The day after the election
Fact: If your guy wins the election this fall, the people who voted for the guy who lost are not going away.
Democrats, there is no future of America without Republicans in it.
Republicans, there is no future of America without Democrats in it.
City people, there is no future of America without country people in it.
Country people, there is no future of America without city people in it.
Conservatives, there is no future of America without liberals in it.
Liberals, there is no future of America without conservatives in it.
People of color, there is no future of America without white people in it.
White people, there is no future of America without people of color in it.
If someone tells you that by voting for them, you can make half of the country go away, you need to find a better candidate to hire for office. He or she is either lying or stupid. You deserve better than a liar or a stupid person representing you in government.
Truth: You will not get what you want for your half of the country by trying to silence and strangle the other half. The more damage you do to the other half of the country, the more damage you do to the country itself. If you use your right arm to chop off your left arm, the right arm will die when the whole body bleeds out.
There is only one thing to do: Figure out how to make the best of things for as many of us as we can. That is the American way. That is the essence of We the People.
Working together is hard, but it is not fantasy.
It just takes people like you and me who spend most of our days figuring out how to solve messy problems.
I try very hard to live and work in both the “blue world” and the “red world.” My church, my family, and my oldest friends are very much in the “red world.” My work life is almost all in the “blue world.” What I know from living in both worlds that is that what “blue people” and “red people” want from their country is about the same. “Blue people” and “red people” want to raise their families in safe communities. They want to have and hold their own beliefs and pass them on to their children without harassment or interference from outsiders. They want their children to get a good education and have every opportunity to make whatever they want of their lives. They want to earn a living wage doing meaningful work. They want to get their money’s worth out of the taxes they pay. They want their private lives to be their own private business without fear of government intrusion. They want to be self-reliant. They want America to live up to its potential and promise. They want to be proud of their country.
I find these things to be true of almost every American I meet, whether they come from the left, center, or right.
My wife and I don’t often agree on how to do things, but we almost always agree on why we do things. We share the same hopes for our family’s future. We share the same values. Those hopes and values are what keep us working every day on how to realize our hopes and live out our values. It’s messy, but we get it done and we keep on going together.
This big American family needs to do the same thing. We need to stop listening to people who tell us half the country is our enemy. We need to stop listening to people who tell us that half the country is so different from us. We need to stop listening to people who are dishonest enough or stupid enough to try to divide us. We need to stop acting like we can do just fine without half the country.
Let’s recall our aspiration and hope as Americans: U Pluribus Unum!
Let’s remember the truth of our common humanity.
And let’s get real. We can find a way to make the country stronger for all of us. But we have to stop wasting energy and time going along with those who gain their personal power and wealth from getting us to try to weaken half of us.
Because half of us are not going away on November 4. For better or worse, we have to live with each other for the rest of our lives.