During my sleepless time on the post-election night, I wondered what rhetoric would soon become action. Could a Trump administration round up and deport millions of immigrants, would Muslim Americans will be put under severe scrutiny for their faith, and would millions lose healthcare insurance at the stroke of a pen? Perhaps a caustic tweet by a sitting president later explained away as a joke would start a war. My questions kept me awake, but this was just the small accumulation of my uneasy questions.
To some Trump’s election was a joyous occasion, and that’s the spell elections perform. With all political outcomes, some folks are euphoric, and others are not. Wherever you fit emotionally right now, one must be aware that the election of Donald Trump holds many people in a whirlpool of uncertainty, anger, and fear; from my point, this is different from any other collective national mood that I have witnessed in my lifetime.
Head scratching by those dismayed by this election outcome developed new narratives not at the forefront before, mostly about the divide between urban and rural. Much of the nation’s concerns seem to be economic; where I might see recovery from the Great Recession in my ten-mile radius and selective eyes, others experience stagnant wages, families with drug issues, vacant landscapes where industries have moved on, and perhaps a feeling of no security. Many had felt ignored while seeing incredulous political tribes zooming on ahead; hence many took the risk and elected Donald Trump.
During 2016 there were a few scholars and authors were speaking about the nation's political disconnects and pointing to segments of American society that are seemingly invisible to many including the political parties. In the New York Times' list of “6 Books to help understand Trump's win", I was familiar with two books in particular. In J.D. Vance's book "Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis" he writes about his Eastern Kentucky family long in a history of being impoverished and having low-paying jobs, jobs that are fast disappearing. In Thomas Frank's, "Listen, Liberal: Or, What Ever Happened to the Party of the People?" he finds a Democratic Party that has aligned itself with a form of corporate and cultural elitism, one that has largely abandoned the party's working-class commitment of the past.
Where there is not just division itself, but suffering, there is an imperative need to listen to people with an empathetic mindset, no matter who they support, and ask questions, mainly what's wrong in your corner of America? Both major political parties should take note; heck ordinary citizens need to look and listen further than their usual news feeds of "resistance" to understand the thoughts and concerns of the "the other side.” The secret to a win may be about bridging division. There should be town hall meetings held across the country listening and problem-solving. Would we find racism and selfishness along the way? Possibly, but we need dialog.
Unfortunately, I am afraid some hoping for economic revival and voted solely on that hope, their message is going to be lost in the fog of the president's authoritative strokes of a pen, and then the backlash, vitriol, and chaos that follows as different sides battle it out. Insert an international crisis and domestic policy, or caring at home is scrambled, hence forgotten; note that already this is a warning to Iran – a possible coming storm.
Without me going soft, just calling for listening and unity, I can point to cause of our trouble and divided functionality: the president. From day one my issue with Donald J Trump, starting June 16, 2015, with his campaign announcement, was the toxicity that he inserts into our collective national mindset. Take Trump's New Year's Eve Tweet where he states, “Happy New Year to all, including to my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just don’t know what to do,” he wrote. “Love!”. The tweets such as this keep a cycle of violence with words alive, as he well knows. Tweets will trigger a response in kind by opponents. "Bad publicity is better than none" is what propels his psyche. I appreciate NY Times columnist David Brooks' commitment to comment only on what on what the President does and not what he Tweets, though Brooks admits that might be hard. Having the president Tweet unprecedented and ugly criticism of a member our independent judiciary as when had recently is uncharted territory worth comment and concern. I am referring to District Judge James Robart declaring a nationwide stay on Mr. Trump’s travel ban of seven countries and then having Trump Tweeting, "The opinion of this so-called judge...". Still, if you believe negativity is power, despite, established political decorum, Christian Gospels, and self-help books stating and supporting otherwise, then you've got your man Trump in the right seat.
There are camps of Republicans and conservative voters that see the diverseness in the delivery and actions of the president and cringe, yet welcome the rare chance of being in the majority now in the Congress, and in the Senate. I do believe there are wounds in a damn the consequences atmosphere. In whatever is going on, be it a revolution or pure reactionary politics there are matters to consider carefully. There is a chance for "the baby to be thrown out with the bathwater" so to speak, as established good ideas, decency, constitutional conventions, or relationships, are put aside under the guise of action or safety.
This particular blog post is my response to what I see going on, rather than borrowing from others voices as is frequent on social media. Of course, things are very fluid right now, and each day brings some incident more astonishing than the last. I haven't given a laundry list here of issues and my responses to each - frankly, I can't keep up. My most sincere heartfelt reaction has been to the Executive Order on Immigration. As a Christian, I can't justify the action as implemented. I haven't often written to my senators before, but I did on this one; my Catholic Church encouraged me. On this issue, I believe we have the means to allow refugees into the United States safely as we have been doing, tweaking to programs, yes, but emphases put on helping those in need.
In my worst moments in this time; I want to react improperly, with a "screw you" attitude. I do worry for myself and others about waking each morning to arguments, counterarguments, and ego statements brought to us via our social media, the White House, the press, and broadcast media; all of this poison sinking deep into our conciseness - none of this is undoubtedly healthy.
Just after I voted in 2016 election, I posted a picture of my “I Just Voted" sticker, and in my post, I noted that "We are more than our opinions." In truth, we are all participants in this life. We deeper than out politics as we live, learn, struggle, and have our being together on this one earth. Somehow as Americans, we will get through our latest writing of history.
