Saturday I saw Connie Morella at an event in Bethesda, and it reminded me how important it is to find common ground. Congresswoman Morella was a master at forging alliances with others on capitol hill to further efforts to keep the county strong and prosperous. And most of her time in Annapolis and DC she was in the minority – but her peers listened to her quite a bit.

We forget that folks agree with us more than we think, maybe it’s the Press, or the prism of "Social Media" that makes us forget how much we have in common. True, the political class (I guess I’m included in that) often makes enemies out of the other party, its members and elected officials. But we’re not all enemies.

If Mamdani and Trump can get along, can’t we?

It’s easy to forget, just go on NEXT DOOR and make a remark not agreeable to the majority and you’ll experience that pile on quickly. That’s often because those who agree often keep quiet, marveling at the vitriol. But you and I know that most of our neighbors are normal folks, with great lives who shy away from disagreements with a “whatever” comment.

For this Thanksgiving Holiday, when we see neighbors, friends and family with different views let’s try to hone in on the agreements. I’ve frankly never seen a social or political heated argument change ANYONE’S opinion yet – and I’ve been around a while. After all, if Trump and Mamdani can have a civil conversation can’t you have one with your brother-in-law, know-it-all niece, or your "Gladys Kravitz” neighbor from next-door?

We might just discover we’re more alike than different, and make a little progress in improving our discourse, friendships and public life in our community. Maybe not end with, "Who Love’s You Baby?" …but it’s worth a shot.

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Dennis Brent Melby, a Republican Central Committee Member served as  the Montgomery County Republican Party Chair in 2020 and 2024. He's a previous 4 term Councilmember in Friendship Heights and former local REALTOR President. To reach him email [email protected].