Election Day, like Christmas morning, always brings with it an endless (and seemingly interminable) build-up and then we blink our eyes, look around and say, ‘It’s over?’ Often, it seems anticlimactic.
Not this year.
Regardless of your political preferences, the votes have been tallied and it’s time to calm down and sober up. Opposition is a good and necessary element of a successful democracy, but when protests turn violent, as they have in some corners of the nation, free speech evolves into criminality. The Constitution does not give people the right to attack other people or to commit acts of vandalism.
Similarly, the election results have given some fringe elements of our society the false perception that we are no longer a tolerant nation, as witnessed by the rise in racially-inspired crimes. We must diligently speak out against the scourge of racism and intolerance wherever we see it – particularly in our schools where the developing minds of our youth may misconstrue the rhetoric of this divisive political season.
Luckily, we are not seeing these same reactions to the presidential election where we live. Many people have expressed outrage, disgust and concern about a Trump presidency, but there have been no riots. And yet, there is still a fear in people from both sides of the political spectrum. For some, it’s a fear to state that they support the president-elect without being labeled a racist or misogynist. For others, it’s a fear that their religion or skin color makes them unwelcome in this nation.
History teaches us that presidents quickly sober up and settle down when the full weight of their new responsibility settles onto their shoulders. Presidents are reined in by their advisors and colleagues, the Congress, the press, public opinion and, if necessary, the Supreme Court. As this divisive political season comes to a close, and the true business of governance under new leadership ensues, we encourage our readership to be aware and empathetic to the fears of those of an opposing political viewpoint, and to remain committed to the concept of a unified nation.
