“But every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle. We have called by different names brethren of the same principle.”
— Thomas Jefferson, first inaugural address, March 4, 1801
Let’s agree to three ground rules as we set out on the next four years, not just for a Donald Trump presidency but the next four years in Congress, in our state Legislature, and in our cities, school districts and any government body or issue for which we cast votes.
No gloating. No whining. Work together.
The last task demands that we waste no time with the first two. The American people have made their decisions. The task now is to accept those outcomes and work with the representatives who were fairly elected.
Whatever the outcome, a large number of Americans were going to feel disappointment in the results, and that’s probably not a strong enough word for it. With the election all but decided in almost all races, the task now is to move forward after a campaign season that bruised candidates and citizens.
Even before that work begins, before hands are raised for oaths of office, all Americans need to reflect on the campaign, on where they differed with others and why. Most of all we need to remember what motivates us all. Those who voted differently than yourself love America just as much as you do, want their country to succeed as much as you do, even though they see a different path to success than you might.
In many cases — whether it’s immigration reform, tax policy, defense spending, social programs or climate change — to choose a particular course of action we will need to find a way to agree at least to certain facts and definitions and separate reality from perception.
It might help if we looked up more often from our Facebook feeds and familiar media diets. While they provide a wealth of information, Facebook and other social media sites are designed to show us the things we prefer and the outlets we agree with and less of what might challenge how we see the world.
Accepting Trump as president will be a bigger lift for some more than others. For Trump to gain the confidence of those who voted against him, and become the president that the nation needs, he will need to reject the calls to prejudice that he used to gain the Republican nomination.
Trump’s path forward will not be simple for him. He will face as much opposition and mistrust in Congress as he does among half the electorate. Some might be tempted to stonewall Trump, fight him on his initiatives. But four more years of gridlock would be damaging to the country.
Trump, Congress and the American people have to find consensus, agreements that satisfy the principles that we agree on, even where we disagree on specific solutions.
We have chosen our leaders. Now our responsibility is to keep them on task, focused on resolving the issues we elected them to address. We can do that by setting a good example for them.
No gloating. No whining. Work together.
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