Exhale America.
The most divisive election in history is over and we can all get back to our normal lives. Hopefully.
I’ve not seen such nastiness in a long time, if ever, involving politics and the American electorate.
I hope now that we have a new President that we can get past the past year and focus on the next four. At least that’s what President-elect Donald Trump and other leaders have pledged to do.
Time will tell, however. It bothers me that people un-friend someone on Facebook because they voted a different way than they did. Really?
I have friends on both sides of the aisle; the rightest of the right and the leftist of the left. I like them regardless of whether they are Republican or Democrat. I don’t always agree with either side because 3 and 1/2 decades of being a newspaper editor have made me distrust nearly everyone.
What party am I most closely affiliated with? The Cynical Party.
But the tone this year has been horrible, even by my standards. Some of what has been said, written and done is beyond comprehension.
America is better than this and I hope she shows that in the coming months. I truly believe this election was about change, just like when Barack Obama was elected in 2008.
Americans are fickle. We tire easily. We want something new and different, whether it’s the latest iPhone or a new leader.
This year it was obvious the country moved politically to the right as the GOP won both houses of Congress and the White House. Trump was different. Some love him; others despise him. I simply am baffled by him most days.
But I hope we all give him a chance. We did that with Mr. Obama. We need to afford Mr. Trump the same opportunity. He won. It’s his ball game now.
What makes us strong — our diversity — also makes us disagree. But I was taken aback by the national media’s belief that all minorities vote Democratic. Not true, as this election bore out.
People of color are not all of the same political persuasion. Just because you have brown or black or yellow skin doesn’t mean you are a liberal. Just because you’re white and live in rural areas doesn’t make one a conservative.
This is where my brethren in the national media go astray. You can’t paint them all with the same brush. Nor can you say that all women would support Hillary Clinton just because of gender.
Pollsters, political pundits, major news organizations, you all got it wrong. Only six newspapers, including our sister newspaper in Hillsboro, Ohio, endorsed Mr. Trump. The Gazette typically doesn’t endorse presidential races and in this case I’m glad we didn’t. I honestly am not a huge fan of either Mr. Trump or Mrs. Clinton despite some readers’ claims that I was in one or the other of their camps.
But I want America to be better than she is. I want real economic growth, jobs for my daughter’s generation, sound roads and bridges and a strong national defense. I’m hoping Mr. Trump’s promises to provide those things — with the help of a Republican-controlled Congress — prove to be true.
But I’m not holding my breath. I worked several years in the political arena, mainly as a lobbyist/public relations specialist with members of both major parties, so I know the game.
I remain a card carrying skeptic until someone proves me wrong. It’s your turn, Mr. Trump.