The article was about the viability of Tulsi Gabbard as Donald Trump's VP pick.  While I personally haven't decided who I'm rooting for completely as of yet, Gabbard appears on Trump's short list of candidates and after some thinking, I found the idea really intriguing. The reason is that Gabbard's past as a Democrat could prove very useful to the GOP because she would have knowledge and an influence other GOP politicians wouldn't have. 

(READ: Hear Me Out...Tulsi Gabbard Would Not Be a Bad VP Pick)

I'm not going to further elaborate on Gabbard's qualifications to be a GOP VP here, at least not until I feel the need to due to some turn of events, but one thing did strike me about some of the comments being made on and off the site about Gabbard when the idea was floated. 

A lot of the resistance to Gabbard is the fact that she's a recent Democrat convert who apparently can't be trusted. Not only is her departure from the Democrat Party too recent, she still has some leftover sentiments. Some point to her thoughts on gun control as a firm "no," and others point to her stance on abortion. 

I would argue she wouldn't check every box on a conservative's list, but I would point out that Gabbard is a firm believer in the Constituional right to own guns and hasn't elaborated on specific issues. In terms of her stance on abortion, I would remind everyone that Gabbard introduced a bill in 2020 that would stop abortions on any fetus that could feel pain, a bill she sponsored after voting against it three times in the past. 

I point this out to make a point, and not just about Gabbard. 

Yes, Gabbard was a Democrat. No, she's not going to pass a rigid conservative checklist of ideologies, but she's clearly on a journey. 

And I would argue that it's these kinds of journeys that create some of the most notable people. 

It's my ardent belief that you truly don't know what it is to be good until you've had to try very hard not to be evil. Some of these best minds, who have the deepest understanding of humanity and the world around us, are those who've walked in the dark for a time before they came to the light. 

For instance, C.S. Lewis was a committed atheist before he became one of the greatest Christian minds the world has ever seen. He knew the worldly mind because he once had one himself. He was able to anticipate and address their concerns because these were concerns he once explored and lived with. 

And then there was Ronald Reagan. He was a man who understood the leftist mind as he was once one himself. So deeply entrenched was he that he was, for a time, a Hollywood actor. Reagan was "the great communicator" because he knew how to speak to both sides and that comes from experience in circles he wouldn't have spent a lot of time with if he was a dyed-in-the-wool Republican from the get-go. He is now hailed as one of the greatest presidents of all time.

I can attest that many of my family members who used to be ardent Democrats are now firm Republicans after they were informed thanks to time and experience. 

People change. 

It's unfair to disqualify someone based on their past when their present is full of redemption and change for the better. In this election season, you're going to see a lot of lost Democrats looking at the Republican Party with interest, and the last thing we should do is make them feel unwelcome because of how they once voted or the fact that they still have lingering sentiments.

The ultimate goal isn't just to win elections, it's to change hearts and minds, and in order to do that, you have to get people willing to listen and talk. We have that opportunity now.