I was a decent football player in little league and through high school. My job on defense, as a linebacker, was to stop the other team and I loved hitting. My job on offense, as a tight end, was to catch the ball and push the other players down the field, away from the football, so that we could get closer to our goal and score.
Could you imagine if I hit the guy in front of me really hard and he said, "Hey, I don't have the ball, I'm not near the ball, and I didn't call that play! Why are you hitting me so hard on every play?"
Answer: "You're lined up with the team that's going in the opposite direction. I don't know what you're going to do and you're taking direction from the opposing coach."
Now, do I care at that moment that he's a really nice person, helps little old ladies across the street, and feeds the homeless? No. I don't. I have great reasons for wanting my team to succeed and will do everything within the rules to win. The guys on my team are nice, help little old ladies across the street, and feed the homeless too.
It's often like that in politics too. "A man is judged by the company he keeps, and a company (team) is judged by the men it keeps, and the people of Democratic nations are judged by the type and caliber of officers they elect." William J.H. Boetcker
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