a bridge. And it all took place on a day when the nation paused to remember a soul, Alan Colmes, who devoted his life to advancing others.
Yesterday reminded me that although tempers are high and political wounds are deep, we are all Americans and the spirit of generosity and acceptance that is the American ethos should guide us through our political divisions.
When you reach across the aisle and open your heart and mind, you might just find that you have more in common than you think with the guy on the other side of the fence. I certainly did.
Although Alan has passed, his legacy endures and his life was an example for all who seek to love.
