Children can thaw the iciest of souls and bring the most unlikely people together. Do you want to befriend those parents of the new kid in your son's class? Compliment their child. You'll be invited to dinner faster than you would be than if you spent hours with them on the bleachers. Trying to win someone over? A nice word or two about their offspring will transform them from foe to friend in a heartbeat. Even the meanest man on earth will turn into Tom Hanks when they hear nice words about their kids. People believe this reflects well on their parenting skills, and in most cases it does.
When Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump entered the Town Hall arena this week, the lack of a handshake was awkward and out of place for the situation. Twitter was aghast. (It's possible that Hillary thought "The Octopus" might grab her inappropriately.) The chill in the air must have made the auditorium seem like a walk-in refrigerator. They couldn't have been more distant than bitter ex-lovers, despite Trump hovering behind Clinton like a serial predator at times. When it was his turn to talk, the vitriol flew. He reminded us about a doomed USA and how we're all going to hell in a hand basket. Punctuated by odd sniffing, there were endless put downs, repetitions of the word 'disaster' and crazy assertions. Adding insult to injury, Trump said his opponent had hate in her heart and should be locked up.
Then the magic happened. Near the end of the debate, an audience member asked what the candidates admired in each other. We all racked our brains and scratched our heads wondering how Clinton would respond. Despite the difficulty of the question, she did not miss a beat. Clinton complimented Trump on his children. She said,
...Look, I respect his children. His children are incredibly able and devoted, and I think that says a lot about Donald. I don't agree with nearly anything else he says or does, but I do respect that. And I think that is something that as a mother and a grandmother is very important to me.
The seas parted, the angels started singing and the planets aligned. All was right with the world. The Republican candidate puffed out his chest. It was as if Charlize Theron had called him sexy. America was great again! In fact, Trump was so proud, so tickled, that he lost himself completely. When it was his turn to respond, he contradicted himself from an earlier debate when he questioned Clinton's stamina. But in the afterglow of her kind words, he said,
I will say this about Hillary. She doesn't quit. She doesn't give up. I respect that. I tell it like it is. She's a fighter. I disagree with much of what she's fighting for. I do disagree with her judgment in many cases. But she does fight hard, and she doesn't quit, and she doesn't give up. And I consider that to be a very good trait.
https://youtu.be/el2ghIHvEuo
A burst of sunshine lit up the dark dismal campaign. The two candidates approached each other and shook hands, ending the session on a positive note. All was well. Even if it was only for a moment.