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Ellen to the Mob: You Bet I Watched a Football Game With George W. Bush, And I'm Not At All Sorry
Townhall ^ | 10/09/2019 | Guy Benson

Posted on 10/09/2019 8:53:05 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

It was an image that instantly went viral on Sunday: Comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and her wife were spotted at the Dallas Cowboys game against the Green Bay Packers, seated next to George W. and Laura Bush.  As is inevitable in our outrage-fueled cancel culture, some malcontents, mainly on the Left, were irate that a popular and mainstream figure like Ellen would allow herself to be seen having a nice time with a Republican.  For just a moment, Trump derangement was supplanted by its predecessor condition on Twitter, as encapsulated by this rant from a professional angry leftist at Media Matters:

"I feel like you shouldn’t need a flow chart to help you decide whether to go to a game as a war criminal’s guest," tweeted Parker Molloy, wrongly assuming that Ellen was Bush's guest and dusting off the old 'war criminal' slander.  "George W. Bush is one of history’s greatest monsters," she went on, unironically.  "Let’s be clear: Every American president has been complicit in some evil stuff. But George W. Bush is next-level."  Other left-wing outlets published similar knee-jerk fury, with others making a case that the spectator pairing was somehow problematic, or demanding answers.  It's all so exhausting.  Ellen addressed the 'controversy' on her show yesterday, doing so charmingly and disarmingly:

. @TheEllenShow explains how she ended up in Jerry Jones’ box this weekend (she was a guest of his daughter) at the Cowboys/Packers game.

And she also talks about her friendship with former President George W. Bush pic.twitter.com/7MGIoyCba4— Yashar Ali ?? (@yashar) October 8, 2019

"When we were invited, I was, you know, aware that I was going to be surrounded by people from very different views and beliefs. And I'm not talking about politics. I was rooting for the Packers...Here's the thing: I'm friends with George Bush.  In fact, I'm friends with a lot of people who don't share the same beliefs that I have.  We're all different, and I think we've forgotten that that's ok, that we're all different...but just because I don't agree with someone on everything doesn't mean that I'm not doing to be friends with them.  When I say 'be kind to one another,' I don't only mean the people that think the same way that you do.  I mean be kind to everyone. Doesn't matter." (Cheers and applause).

As the kids might say, inject this sentiment directly into my veins. This is precisely the sort of message that the country needs to hear -- repeatedly -- from major figures of various political and cultural stripes.  This little monologue is an important antidote to noxious tribalism.  It won't appease the angriest shouters and pot-stirrers, but it will remind most viewers of unifying truths.  Friendships, and basic manners and decency, must span the ideological divide.  There are people on the fringes who will stomp their feet and insist the opposite is true, and that being polite and nice is tantamount to "normalizing" people who should be "de-platformed," or whatever.  But with very, very few exceptions, that's nonsense.  Prosaic, even powerful, partisan disagreements should not dominate or define most human interactions or relationships.  

Ellen should be commended for leading by example on this, then standing up to the mob in such a way that made them seem ridiculous (I can imagine the joyless Molloy brigade cringing with rage when Ellen's audience cheers Bush and applauds the lesson she imparts), and made herself even more likable in the process.  Bravo.  I'll leave you with a reminder from last year that the American people's views of Bush have changed dramatically since the conclusion of his presidency:

George W. Bush has turned his unpopularity upside down. Six in 10 Americans, 61%, say they now have a favorable view of the 43rd President of the United States in the latest CNN poll conducted by SSRS, nearly double the 33% who gave him a favorable mark when he left the White House in January 2009...Bush holds a majority favorable rating among every demographic group but liberals -- including strong Democratic groups like nonwhites and people under 35 years old. [His approval among Republicans is 76 percent].

And we should never, ever forget about this legacy, which goes largely unnoticed in many circles.



TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: bush43; civility; cowboys; dallas; dallascowboys; degeneres; ellendegenerate; ellendegeneres; football; georgewbush; globalwarminghoax; goergewbush; greennewdeal; laurabush; nfl; texas; yasharali
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To: TexasCruzin

“”She’s being fair and many of her followers are hating on her. I give her credit for not backing down. It would be nice if more democrats had her attitude.””

And others (here for example) hate her just because she’s a liberal and a lesbian and didn’t hear one word she said! Typical! Your statement is 100% accurate. Would they prefer the hating to go on and on and not try to adopt the attitude that Ellen has? No wonder we’ll never make it out of this mess! They don’t know when they hate they are no better than the left?


21 posted on 10/09/2019 9:17:02 AM PDT by Thank You Rush
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To: SeekAndFind

Bushitler criticized OrangeManBad


22 posted on 10/09/2019 9:17:15 AM PDT by AppyPappy (How many fingers am I holding up, Winston?)
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To: SeekAndFind

When things start getting so toxic that it becomes an “us vs them” environment, I try to remind myself that that’s not particularly healthy. I don’t agree with any other person 100% of the time, so I ought not cut out those with whom I agree on many, many issues. Sometimes, it’s good to agree to disagree, and then just get along despite our differences.


23 posted on 10/09/2019 9:18:39 AM PDT by FamiliarFace
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To: dp0622

Love your post. You are so right. But we are here in the midst of a lot of “judges” and superior human beings. Guess we’re supposed to acknowledge their superiority. I have nothing against Ellen - she is a great comedian and her statement proves she is more than a celebrity... Couldn’t the nation use more humor?


24 posted on 10/09/2019 9:20:44 AM PDT by Thank You Rush
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To: SeekAndFind

Why would she be in trouble for sitting beside another globalist liberal?


25 posted on 10/09/2019 9:21:56 AM PDT by DesertRhino (Dog is man's best friend, and moslems hate dogs. Add that up. ....)
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To: MNJohnnie

“Notice no one is giving Bush a hard time for hanging out with Ellen?”

There is probably very little they disagree on. It makes perfect sense for those two to be hanging out. Maybe his “brother from another mother” (as he called him) Bill Clinton was busy that day.


26 posted on 10/09/2019 9:23:39 AM PDT by DesertRhino (Dog is man's best friend, and moslems hate dogs. Add that up. ....)
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To: DesertRhino

“Why would she be in trouble for sitting beside another globalist liberal?”

^^^this^^^


27 posted on 10/09/2019 9:25:52 AM PDT by SecAmndmt (Arm yourselves!)
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To: setter

I’ll second that!


28 posted on 10/09/2019 9:29:45 AM PDT by Mr Ramsbotham ("God is a spirit, and man His means of walking on the earth.")
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To: Mr Ramsbotham

See post #18


29 posted on 10/09/2019 9:30:58 AM PDT by setter
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To: SeekAndFind

30 posted on 10/09/2019 9:34:34 AM PDT by pookie18
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To: Thank You Rush; dp0622; setter
AS I wrote elsewhere, the issue is whether or not we've gotten to the point where EVERYTHING is a deal-breaker or just some things.

For example, lots of conservatives nowadays champion Alan Dershowitz because of his steadfast support for Trump legally, even though Alan remains a rabid pro-abortionist and anti-2nd Amendment guy. How many people would go to the ballgame with Dershowitz?

Same thing with Camille Paglia - she gets a LOT right but people choke on her being a lesbian.

In fact, Trump is a NYC guy. It is VERY hard to live and work in Manhattan and not encounter every permutation of humanity for some extended period of time. Also, his business - construction - means he's encountered even more 'normal' people than, say, a hedge fund guy. Thus, he's comfortable with all sorts of types, and to be fair many of us probably have never met a gay construction worker so maybe we can't relate. All good and all fair.

This flag came out after the Orlando massacre. I think it is polarizing but it makes you think about what is that deal-breaker. That is, are pro-gun gays more likely to be rejected by the left or right? If they were Trump supporters, is their "lifestyle" a Bridge too far for the right, or is their pro-gun and political leaning too much for the left?

Peter Thiel doesn't concern me. People in favor of free trade don't concern me. People who don't immunize or who prefer Whole Foods to 'regular' stores don't concern me. Tolerance doesn't concern me.

People who tell me I have to change my morals and values to theirs or else...they concern me.

31 posted on 10/09/2019 9:38:56 AM PDT by DoodleBob (Gravity's waiting period is about 9.8 m/s^2)
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To: SeekAndFind

Of course she’s a Bush lover.


32 posted on 10/09/2019 9:41:38 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: dfwgator

RE: Of course she’s a Bush lover.

I’m not sure that she voted for W. over Gore or Kerry.


33 posted on 10/09/2019 9:44:49 AM PDT by SeekAndFind (look at Michigan, it will)
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To: dp0622

Spot-on and well said, brother.


34 posted on 10/09/2019 9:45:31 AM PDT by NFHale (The Second Amendment - By Any Means Necessary.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Ellen seems personable, and so does Bush. I wouldn’t object to watching a ballgame with them. On the other hand, there are plenty of nasty leftist creeps I wouldn’t enjoy being with. I wouldn’t necessarily start a fight with them, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to be nice, either.


35 posted on 10/09/2019 9:59:53 AM PDT by Southside_Chicago_Republican (The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog.)
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To: SeekAndFind
Ellen would allow herself to be seen having a nice time with a Republican

And............she still hasn't been seen with a Republican. A Repugnant, maybe. RINO, definitely. But not a Republican.

36 posted on 10/09/2019 10:02:04 AM PDT by LouAvul
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To: MNJohnnie
Notice no one [as in Conservatives] is giving Bush a hard time for hanging out with Ellen?

Hope she notices that.

37 posted on 10/09/2019 10:04:18 AM PDT by mikey_hates_everything
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To: R_Kangel

“Have you noticed that nobody from the Bush camp is furious and outraged that GWB sat with Ellen?”

Actually I did in another post but it was in the “It’s a big club and you’re not in it” category. :)


38 posted on 10/09/2019 10:21:16 AM PDT by Shark24
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To: SeekAndFind

So Ellen the Lefty received hundreds of concerned emails and tweets from her fans and friends expressing outrage. Aren’t her followers supposed to respect and accept others?

I’ll bet George Bush didn’t receive ONE email of concern.

What does this tell us about Leftists?


39 posted on 10/09/2019 10:26:24 AM PDT by 1Old Pro
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To: SeekAndFind

So stuttering drunk George Junior took his lips off of a Saudi prince long enough to appear in public? Good for him! Wonder if he got a chance to stammer gibberish about “no borders no nations”?


40 posted on 10/09/2019 10:35:52 AM PDT by Dagnabitt
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