Latest news with #DavidLitt
Daily Mail
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Obama speechwriter says he was wrong to shun conservative brother-in-law over Joe Rogan and vaccine views
Former speechwriter for President Barack Obama, David Litt, is opening up about why he was wrong to shun his conservative brother-in-law during the pandemic over their drastically different views. Litt revealed in an opinion piece for the New York Times that he approached his relationship with his brother-in-law, Matt Kappler, with a 'frostiness' due to his love of Joe Rogan and refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19. 'Being unfriendly to people who turned down the vaccine felt like the right thing to do. How else could we motivate them to mend their ways?' Litt argued. The former Obama aide admitted that he never related to Kappler, joking that his brother-in-law was an electrician who lifted weights and listened to death metal, while he worked in the White House and jogged to Sondheim. The pandemic exacerbated their already-frayed relationship when Kappler decided not to get the vaccine. 'We were on opposite sides of a cultural civil war. The deepest divide was vaccination,' Litt wrote. 'Turning down a vaccine during a pandemic seemed like a rejection of science and self-preservation,' he continued. 'It felt like he was tearing up the social contract that, until that point, I'd imagined we shared.' The moment of reconciliation came when Litt moved to the Jersey Shore in 2022 and decided to take up surfing as a hobby. The only person he knew who also enjoyed surfing was his Rogan super fan brother-in-law, so Litt put his 'principled unfriendliness aside.' Litt said Kappler would share opinions about Mexican stem-cell injections or vigilantism that he found 'slightly unhinged' during their time at sea. '"Where is this coming from?" I wondered. The answer was nearly always 'Joe Rogan's podcast."' Even though Litt's decision to reconcile with his brother came out of necessity for a surfing buddy, the Obama aide argued that liberals should rethink 'banishing' family members due to different political views. Litt argued that ostracizing those with conservative views hurts the person inflicting the separation more than the one getting banished. His new book, It's Only Drowning, details his journey learning to surf and mending his fractured relationship with his brother-in-law. In an interview with The Guardian, Litt said he started writing the book to chronicle his journey learning how to surf in his 30s, but it soon became a 'will-they, won't-they tale,' about befriending Kappler.. 'It's whether an Obama speechwriter and a Joe Rogan super fan can become friends,' he explained. 'Like a lot of Democrats, my natural inclination is to be a little annoying and condescending. I certainly wasn't doing that when I was the one who desperately needed to learn from him.' He told the publication that his relationship with Keppler illustrated the divides in the Democratic party. During Obama's elections in 2008 and 2012, the former president carried working class voters, but since 2016, non college-educated Americans have shifted towards the Republicans. Litt argued that Democrats are confined to their bubbles of college-educated individuals and aren't connected to working-class voters like his brother-in-law. He urged liberals to keep the door open to friendships with those who differ from them politically. Litt's new book came out in June. He also wrote a book titled Democracy In One Book Or Less in 2020 and Thanks, Obama: My Hopey, Changey White House Years in 2017. He also served as the head writer and producer on Funny Or Die and appears on broadcast television as a political commentator.
Wall Street Journal
a day ago
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Are Liberals Finally Tiring of Cancel Culture?
'Is It Time to Stop Snubbing Your Right-Wing Family?,' asks a New York Times headline that teases a cure to what ails the New York Times. The newspaper has shown some recent indications of a healthy desire to step back from the progressive ledge, and let's hope that Sunday's guest essay is another baby step toward a post-ideological journalism. David Litt writes in the Times:
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Obama speechwriter admits shunning conservative in his family was a mistake
A speechwriter for former President Barack Obama suggested in a guest essay on Sunday that it might be time to stop shunning conservatives over a disagreement with their politics. David Litt wrote in The New York Times that he felt "a civic duty" to be rude to his brother-in-law, citing his support for Joe Rogan and disagreements over the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines. "My frostiness wasn't personal. It was strategic. Being unfriendly to people who turned down the vaccine felt like the right thing to do. How else could we motivate them to mend their ways?" Litt wrote. However, Litt revealed that he wanted to take up surfing and his brother-in-law, Matt, was the only surfer he knew. So, Litt wrote, he put his unfriendliness towards him aside, and admitted his cold shoulder towards Matt had backfired. Yale Psychiatrist Calls It 'Essential' For Liberals To Cut Off Trump-voting Loved Ones During Holidays "Matt and I remain very different, yet we've reached what is, in today's America, a radical conclusion: We don't always approve of each other's choices, but we like each other," Litt conceded. Read On The Fox News App Litt said his brother-in-law's generosity while they surfed together made him rethink his behavior, and that his surfing guidance had made Litt more courageous. "Ostracizing him wouldn't have altered his behavior — and it would have made my own life worse," Litt wrote. "Our differences are meaningful, but allowing them to mean everything is part of how we ended up here. When we cut off contacts, or let algorithms sort us into warring factions, we forget that not so long ago, we used to have things to talk about that didn't involve politics. Shunning plays into the hands of demagogues, making it easier for them to divide us and even, in some cases, to incite violence," he wrote. 'Sounds Like A Cult': Socialist Leftist Calls To Cut Off Trump Family Members During The Holidays According to Litt, Matt had told him he would vote for him if he ran for office. Litt added that he would still decline a surf lesson with Trump aide Stephen Miller, but suggested he wouldn't close the door on a person over a political disagreement. "In an age when banishment backfires, keeping the door open to unlikely friendship isn't a betrayal of principles — it's an affirmation of them," Litt continued. Click Here For More Coverage Of Media And Culture Several liberals have agreed that cutting ties with family members over their support for Trump in 2024 might be necessary, especially around the holidays. The co-hosts of "The View" agreed with the notion, calling it a "moral issue."Original article source: Former Obama speechwriter admits shunning conservative in his family was a mistake
Fox News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Former Obama speechwriter admits shunning conservative in his family was a mistake
A speechwriter for former President Barack Obama suggested in a guest essay on Sunday that it might be time to stop shunning conservatives over a disagreement with their politics. David Litt wrote in The New York Times that he felt "a civic duty" to be rude to his brother-in-law, citing his support for Joe Rogan and disagreements over the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines. "My frostiness wasn't personal. It was strategic. Being unfriendly to people who turned down the vaccine felt like the right thing to do. How else could we motivate them to mend their ways?" Litt wrote. However, Litt revealed that he wanted to take up surfing and his brother-in-law, Matt, was the only surfer he knew. So, Litt wrote, he put his unfriendliness towards him aside, and admitted his cold shoulder towards Matt had backfired. "Matt and I remain very different, yet we've reached what is, in today's America, a radical conclusion: We don't always approve of each other's choices, but we like each other," Litt conceded. Litt said his brother-in-law's generosity while they surfed together made him rethink his behavior, and that his surfing guidance had made Litt more courageous. "Ostracizing him wouldn't have altered his behavior — and it would have made my own life worse," Litt wrote. "Our differences are meaningful, but allowing them to mean everything is part of how we ended up here. When we cut off contacts, or let algorithms sort us into warring factions, we forget that not so long ago, we used to have things to talk about that didn't involve politics. Shunning plays into the hands of demagogues, making it easier for them to divide us and even, in some cases, to incite violence," he wrote. According to Litt, Matt had told him he would vote for him if he ran for office. Litt added that he would still decline a surf lesson with Trump aide Stephen Miller, but suggested he wouldn't close the door on a person over a political disagreement. "In an age when banishment backfires, keeping the door open to unlikely friendship isn't a betrayal of principles — it's an affirmation of them," Litt continued. Several liberals have agreed that cutting ties with family members over their support for Trump in 2024 might be necessary, especially around the holidays. The co-hosts of "The View" agreed with the notion, calling it a "moral issue."
Fox News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Writing the Wave: A Former Speech Writer's Journey Learning to Surf
For normal people, the pandemic was a time to learn how to make sourdough and catch up on reading. However, former speechwriter for President Barack Obama, David Litt, spent his time in quarantine learning to surf along the Jersey Shore. David and Kennedy bond over their favorite boards, discuss the importance of being a VAL (Vulnerable Adult Learner), and why making friends as an adult is extremely awkward. Follow Kennedy on Twitter: @KennedyNation Kennedy Now Available on YouTube: Follow on TikTok: Join Kennedy for Happy Hour on Fridays! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
