Hosted by Michael Schulder
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Editor's Note: Listen to the full interview in our player above, and join the conversation in our comments section below.
(CNN) – On a cold November afternoon in 2008, in lower Manhattan, as HER candidate was serving his final weeks as President of the United States, HE was inspired.
He wasn't a Bush man. He is not a party guy at all.
And given the family she comes from, what was captured in this stunning photo was the inauguration of a political intermarriage.
Her family, the Hoovers, may have preferred a son-in-law from the party of her great-grandfather, Herbert.
But as often happens when people get to know each other, love trumps politics - or at least it takes the edge off.
And so, as President Obama and House Majority Leader John Boehner, and their large supporting casts, prepare for four more years, perhaps they should look at the moment captured here, in sight of the Statue of Liberty, when author John Avlon dropped to his knee, photographer-friend lying in wait, and proposed to the descendant of the 31st President of the United States.
Avlon's grandfather immigrated here, through Ellis Island, 12 years before Margaret Hoover's great-grandfather entered the White House. To think that Avlon's grandfather entered America in plain sight of the spot where his grandson John would propose marriage...
Avlon and Hoover are now prominent CNN Contributors.
If you listen to them on this podcast by dropping to your knee and clicking play, you will hear a love story that nearly got too steamy for CNN standards.
And through their love story, and their battle of ideas, we will search for lessons on how the President and his rivals can find common ground.
At the very least, you may conclude that whatever our party affiliations, we are all part of the same family.
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He can make it work! John will surely make this union somthing most will admire and emulate. I have listened to him on a number of issues e always come accross as someone who is not angry and dont subscribe to political party loyalty. Way to go..She is not an angry Republican though one knows where her loyalty lies.
John Avlon and Margaret Hoover in 10 years will not be together.
"CNN welcomes a lively and courteous discussion as long as you follow the Rules of Conduct set forth in our Terms of Service." ... And, of course, THAT is why I was promptly "de-friended" from Ms. Hoover's Democentric and Anti-Republican political page as well as this one within seconds of my previous post? CNN,... whom do you think you are fooling with such an absurd and blatantly disingenuous assertion... the supposed "53%" that we're being made to believe voted for (arguably) the worst president in our history (of course, only time and history will tell, but, believe me, it WILL tell)? CNN, please give up this narcistic pretention of being fair-minded and unbiased. Those of us who didn't vote for the Democrat-In-Chief fooled, nor are we amused. But, yes, we ARE watching, so you will hear from us from time to time. And when you do, I hope that you can bring your collective self to actually live up to your stated journalistic standard. That is, if you can possibly bring yourselves to do so. I know it will be hard. But if you don't wish to wind up being the cable equivelent of the New York Times, I suggest that you try to do so (even when no ones's looking.
you have got some serious mental health issues
Get some help fella. Let go of the anger, irrational fear,.....
Laughable. What a transparent and ludicrious premise. Unlike the well-known and aptly named household appliance, in this case, the vacuum is between this twit's ears.
John Avlon and Margaret Hoover are good people and they don’t scream in front of camera. I like them and I wish them both
The real problem is our politician never listens to good people