A crowded stage: This is the most wide-open Democratic primary that I have seen. In many ways it feels similar to what we saw in 2016 on the Republican side: Lots of names, some familiar, but it was unclear who was going to catch fire. The central tension points in the Democratic Party right now are around what kind of Democrat do they want? A progressive pragmatist or one who pushes the boundaries? Someone who aligns with their ideology, or one who might not align with all their issue positions but who has the best chance of beating the president?
The new guard: One of my favorite interviews for the Takeaway was with the three Naval Academy women who ran for Congress this year; they’re part of the first generation of women who had access to some of the same naval leadership positions as their male classmates. The two who won [their seats] are the first female Naval Academy grads ever to come to Congress.
Big move: When Kathryn and I moved to Virginia from D.C. in 1995, all of our gay friends were like, “Why would you do that?” Same-sex marriage wasn’t legal anywhere, but there was this sense that Virginia was far behind the rest of the country in terms of gay rights issues. We’d been living in Dupont Circle, which was great, but at some point, I was like, I cannot handle not having parking. I didn’t have access to a good 14 percent of my brain because I was constantly thinking, Do I need to move the car? Where did I park the car? Will my car get broken into? I just wanted a freakin’ driveway. So, yeah, I moved to Virginia for parking. But there’s no gay community here the way there is in D.C. or Takoma Park. It’s still so bro-y, still the brown flip-flop culture.
Clarendon then: When we came here, the Whole Foods hadn’t been built yet, and the traffic lights blinked yellow and red. Ollie’s Trolley was still down the street. Our favorite restaurant was Café Dalat, next to Queen Bee and the Public Shoe Store. It was a Vietnamese restaurant run by a mom who made all the food. Her daughters—a dentist, a doctor and a lawyer—would come to wait tables at night. Pollo Rico was around the corner, so that was the smell in the air.
Pedaling and pavement: Cycling is a thing that I love. Since becoming a mom and having to travel for work all the time, I can’t do it as much as I used to, but thanks to the W&OD Trail and the bike lanes, I have a nice little route where I don’t have to be on the road except for one little stretch of Glebe. It’s a way of escaping. In Clarendon, though, I have to be careful. People think they can drive through at 60 mph. Slow. Your. Roll. People.
Dog’s-eye view: Our terrier, Eli, is absolutely a member of our family. In fact, he’d like you to interview him. We got him when Caleb was in kindergarten, which has been great for teaching empathy. Did you know dogs don’t like it when you hug them? For them, that’s super aggressive. You might like it, but it’s really uncomfortable for your dog. You have to rethink what you need versus what the other creature needs. So, don’t hug your dog…and other life lessons from Amy Walter.
Blue Arlington: When I came to Arlington in the mid-’90s, there was still that tinge of, “Well it’s Virginia. You’re in the South now.” Today, the political disconnect between Arlington and even 30 miles outside Arlington is huge. If you think about how quickly Virginia has moved from red state to dark-blue state, it is kind of unbelievable. But if you have all one-party governance, that’s when bad things happen. You need those checks and balances; otherwise people make bad decisions because nobody’s willing to raise their hand and say, “Nope, this doesn’t make any sense.” I think that’s going to be a constant issue here—finding balance and figuring out what that balance looks like.
The art of the interview: I’ve learned a lot from Judy Woodruff. You have to have a genuine interest in wanting to hear how this person came to their decisions. I go into it thinking: I want to understand why and how you’re doing this; I’m not here to make a judgment. And then they feel comfortable and are more likely to open up. If you start the conversation by saying, Why are you doing this stupid thing? then it’s going to collapse. If you walk through it listening to the other point of view, you come to realize you’ve gotten a lot out of it. But you also have to know as much about the subject as they do so that you can have a follow-up.
No Preconceived Notions: My starting point is always, Do you want the answer you already believe, or do you want to understand what’s really happening? You can turn on any channel and get the answer you want. But there are people out there who are willing to understand what’s really happening—and they get that information by listening to people who can provide different political perspectives and who know that you’re not there to settle a score. This era’s really hard, because with the president and the tweets and the behavior he uses, our reflexive tendency is to react to that—then suddenly you find yourself reacting the same way. It’s like having a fight with an 8-year-old. You really have to be the adult in the room and pull yourself out of it.