By Laura Camper / laura@newnan.com
The Newnan Carnegie Library Foundation will host a political dialogue with Republican and Democratic strategists in advance of the midterm elections.
The message they hope attendees will take away is: “It’s OK to disagree and to listen to each other, respect each other,” said Harry Barrow, a member of the Foundation Board. “And hopefully learn from each other.”
Barrow attended a Mayor’s Luncheon in 2016 in which Tharon Johnson, who served on Barack Obama’s campaign, and Todd Rehm, a Republican political consultant, debated and discussed politics.
Barrow, a now-retired Presbyterian minister, said he hadn’t known what to expect, but he thought it showed that people with very different view points can get along.
“In the Presbyterian Church, we have a saying, we try to handle things decently and in order,” Barrow said. “I felt like this dialogue and debate was conducted decently and in order.”
Six years later, it seems like polite political discussion has become so difficult that the members of the board thought hosting a similar nonconfrontational dialog might allow people to really listen to both sides of the issues.
At this event, Johnson will return and speak with Brian Robinson.
Robinson, a Republican strategist, is published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and other publications. He is a public commentator in local media including WABE.
Johnson has appeared on CNN, MSNBC and WSB-TV and has been quoted in Newsweek, The New York Times and others.
The two have appeared together on Political Breakfast, a podcast ranked among the top 40 political programs.
“Both Mr. Johnson and Mr. Robinson voice strong opinions,” the Foundation said in a written statement. “And believe it or not, they are still friends!”
The event is scheduled on on Friday, Oct. 21, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
There will be room for 100 to attend the event. The tickets will be available through Eventbrite soon.
