A reporter from Vice was interviewing Dave Carlson, a salesman in Minnesota, when the unexpected happened.  Carlson, a support of President Donald J. Trump, happened to be wearing a red hat on his head with the “Make America Great Again” logo.  Over the past few months since Trump’s election, people have been targeted for hatred and intolerance based on their Trump apparel.  

As he was discussing why he financially supports Trump’s campaign, someone walked by and spat in his face.  The spitter didn’t stop, because that would require an actual conversation about real topics with a man who – turns out – is a really nice guy.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” he said, unphased – though not unhappy – about the spit. He kept his cool, using a cloth to wipe off his face and even continued the interview.  When another liberal approached and began to explain why the MAGA hat represented hate, Carlson said, “I respect your opinion.”

Really, you have to watch the video to see this man’s grace under pressure.  Even the reporter remarked that he was handling that much better than she would’ve.  Here’s the thing.  If we would stop spitting at each other and follow Carlson’s example – by actually talking to the other side and respecting their opinions – the nation would be a better place.

Watch the video below:

About The Author

Mark was a co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots, and served as the national coordinator. He left the organization to work more broadly on expanding the self-governance movement beyond the partisan divide. Mark appears regularly on television in outlets as diverse as MSNBC, ABC, NBC, Fox News, CNN, Bloomberg, Fox Business and the BBC. He’s highly sought after for the tea party perspective from print and electronic media outlets, from the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, L.A. Times, Washington Examiner, Politico and the The Hill. Mark blogs at MarkMeckler.com, and his opinion editorials regularly run in many of the leading political newspapers both on and offline. Mark has a BA in English from San Diego State University and graduated with honors from University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 1988. He practiced real estate and business law for almost a decade. For the last eleven years of his legal career he specialized in Internet advertising law. When not fighting for the future of our nation, Mark is an avid horseman, and lives in rural northern California with his wife Patty and two children.

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