At the 2008 Republican Convention in Minnesota, I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing Juan Williams.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Williams
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,2137,00.html
Juan Williams is a Fox News political analyst as well as a radio personality on NPR.
Juan Williams is a liberal. politically, I disagree with much of what he has to say.
Yet from a humanity standpoint, I admire Juan Williams. He is a decent, thoughtful, and kind man. Most importantly, he genuinely wants to improve this world. He seeks common ground. There is a middle ground between outright confrontation and complete capitulation and sacrifice of one’s principles. Juan Williams stays true to his beliefs without impugning the integrity or attacking the dignity of his opponents.
One issue that Mr. Williams is passionate about is improving the quality of life for black Americans. As a black man himself, this is understandable. He wants to see his community prosper. Yet he expresses himself without bitterness or rage. Things upset him as they do all people, but he is reasonable.
For being reasonable, he has been called an “Uncle Tom,” and much worse by other black Americans that want exacerbated racial tensions for their own financial purposes.
When Bill Cosby started getting vocal about problems within the black community, some criticized his bringing up dirty laundry that should stay within the family of black America. The theory was that Bill Cosby was just giving ammunition to white racists.
Yet Mr. Williams correctly understands that the reason why Mr. Cosby can say what he does is becasuse Bill Cosby is not speaking from malice. He genuinely cares.
Well Juan Williams genuinely cares. It pains him to see his own community hurting itself. At a great risk to himself, he speaks out.
At the Republican Convention, he was his typical decent self. I enjoyed interviewing him. Below is the interview.
1) What are the most important issues of 2008?
JW: “The war and the economy are most important.”
2) Who are your 3 favorite political heroes?
JW: “A Philip Randolph, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Thurgood Marshall.”
3) Much of politics is acrimonious. You do not take part in the acrimony. How can we all raise the level of discourse in politics today?
JW: “John McCain actually says it in the theme of this convention. We all need to ‘Put Country First.’ So much of politics is competitive. So much of politics involves vile attacks. The internet is part of the problem. There is no reporting, no fact checking, and no gatekeeper online. We need a national focus on what really matters.”
4) How would you like to be remembered 100 years from now? What would you want people to say about Juan Williams the person?
JW: “I would like to be remembered as an honest, cutting edge journalist in his time.”
5) Given how image conscious America is, especially in the television age since the Kennedy vs Nixon debates, can we finally crack the glass ceiling in the modern era and elect a follically challenged President?
JW: “Well bald does not mean unattractive. John McCain is a very attractive candidate from an image standpoint. While Barack Obama is more attractive in the sense that he has a charisma that draws people to him, McCain has a compelling life story that makes him an attractive candidate. Also, if we are talking physicalities, Sarah Palin is a very attractive candidate. She is pretty and she is telegenic.”
I would like to thank Juan Williams for his time, and more importantly, for hsi character. Character does matter. Too many people confuse opponents with enemies. Juan Williams knows the difference.
The last thing I told Mr. Williams was that my girlfriend is a liberal and an Obama supporter, and she listens to NPR.
With a wide smile, he replied, “Well I like her too! You tell her I said hello!.”
The world needs more people that can communicate passionately, but with civility.
I still disagree with his politics, but the world needs more people like Juan Williams.
eric
I agree, Juan is good people.
One of the few democrats I dont have such a hard time listening to.
Yet another Class A product of NPR. Gotta love Juan!
JMJ
Willaims praised McCain for labeling education as the civil rights issue of our time, but now that the democrats are rolling in we hear none of that other than the usual teacher’s unions cries for more funds, more funds, and more funds. I will bet my car that O’s kids end up in private school. Hypocrites, one and all. Look at the graduation rates in cities and states governed by democrats for decades …
I think it is just ODD!
How could Barack Obama sign up for Selective Service 30 July 1980, in Honolulu, Hawaii, Government Stamp 29 July 1980, when he left Hawaii in 1979? The link I provide below to his only selective service record, released by “freedom of information act” Oct 30,2008, This is By Debbie Schlussel.
http://sarah-palin-2008.blogspot.com/2008/11/how-bout-that-pesky-selective-service.html
Dunham died Nov. 2 at the age of 86, two days before Obama won the presidency. She and her late husband, Stanley, raised him from 1971 until he graduated high school and left Hawaii in 1979.
http://www.freep.com/article/20081115/NEWS15/81115015
There is NO ID checked on this Selective Service Record. They would have written down his Driver’s licenses number, so Barack Obama didn’t have a driver’s licenses when he was 18 or 19 years old? If he left Hawaii in 1979 how does he sign up for Selective Service in 30 July 1980? Wouldn’t the Dept of Motor Vehicles in Honolulu, Hawaii, Have a record of his Driver’s Licenses if he had one?
Wouldn’t this be something say the Media would investigate? I don’t know like Juan Williams?
Who the hell cares about something like that, Laree? I swear, I can not figure you out. The things you think are important I can’t understand.
JMJ
Timbudd,
When conservatives say that something is a “civil rights” issue, it is almost surely code speak for “privatization.” Given the complete and utter failure of privatization in recent years, no one cared at all what John McCain thought about education, let alone “civil rights.”
JMJ
Dont be stupid Jersey.
Theres millions of examples of privatization that works, especilly in the education field.
If Obama sends his girls to private school you’ll just look like a jerk for saying that, so will he for being a hypocrite.
At least with privatization the teachers that are worth it will get paid for more than their sheer prescence.
Right now Obama is dropping about 50,000.00 a year to send both his girls to University of Chicago Laboratory Schools .
Does anyone really think he’s going to send them to any of the local DC public schools ? Or any public school after the level of instruction they’ve been getting ?
Maybe he can send me a check for about 25,000.00 so I can send my kid to some fancy shmancy school ?
Also, what the hell happened in Chicago ? , him and Ayers put all this effort into education in the greater Chicago area and yet it still has one of the worst public ed. systems in the country.
JMJ:
“Given the complete and utter failure of privatization in recent years”
What the hell happened in Chicago ? , him and Ayers put all this effort into education in the greater Chicago area and yet it still has one of the worst public ed. systems in the country.
Now that !!!! is an example of a complete and utter failure.
Whats even worse is, its a fact, not some spiteful partisan line of crap
Yea Laree, it is “odd”
So whats new ?
His whole campaign has been an oddessy.
Dont worry, if we see him keep surrounding himself with old Clinton loyalists, putting them on his staff, and then throwing Bill in as some kind of ambassador, or Hillary for God knows what, he’s just setting himself up for a mutiny.