Why Ellen Hanging Out With Bush Is Exactly What America Needs Right Now [OPINION]

A man and a woman sat side by side at a football game, smiling and laughing with each other while both of their wives flanked the unlikely duo. The man is a conservative icon who once called for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to ban same-sex marriage and continues to be accused of war crimes to this day. The woman is a liberal poster child who uses her extremely popular talk show as a platform to support the LGBTQ+ community and other left-leaning values. Yet former U.S. President George W. Bush and television personality Ellen DeGeneres didn’t let their opposite political beliefs stop them from sharing some nachos at a Packers-Cowboys game. 

But while the pair enjoyed each other’s company and watched some football, hordes of outraged Twitter warriors were anything but pleased to see Ellen with the former president. What many see as a symbol of bipartisanship and putting aside political differences for the sake of respectful civility, others saw Ellen’s choice to “be kind to everyone” as an act of betrayal and hypocrisy. “How could Ellen crack jokes with a man who fought against same-sex marriage and is responsible for the deaths of thousands of Iraqis?” is the general sentiment shared by critics of the president and of Ellen’s decision to be friends with him.  

But despite what some people on the Internet might have you believe, the symbolism of Ellen’s friendship with George W. Bush is exactly what America needs right now. 

First of all, let me stress that I am in no way, shape, or form a fan of ol’ Dubya. But do you know what else I’m not a fan of? The hateful, detrimental and ever-expanding divide between Americans in this “era of Trump.” I’m not a fan of people becoming increasingly apathetic towards each other’s struggles and the downright denial of the validity of someone’s reasons for supporting one candidate over the other. I see hatred festering on both sides until it boils over and manifests into actions of violence and inflammatory name-calling, like labeling people who voted for Trump as “deplorables” and “monsters” and calling those with liberal ideals “baby killers” and “libtards.” It takes empathy, civility and, dare I say, forgiveness to close the divide and stop the cycle of ignorant, hate-filled rhetoric, which is too often used by politicians and their supporters. Using her friendship with Bush, Ellen is taking the higher road, the road that leads to healing the divide and changing the minds of people that hold opinions opposite of hers. 

“Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?” Those are the words of Abraham Lincoln, the man who was president during the worst divide between Americans in the history of the United States. Mahatma Gandhi, who led the successful campaign for India’s independence from British rule and the institutional racism and segregation that came with it, said, “Whenever you are confronted with an opponent. Conquer him with love.” 

Now you may say that the issue of the DeGeneres-Bush friendship isn’t the two’s opposing political stances, but rather Ellen being friends with a president whose actions during the Iraq war led to the deaths of thousands of American soldiers and Iraqis, the latter of which is debated to this day. That Bush’s actions make him a war criminal. But I am not here to argue whether or not George W. Bush is guilty of war crimes, or that he escaped punishment. But seeking revenge on Bush would inevitably increase the divide and create more hatred in this country.

Let me ask you this: who is widely regarded as the preeminent leader of the civil rights movement? Who converted more people to his side, people who used to have no problem with institutionalized racism and vile segregation laws in America? Was it the man who had no qualms with violence as the means to an end, and who was disgusted with the peaceful and loving nature of protests like the March on Washington where whites walked side by side with the blacks, even though the former were the oppressors of the latter? Or was it the man who condemned violence and opted for peaceful civil disobedience, who had a dream that “sons of former slaves and sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood,” and who believed that the greatest weapon against his enemies was love? You would have a difficult time arguing that it wasn’t the latter, who said that love “has within it a redemptive power… a power there that eventually transforms individuals.” Instead of seeking revenge for the injustices suffered by blacks at the hands of whites, Martin Luther King Jr. wanted to move forward and heal the nation through forgiveness and love.  

Ellen is leading by example, making it clear that she is choosing to not let political beliefs determine who she can and can’t be friends with for the sake of closing the divide between Americans. She isn’t in the business of revenge and retribution even though her friend might deserve it. Americans need to take inspiration from her act of friendship if they are to help make America a country of civility and understanding where hate has no room.