Comedian Ellen DeGeneres was at the Green Bay Packers/Dallas Cowboys game on Sunday at the invitation of Charlotte Jones, the daughter of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

During the game, the cameras panned to Jones’ suite and showed DeGeneres seated next to former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush:

What a crew pic.twitter.com/hsXxtfujKZ

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) October 6, 2019

Here’s video of them standing for the national anthem:

Only at the Cowboys game: George and Laura Bush singing the National Anthem with Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi. ‘Merica! @fox4sports pic.twitter.com/X03931Mx7i

— John Gnann (@kdfw07) October 6, 2019

Predictably, the liberal Twitter fauxtrage mob was incensed that a gay liberal like Ellen DeGeneres would stoop so low as to sit next to a conservative Republican like Bush. Some of the tweets have since been deleted, but Vox’s Aaron Rupar was one of those who said it was a “bad look” for Ellen and her wife Portia de Rossi to sit next to Bush:

vox too pic.twitter.com/JS5bzQUDSP

— Logan Hall (@loganclarkhall) October 8, 2019

Here are some others who were none too pleased with the seating arrangements:

Just Ellen Degeneres hanging out with her buddy George W. Bush who slaughtered over a million human beings by launching an illegal war against #Iraq on a pack of lies. How adorable. https://t.co/OmUiva0qkG

— Sarah Abdallah (@sahouraxo) October 7, 2019

Ellen DeGeneres laughing it up with someone who has actively tried to harm our community feels disappointing, irresponsible, and dangerous. https://t.co/tgGfmCGQ5A

— Out Magazine (@outmagazine) October 7, 2019

This Ellen/Bush story isn’t about “disagreement.” We all have friends who see the world differently. George W. Bush fought against marriage equality, put us into unjust wars, and destabilized whole countries. To frame this as a “difference of opinion” is dishonest.

— Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) October 8, 2019

Here’s the thing, Ellen, George W. Bush is a war criminal who is responsible for death on a cataclysmic scale. It’s not a matter of being friends with people with different beliefs—we all have those friends—it’s about having a little perspective on the damage he’s done. https://t.co/7FJTqPEfb8

— Walker Bragman (@WalkerBragman) October 8, 2019

DeGeneres, who has had Bush and some of his family members on her television show in the past, was not interested in playing the shame game. Here’s what she said Monday on her show in response to the haters:

“People were upset,” DeGeneres said. “They thought, why is a gay Hollywood liberal sitting next to a conservative Republican president?… A lot of people were mad. And they did what people do when they’re mad… they tweet.”
[…]
“Here’s the thing: I’m friends with George Bush. In fact, I’m friends with a lot of people who don’t share the same beliefs that I have,” DeGeneres continued. “We’re all different and I think that we’ve forgotten that that’s okay that we’re all different… but just because I don’t agree with someone on everything doesn’t mean that I’m not going to be friends with them.”
[…]
“When I say, ‘Be kind to one another,’ I don’t mean only the people that think the same way that you do. I mean be kind to everyone. Doesn’t matter.”

Watch the segment below:

Having the ability to break bread with someone you disagree with politically isn’t the end of the world. In fact, it could lead to changed minds depending on the types of conversations you may have. At the very least, it could lead to the other person at least being able to understand someone’s point of view from a different perspective, even if they still end up disagreeing with it.

In the rough and tumble of politics, there’s nothing wrong with fighting tooth and nail for what you believe. There’s also nothing wrong with being able to share a beer with your political opponents at the end of the day. Because although there are indeed people in positions of power who do not have the best interests of our country at heart, not everyone you disagree with is The Enemy.

That was Ellen’s lesson and though I disagree with her more often than not, I applaud her for pointing this out.

By the way, the Packers won 34-24.

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— Based in North Carolina, Sister Toldjah is a former liberal and a 15+ year veteran of blogging with an emphasis on media bias, social issues, and the culture wars. Read her Red State archives here. Connect with her on Twitter. –