{"id":1903,"date":"2023-08-09T13:59:32","date_gmt":"2023-08-09T13:59:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/?p=1903"},"modified":"2023-12-15T15:43:28","modified_gmt":"2023-12-15T15:43:28","slug":"and-then-all-at-once","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2023\/08\/09\/and-then-all-at-once\/","title":{"rendered":"And Then All At Once: Joe Walsh\u2019s Transformation From Divider to Uniter, in His Own Words"},"content":{"rendered":"

Note from the editors:<\/em>
\nJoe Walsh is a name you may recognize. A former Republican U.S. Congressman and presidential candidate, and “politically homeless” as he calls himself on his podcast, Walsh hosts White Flag with Joe Walsh<\/a>, where he sits down with a guest that holds political and ideological beliefs different from his own, and they discuss a topic to find common ground and, possibly, a solution.<\/em><\/p>\n

We asked Walsh to tell us the story of his evolution, the turning point, and \u201crock bottom\u201d that motivated him to start a new chapter.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I went to Washington, D.C., to go to war<\/strong>. As a newly sworn-in member of Congress in 2011, I headed to Capitol Hill under the belief that government was too big, our debt was out of control, and basic notions of right and wrong were eroding by the week. I was going to Congress to fight against the people doing this to America. To literally fight. As if on a battlefield. Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, all the hosts on MSNBC and CNN. They weren\u2019t just my political opponents; they were my mortal enemies. They didn\u2019t just have different policy positions; they were trying to destroy MY country. My campaign tagline was, \u201cLet\u2019s take our country back.\u201d<\/p>\n

I quickly became well-recognized because I was so outspoken and divisive. I was a sought-after public speaker because I was good at getting crowds wound up with fervor and outrage. I effectively got people on my side to view people on the other side as their enemies. I painted \u201cthem\u201d as anti-American radicals hell-bent on destroying everything good and decent about this country.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the thing: I believed damn near everything I said. I passionately believed that our government had gotten too big, that our debt was bankrupting future generations, and that we were too quickly abandoning individual responsibility. But I allowed myself to get so caught up in \u201cthe fight\u201d that I too often personally attacked my political opponents. I attacked them, and not just their policies. I didn\u2019t simply make the case against Obamacare; I called Obama \u201cun-American.\u201d<\/p>\n

When I left Congress, I continued this us vs. them warlike mentality and built a successful career in talk radio and on Fox News, becoming a major force in right-wing media. Over and over, I was rewarded for my divisiveness with increased attention, popularity, and ratings. So I continued.<\/p>\n

What made me change? Why am I on a different path now and \u201cpolitically homeless,\u201d as I say?<\/p>\n

At first, it was gradual, and then all at once. The daily drumbeat of personal attacks and divisive politics began to feel like a game \u2014 like an endless, repetitive game that wasn\u2019t going anywhere or accomplishing anything. More importantly, there were no winners; everyone was losing. It felt empty and dirty. I grew bored interacting with my colleagues in Republican politics and right-wing media, who all seemed perfectly content throwing bombs and \u201cowning\u201d their opposition daily.<\/p>\n

I saw my supporters and audience changing in a way I didn\u2019t like \u2014 they were becoming more extreme. In part, because they listened to what I said, and then, they went even further. I\u2019d hear talk of support for acts of violence and observed indifference toward violence.<\/p>\n

Before my eyes, people in my camp became untethered to truths, believing the absolute worst of folks across the aisle. I heard a sense of pride in being cruel. And increasingly, my fellow Republicans spoke of losing faith in democracy itself, that we couldn\u2019t get \u201cour\u201d America back through the democratic process.<\/p>\n

I knew I had helped them get to this scary, new place, but I didn\u2019t want to be in that place. It was antithetical to what I believe in. Yes, I have strong beliefs about what is right for America, and I want to change things, but I would never throw away democracy to get what I want. It was a weird feeling, taking this journey with my supporters but not ending up where they did.<\/p>\n

I knew I had to get off the train.<\/p>\n

Walking away from the world of political hate and division meant walking away, not only from financial success, but from a political family, a political tribe. Walking away from that world meant no longer belonging to a team. But no matter how difficult it is to be where I am now, I know that this is the only place to be if I truly want to make this American experiment, and democracy, last. And I know, eventually, others will get here too. That\u2019s what I\u2019m fighting for now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Note from the editors: Joe Walsh is a name you may recognize. A former Republican U.S. Congressman and presidential candidate, and “politically homeless” as he calls himself on his podcast, Walsh hosts White Flag with Joe Walsh, where he sits down with a guest that holds political and ideological beliefs different from his own, and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":1905,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"collection_feed":[],"type_feed":[77],"class_list":["post-1903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAnd Then All At Once: Joe Walsh\u2019s Transformation From Divider to Uniter, in His Own Words - Builders<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2023\/08\/09\/and-then-all-at-once\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"And Then All At Once: Joe Walsh\u2019s Transformation From Divider to Uniter, in His Own Words - Builders\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Note from the editors: Joe Walsh is a name you may recognize. 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