As a fairly removed observer, not involved in the political threads, I
can see a lot of hurt and distrust on both sides. I really regret that political differences are becoming so damaging to Houzz relationships.

I am not blaming one side of the dispute or the other for what has been going on. I just wish both sides could step back a bit and consider the bigger picture. Relationships, casual though they may be, are being destroyed,
animosities stoked, over politics, and for what? None of us ever has
much real influence on political outcomes, however passionate we may be
about our own candidate or party. And my own experience has been
that it is well nigh impossible to convince someone with firm political
views to change his or her mind. So all this dissonance, hurt, anger, achieves nothing in the end.

I'd so much rather see both side of the political argument stick to their own
threads to expound their views, and leave politics out of the random
threads, so we can try to rebuild some of the things that are being lost
right now. HF has it right: we made it through a whirlwind, and we
should take time to think about that, and the damage that whirlwind has
caused, and try not to repeat that sort of "if you don't agree, you must
be an enemy" behavior.

I know that people have been hurt, offended, angered, by some of the actions and reactions and I'm not downplaying that, but really, why keep picking at the wounds? Please, ladies, it's time to move on and find the things that we can share rather than the ones that drive us apart.