An Evening with Bill Clinton

We spent last evening at a fundraiser for Jim McDermott in Seattle, at the beautiful Benaroya Hall, where we were entertained with some great music, edified by the words of my most esteemed Thom Hartmann, educated in the some of the vagaries of the first amendment case that Rep. McDermott has been fighting for the last nine years, and inspired by Bill Clinton, talking about what Democrats stand for.

Now, I must say, I have mixed feelings about Bill. I think he's smart. I think he's an inspiring speaker. I also know that there were a lot of things that he did as President that I don't think best represented the interests of most of the people of this country. That said, I think he spoke with some insight, contrasting those who hold an ideology ("Don't bother me with the facts!") to those who hold a philosophy ("I know what I believe, but I also know that I can be wrong--so let's talk--and let the best ideas win."). He said that the ideologues can't win an argument, which is why they have to rely on attacking their opponents.

I thought that was a good distinction. A useful one. I also know that we can all be fundamentalists about some of our ideas, and that we need to be watchful lest we also let any ideology pump us up with self-righteousness, so that we don't recognize how we ourselves contribute to the quandary that we find ourselves in on planet Earth at this time at the start of this new century, where so much that is so serious must be resolved so quickly.