Republicans must bring reason into political discourse rather than carry the lable of "maga", a four letter euphamism for Nazi

Bravo❗ (Well, sort of...😕)Brandon Ambrosino for offering us the only antidote to the current climate of acrimony and hate (“What if we brought love into politics?” Ideas, Dec. 7)*.   

Echo opinion letter published in the Boston Globe:

But, here is my question: If I’ve tried numerous times to befriend my enemy, if I’ve given everything in me to engage in civil discourse with people who disagree with me politically, and if each and every time I’ve failed, what then❓

Although I agree with Ambrosino in theory, in practice I’ve never succeeded in getting anyone to listen to reason or embrace love if hate is one of their main modes of being and their identity is inextricably intertwined with their politics.

The thing about hate: It’s so satisfying, so comforting, so reinforced, so electric that it makes people feel alive, justified, imbued with a strong sense of purpose. It’s not a state of mind people will let go of willingly, nor one they’re easily seduced into relinquishing.

Maintaining a poetic idealism that love can cure hate may be a necessary survival mechanism for some people. Nevertheless, holding on to false hope in the face of facts, reason, and experience is a prescription for despair.

From Elaine Mintzer in Merrimack, New Hampshire

*What if we brought love into politics❗
Our civic life is poisoned by hatred for people we don’t know. Maybe we can fill it with the opposite. ❓

Brandon Ambrosino teaches theology and ethics at Villanova University and is the author of “Is It God’s Will? Making Sense of Tragedy, Luck, and Hope in a World Gone Wrong.”