Moving On

Politics are controlling our news cycles. It is time to put a stop to that.  Only you and I can do that. Besides, I voted early last week and for me the election is settled. I have peace of mind. Of course I have hopes for the election outcome but there’s nothing more that I can do.

So what to do with our time now? At least the time we have been wasting on the political process when for months we already knew who we were supporting and voting for? Well, of course, we will return our focus to family, loved ones, friends and our careers. So much to do in life. So much energy and focus required to do all those ‘other’ things well.

Without political distractions we can move on to what’s really important.

And while we are doing that, I suggest the candidates do the same. They have already won or lost their campaigns. It is over. What you ought to be doing, candidates, is focus on the programs and initiatives you hope to implement once you are in office. That’s actually what you should have been doing all along.

I know Hillary has done that. She has stacks of proposals, programs and policy white papers prepared for anyone interested in reading them. The Donald? Most likely he hasn’t written much of anything. Perhaps his staff has produced some suggested programs for him to support just so there is something in his ‘in and out’ baskets. Probably not much is there, however. His attention is focused on negative attacks on anyone and everyone.

And many of his cohorts in the republican party do much the same. It is in their DNA. They have practiced this for 25 to 30 years now; it has shadowed them and now shades them mightily.

Selecting Trump as their party’s candidate to lead the party was a huge mistake. It is off script for the party, and totally opposite the precepts and values of Abraham Lincoln.

Having done this, the party will either die completely, or it will enter a long and arduous trek to rebuild its reputation and value structure.  First of all, it is not the conservative party. If that is what it wants, then it should state that as fact and give others the opportunity to move to other organizations that better articulate what they believe in. The world is not just conservatives and liberals. There are many different philosophies at work in our society, and most are pretty decent and supportable.

Conservatism under the republican brand has turned to a near-fascism. It is extreme today. And that is not a reflection of what America stands for. I think the republicans would be the first to admit that, but they have been taken so far off the track they might not see this reality. That’s why their rebuilding process will be a long, long journey.

Meanwhile, others might not be so patient. That gives them the opportunity to start a new party of inclusion and valued outcomes as their objectives. Who knows? This process might actually move the nation to adopt a three party system. Such a development would support better choices for the electorate and will provide more nuanced issues for discussion and inclusion for the public. That would be a good thing.

Actually, anything would be an improvement over what we have become in 2016. Argumentative, uncivil, loud-mouthed, lewd, brutal and threatening. The bully mentality has emerged in American society as it has from time to time in the past. But it is not pretty and needs to be removed. Now.

So to do that, let’s begin the process of visualizing the kind of society we want American to be. So much to talk about on this topic alone. So where are your ideas, your topics, your hopes and dreams? Care to share them here so we can discuss them calmly and thoughtfully?

Wouldn’t that be fun? And interesting? Care to begin? You know where I stand on most topics. I’ll be happy to moderate a blog discussion of what is on your mind.

Here’s the space. Here’s the opportunity. Let’s get started.

October 17, 2016