Thread by @WalshFreedom

I've gotten a lot of feedback on short segment I did on my radio show last night, and some have asked that I share it here.

So here's a thread ... 1/

Disagree. Debate. Don't hate. Fight on the issues. Fight on the merits. Don't get personal with your political opponents. There are people who tell me that I've changed. That politically, I've changed.

"Joe, you become a RINO."

"Joe, you're no longer a conservative." 2/

"Joe, you've sold out."

"Joe, you're trying to get an MSNBC gig."

"Joe, you've changed. You used to be the hardest hardcore TEA Party conservative, and now you're a squish. Joe, you've changed." 3/

I hear this every day from a lot of people, and I think the reason I hear it every day from a lot of people is because I don't say every day that I think Donald Trump walks on water. I get that, at one level, I get that, because I criticize Trump. 4/

I understand that it used to be, pre-Trump, where you stood on the issues determined whether you were a conservative or a RINO. Post-Trump, it's where you stand on Trump. It's got nothing to do with the issues. 5/

Where you stand on Trump determines whether you are a conservative or a RINO. I get that.

I haven't changed on any issues when it comes to every public policy issue. I'm the same guy today that I was eight, nine, ten years ago. Period. 6/

I'm still the same TEA Party conservative, so I get that I've got to deal with that. Because I'm not a Trump cheerleader, I'm going to be called a squish. But if there's any aspect of me that has changed ... and I haven't changed on any issue. I call it like I see it. Period. 7/

But if there is any aspect of me that has changed, it has been somewhat in my tone.

I've gotten to the point -- and I've gotten to this point over the last year or so -- where it doesn't make sense to me to hate my political opposition. 8/

It doesn't feel right to me to hate those who disagree with me. I don't give in on what I believe in. I don't give an inch. But I found that, unlike earlier back when I was in Congress, and earlier on the radio, I often got ahead of myself. 9/

And I would personally attack, and I will express hate toward those who disagree with me. It got to the point where that just didn't feel right to me, and it didn't feel productive. I'm trying to change hearts and minds. 10/

I'm not going to change hearts and minds if I personally attack people who disagree with me.

The perfect example is @AOC.

@AOC and I disagree probably on everything. But I don't hate her because I don't know her. 11/

I'm not going to say that she hates America. I know that's the easy thing to say these days. That's manna from heaven in the conservative media world -- "@AOC! She hates America!"

I don't believe that. 12/

I believe that she loves America. She just believes in a different America than I do. I think the country needs to get to a better place of fighting. It's always good to have a good, honest political fight, and political debates are always important.

But not hating. 13/

And I'm not going to tell anybody else what to do. I'm not going to hate. Not that I ever did hate, but I know that I got a lot more personal back in the day when I attacked people politically. I don't think that's a good thing to do. And I don't think it works. 14/

You can do it if you want. But I'm trying to change people's minds. And if I look at the opposition, and I hate them right out of the gate, they're not going to listen to a word I say. They're going to get defensive. I've lost them. 15/

No, I'd rather say, "This is what I believe. Let me hear what you believe. Let's go at it a little bit and see if we can find some common ground."

And if we disagree, we disagree.

@AOC, you believe in the things you believe in. And I believe in the things I believe in. 16/

But don't tell me I hate America, and I won't tell you you hate America.

I just don't think hate is a good thing. That seems like an obvious thing to say, but these days, it seems necessary.

Have a great weekend. /END