The cascade of news stories that have flooded the media after Donald Trump shocked most of us and won the 2016 presidential election is concerning to me. I can understand the disappointment, frustration and even anger of those that found themselves on the losing side early in the morning on Nov. 9. What I don’t understand is why anyone feels as though the pain and frustration of this year’s presidential election is any greater than the pain and frustration of past elections? 1960: Kennedy vs. Nixon? 1992: Clinton vs. George H.W. Bush? Or in 2000: George W. Bush vs. Gore? Dare I even mention President Obama’s elections in 2008 and 2012?
The real question is whether you choose to react or respond? What’s the difference, you ask? In this specific case, I think it is an authentic love of country. Those that lack the true understanding of our representative democracy seem to react with violence, hate and numerous other unspeakable actions. The fact of the matter is we have a tremendous amount of work to do and yes, there is a lot that needs fixing. The best solutions will require a lot of rigorous debate and certainly some compromise. Sitting around and complaining on Facebook doesn’t seem very productive. Additionally, blocking traffic, vandalizing private property and assaulting those who didn’t vote the same way you did is nothing short of pathetic. It will be interesting to see how people choose to respond in the coming weeks. Then again, maybe not.
John Powers
Lake Forest