The voters decided. Joe Biden won the election. By a large margin. President Trump has refused to concede, no surprise, but he’s made it possible for the official transition to begin. Better late than never. The nation remains extremely divided, even to the point that millions of Americans blindly believe Trump’s unproven claim that the election was rigged. Clearly, you can fool some of the people all of the time. But I digress.
Where do we go from here? What would it take to unify the country, to make America America again? Here are my thoughts.
Put Trump and Trumpism in the dustbin of history where they belong. Sadly, Trump got elected in large part by tapping into the racist fears that many white people harbor that they’re losing their grip on power. He questioned Obama’s birthplace. He referred to immigrants as murders and rapists, etc. He derided African-American football players who knelt peacefully during the National Anthem to protest police brutality. He claimed that he would keep suburban women “safe” in their neighborhoods. He protested the removal of Confederate statues. He hired a white nationalist for his senior staff. He made it harder for people from other countries to obtain visas. He insulted African-American women reporters who asked “nasty” questions. He made it harder for anyone other than white Christians to feel that they have a rightful place at the American table. There’s no future in this country for a white nationalist party, especially if we are to make America America again — the America that lives up to the best of our ideals, not the America of slavery times or the America of the “Father Knows Best” 1950s era.
Encourage Republicans to become more inclusive, more in tune with the times. White people aren’t the only ones that count. Christianity isn’t the only religion, and, by the way, America is not “a Christian nation,” in spite of the claims of many Americans. Remember the first clause on the Bill of Rights: “Congress shall make no law regarding the establishment of religion.” And, oh yes, remember the words of poet Emma Lazarus, which appear at the base of the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breath free.” If the GOP persists on its current course, Republican presidential candidates will never win another national popular vote and probably not another national election.
Encourage the Democrats never to lose sight of the average worker, whatever their race or background or religion or sex. If Democrats are to be “the party of the people,” they can’t just be the party of the elites on either coast and educated suburbanites and minorities.
Overturn Citizen’s United, which has opened the floodgates of corporate money into our elections. Sen. George Mitchell rightly refers to the passage of Citizens United as one of the worst happenings in American history.
Install term limits in Congress. Make it two six-year terms for senators (12 years) and two four-year terms for members of the House of Representatives (eight years). As it is, members of Congress spend too much of their time raising money and too little of the time working together on behalf of America.
Install term limits in the United States Supreme Court. Maximum service: 16 years.
Stop providing any health insurance to any member of Congress until every American citizen has access to affordable health care.
Scrap the electoral college and replace it with the popular vote. Why should all eyes be focused on the swing states in November? Why shouldn’t every single vote count?
President-elect Joe Biden is off to a great start in trying to unify the country. He has said he will not pursue legal action against Trump. He has selected a diverse set of cabinet members, each of whom has considerable experience. He has said they should tell him what he needs to hear, not what he wants to hear. He told the nation’s mayors that they are heads of American cities, not “red cities” or “blue cities.” Let’s just hope that Mitch McConnell doesn’t play the same unpatriotic card he did against Barack Obama (“Our goal is to make Barack Obama a one-term president.”)
Closer to home, try to engage with people from the other side. My monthly breakfast Brethren group, composed of eight Republicans and eight Democrats, allows for an open and honest exchange of philosophies as well as personal stories and concerns.
Those are my thoughts for now. I encourage readers to share their thoughts on this important issue. Let’s get back together America. Thanks.
David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary and suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns. dtreadw575@aol.com.
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