I’m moving forward with hope that our country can come through what Ken Burns considers the biggest challenge since the Cuban Missile Crisis, come through stronger and better. I’ll do what I can to help this happen in the safest, least traumatic way possible. May you also find hope in these ideas.
Why I hope:
I hope because the election results represent a fluke of the electoral college system, not the preference of the majority of voters. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by about 2,500,000.
I hope because many of those who voted for HRC were conservatives. One, reportedly, was George H. W. Bush. Another was my best friend. (At first, she threatened to write in Mickey Mouse, but in the end, she voted HRC.)
An anti-abortion Christian wrote a blog article about why she was voting for Hillary Clinton. Her research showed that the number of abortions drop during Democratic administrations because Democrats fund services that help women avoid the need for abortion.
At the GOP convention, many attendees tried to prevent the DT nomination.
These people aren’t going away. The cabinet appointments and post-election rhetoric have only strengthened their convictions.
I hope because DT voter regrets followed close on the heels of the election. A couple of HRC supporters were standing outside a convenience store crying. A woman who had voted for DT came out of the store so upset that she got into the wrong car. When she got out of the car, she joined hands with the couple, grieving hand-in-hand.
One woman reported conversing with individuals who had voted for DT but were now questioning their choice. What makes this story even better is that the woman did just what I would have recommended. She asked open questions and then listened—not to respond, but to understand. Better still, she recommended these active listening skills to others.
I hope because, with each of our last two presidents, at the first mid-term election, one or both houses of Congress “flipped,” (the majority switched to the other party). There is so much more dissatisfaction this time that both houses may flip at mid-term.
I hope because during the Obama administration, GOP senators and representatives felt safe introducing or supporting bills to repeal The Affordable Care Act or to ban all abortions without exception. They could safely do this to curry favor with their most extreme supporters without fear of repercussions when the bills became law. They knew the bills never would become law. They could count on President Obama to veto them.
That strategy is no longer safe. When Republicans control both the White House and both houses of Congress, they will have to think about possible repercussions of new laws. Put that fact together with the strong opposition to DT, plus the recent history of flips in mid-term elections. At least some GOP members of Congress will be more cautious about bills that would negatively affect millions of lives.
I hope because, even before mid-term, it will only take three GOP senators voting with Senate Democrats to constitute a majority.
I hope because hope drives my efforts to do what I can to make this a better country and a better world. I don’t know how much good I can do, but I know that, if I don’t even try, I won’t do any good at all.
What I hope:
I hope that you will join me.
I hope that those of us who supported Hillary Clinton will resist lashing out at all Republicans/conservatives. Rather, let’s encourage the kinds of conservatives I mention above.
At the end of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Dumbledore awards ten points to Neville Longbottom, stating, “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.” Let’s help conservatives find and hold the courage to stand up for basic human decency and basic human rights.
I plan to write more specifically about how to do this in a series: “Know before You Go,” “Reach out to RINOs,” “Welcome the Wakened,” and “Careful with Cultists.” So stay tuned!