I came across a quote, the other day, that made me stop and think about my life.
A writer, Andy Murphy, attributed the quote to Donna Brazile. A name I didn’t recognize.
“If everyone likes you, it probably means you aren’t saying much.”
— Donna Brazile
It was easy to find information about Donna Brazile, and the things she says. She’s is a veteran political strategist, Senior Advisor at Purple Strategies, New York Times bestselling author, and reportedly a sought-after Emmy- and Peabody-award-winning media contributor to such outlets as ABC News, USA Today, and TheGrio.
Her website features photos of Ms. Brazile with: Barack and Michelle, Oprah, Kamala, Joe and Jill, Bill C.
A proud native of New Orleans, Louisiana, Donna got involved with politics at age nine, when she worked to help elect a local City Council candidate who promised to build a playground in her neighborhood. He won — and the playground got built.
She’s been active in politics ever since… and thus, not liked by everyone.
Not everyone appreciates playgrounds.
But perhaps, she is liked by some? Especially, by some who are at least mildly famous?
Concerning myself, I’m quite sure I’m not liked by everyone. For one thing, my ex-wife is not particularly fond of me. Nor are her friends.
Does the fact that certain people don’t like me, mean I’m saying stuff that’s important (although maybe politically controversial)? Like Ms. Brazile has been doing, in her best-selling books?
To be perfectly honest, I try not to say anything important in my regular humor columns, because I’ve suspected all along I risk getting the cold shoulder from my neighbors if I share my true feelings. And now my suspicions have been confirmed by a best-selling author who is friendly with Presidents.
But since we’re being perfectly honest, writing a regular (or semi-regular) humor column for a small-town news website was never my life’s goal. Like most writers, I have ambitions of writing the Great American Novel someday. Or at least, a hard-hitting memoir. Or maybe, a children’s book?
Fact is, I would be satisfied just publishing “How to Spell, For Dummies”.
But in order to get a publishing deal — as I understand the process — you need to say something important, and also something that many people would want to read. Books are not cheap these days, even if they’re normally printed in Asia.
And you have to be willing to be disliked, as the result of what you wrote.
Obviously, Ms. Brazile has no problem with being disliked. For one thing, she’s a Democrat, so right there, she’s automatically disliked by half the country.
And unlike a lot of Democrats who want to be politically correct, she has no problem telling people exactly what she thinks.
So this seems to be a case of, you can’t have your cake and also, expect everybody to like your cake.
But if you start your political career at age nine, you can be a best-selling author who is disliked by half the country but also pose for photos with important people.
I didn’t start a political career at age nine, although I did write a pretty good essay at that age, about our family dog, for which my fourth grade teacher gave me an “A”. Maybe it was an “A-“.
At any rate, that’s when I realized I was destined to become a writer.
What I didn’t realize was that, as a result, I was going to be disliked by practically everyone.
Underrated writer Louis Cannon grew up in the vast American West, although his ex-wife, given the slightest opportunity, will deny that he ever grew up at all. You can read more stories on his Substack account.