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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
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Margaret Sullivan

Dolly Parton brought divided Americans together. What can we learn from her?

Dolly Parton plays banjo in front of a crowd
‘I don’t think she’d object if we also kept in mind her authentic kindness, her disarming wit – and the “radical acceptance” that fueled it all.’ Photograph: LGI Stock/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images

The moment that the world found out that Dolly Parton had died, I was in a hair salon in the reddest congressional district in New York state. The neighborhood on the shore of Lake Erie where I move every summer voted solidly for Donald Trump in 2024.

I often pass a lawn sign that has something misogynistic to say about New York’s Democratic governor, Kathy Hochul, and the mere mention of Kamala Harris’s name can bring derisive jokes. Of course, there certainly are liberals and independents to be found, but on balance the area leans right.

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