Let us start here. Let us assume that each and every one of us wants what is best for our country, our family, our friends and neighbors. We each want what is best.
If we cannot begin with that basic assumption, then, this may be a short conversation. If you are not willing to agree with this basic idea that we all want what is best for the nation regardless of gender, race, age, or political affiliation, it may be a good idea for us not to talk. If we are to continue our conversation, we need to agree that we are both patriots. We need to agree that we both believe in the United States of America. We need to agree on this basic principle.
If we agree here, now, we can begin a discussion.
Through the internet, through the media, through the pundits, through the propagandists, through our representatives and through our activists, each of our lives is filled, more than ever before, with information, disinformation, opinion, fact and lies. Every website, every blog, every media outlet, every friend, every relative, every talking head seems to be bombarding each of us with opinions of what we need to believe in and what we need to think. Every pundit, every propagandist would have us believe every issue, every crisis and every fact is black and white, for or against, right or wrong. That is not true.
Take our basic principle we have agreed upon, we want what is best for our country. Each of us takes a unique path, approaches our problems in a different way. If we can agree that we want what is best for our country, why don’t we begin develop a conversation on how best to solve these problems starting with the basic idea that we are one nation. We need each other.
For too long, we have only been listening to that sole pundit, that one media outlet, that singular propagandist who reaffirms our own ideas. Through isolation, we created our own tribal communities based on the rant of a corporation or a propagandist making millions off our divisiveness, fear, anger and bitterness. We are better than that. Let us start acting like it.
Today, begins a resurrection, a resurrection of our Civic Duty. Our civic duty as citizens of the United States is to stand up, take stock and decide on what we as a country are going to be. We need to work together with empathy and intelligence to decide on what our country is. It is not up to corporations. It is not up to the powerful. It is not up to the representatives. It is our country, our voice, our time.
Some of us voted for Trump. Some of us voted for Clinton. Trump won the election by securing the Electoral College. That is fact. On January 20th, Trump takes office. That is a fact.
Some of us voted for Trump. Some voted to force a change in our federal government. Some voted for Trump because he is a businessman. Some voted for Trump to build a wall on our southern border. Some voted for jobs. Others voted to remove illegal immigrants. Others voted to lower taxes or repeal the ACA. Some voted because he was not Clinton.
Some of us voted for Clinton. Some voted in order to maintain the status quo. Some voted in order to continue the policies of the last eight years. Some voted because they believed her to be more qualified. Some voted for her because she is a woman. Some voted because of how long history of public service. Some voted because she said jobs. Some voted because she was not Trump.
Every one who cast a ballot cares about this country. Those voters exercised their right to stand up and say which person they believed was best for our country. Each of us has a right to vote.
Are we still in agreement? If so, we can continue.
Voters who chose Trump wanted a change in Washington, a big change. They wanted someone to come in and if not to clean house than to really give it a good scrub. Therefore, every action Trump takes that is outside the “norm,” is meeting the will of the Trump voter. Trump means change. Every action he does that is outside the box on every “normal” transition we have seen going back decades is seen as the change so desired by those who cast their vote. Many Trump voters simply do not care about his tax returns, his business conflicts, his rhetoric, his tweets or his bombastic style. It is all something different and represents a change.
For those who did not vote for Trump, this transition is seen not just as change but simple outrageous actions taken by a man who literally has no idea what he is doing. To these folks, his rhetoric, his avoidance of transparency, he bombastic tweets are unnerving and scary. His cabinet choices represent a complete turnaround from the policies of the past into unknown territory.
This column right here is not here to tell you which side is right and which side is wrong. We will never get anything done if we just look at each other with glaring eyes and steeled nerves as we prepare to defend our position.
No, what we have to do is look at each other and acknowledge that we each want what is best for our country.
It is our civic duty.