Bye Bye to John McLaughlin

John McLaughlin the host of the McLaughlin Group died yesterday. It’s sad to loose a master of the art of discussing political issues in such polarizing times.

Growing up we tried to avoid political discussions at the dinner table. My parents were conservative, staunch Catholics. In the seventh grade I wrote a paper highlighting some of the good things President Nixon did during his presidency. My younger siblings were more Liberal. One of them went to public school , and took a class on the environment. When you’re the oldest child, it’s kind of annoying to hear new ideas from a younger sibling. To this day, I still make it look like we recycle a bit more than we do when he comes to visit.

Somehow, we would set aside our aversion to politics on Sunday mornings to watch the McLaughlin Group. This was before Sunday morning television was littered with antagonizing pontifs. Watching the show was so entertaining, we would keep our opinions to ourselves, not wanting to miss the next remark from Eleanor, Fred or Morty, or ultimately hear John himself reveal his opinion on the matter at hand, often with a melodic “Wrong!”

One of the greatest skills McLaughlin showcased was the art of listening. He was a great moderator, we’re lucky he did what he did so well straight to the end, and we’ll miss his cordial sign off every week. “Bye bye!”