Conrad, Pete has held hands with many he did not agree with politically. One notable
incident in the PBS bio of his life, a man came down to a concert to kill him. Toshi said to Pete, "You really have to sit down and talk to him". Pete did, and the fellow who was obviously opposed to his political views had a fruitful conversation with him. The man changed his mind.

It has to be said that if it weren't for Pete, what we know about folk music today wouldn't exist. He befriended many of a "conservative" banjo picker in the South, learned from them and always respected their music. Even the crotchety old Bascom Lamar Lunsford had a respect for Pete. He did more for the five-string banjo than did Earl Scruggs who I admire. Pete introduced the Scruggs style of playing in New York and Chicago before many people knew who Scruggs was.

The idea that Pete didn't bring people together is ludicrous. His raison d'etre was always union and that wasn't just with people that agreed with him.

To denigrate Pete as an artist and paint him as a polemicist and a political demagogue
displays the height of ignorance as to who Pete is. Opinions are cheap but those based on poverty of factual information is just creepy attack behavior.