S U N D AY , N O V E M B E R 13 , 2 016

Election 2016:
Healing USA

Our view

AP / PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS

President Barack Obama meets with President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday, Nov. 8, in the Oval Office of the White House.

AMERICANS CAN HEAL

BY COMING TOGETHER
Elected officials must unite in spirit of graciousness, humility
he road to healing begins by accepting reality.
Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election
and will be the 45th president of the United States of
America on Jan. 20, 2017.
Americans can rejoice that the 219 year-old tradition of peaceful transition of power in the U.S. will
occur anew.
President-elect Trump showed graciousness and
humility in victory and Secretary Hillary Clinton did so in defeat.
And, to paraphrase the nations 44th president, Barack Obama,
the sun rose and it will again.
Now, it is up to citizens in their communities to begin the process of healing and coming together.
This can be done by reaffirming our commitment to the values
and freedoms endowed by the state and national constitutions, by
facing each other even if we voted differently, and by having difficult, respectful conversations about how to move ahead.
Protests have broken out nationwide, and as long as they are
peaceful, they are a constitutionally protected expression of dissent, which should not be ignored or marginalized.
However, Americans ought to come together, perhaps over a
meal, a coffee, a cocktail, a prayer service or over a walk.
The reality is that there is angst over this election.
For many Trump voters, that angst revolved around concerns
over financial and job security and finding their place in an increasingly globalized economy.
For many Clinton voters, the angst now revolves around protecting long-fought-for rights related to equality in voting, in marriage
and in having a seat at the table, regardless of ones religion, race,
ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender expression or background.
At The Tennesseans Election Night Watch Party, attendees
wrote brief thoughts about how they felt the nation should go about
healing. This is a sample:
Love your neighbor.
We heal by listening first to one another.
We should focus on what we have in common.
Prayer, positive activism, think globally, act locally.
This last one is very important and calls on Americans to be
more engaged than ever in civic life, from decisions on where to
build sidewalks to what happens to our health care system.
The elected officials at all levels, from president to mayor, are
not our masters; they are the peoples servants.
So Americans must urge them to unite in the spirit of the graciousness and humility shown by Trump, Clinton and Obama as
they exercise their duties.
Today, we should reflect upon the 32nd President Franklin Roosevelts call to reject fear. The only thing we have to fear is fear
itself, he told Americans in 1933, in his first inaugural address.
Fear of the other be it the white rural man without a college
degree, the urban Muslim woman wearing a hijab or the immigrant
working hard to put food on the table will only divide us.

Inside Insight

Mayor Megan Barry: We need to find common ground. 3H

GETTY IMAGES / ISTOCKPHOTO

We heal by listening
first to one another;
We should focus on
what we have in
common.
Now is the time for courage, for unity of purpose and for summoning the intentionality to sustain and strengthen our democracy.
We Americans are capable of this and so much more.
We are all the United States of America.
Opinion Engagement Editor David Plazas wrote this editorial on
behalf of The Tennessean Editorial Board. Call at 615-259-8063, email
him at dplazas@tennessean.com or tweet to him at @davidplazas.

Saritha Prabhu: Trumps win should teach us a few lessons. 4H

2H

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2016

insight

Letters to the editor

Our
purpose
To actively
influence
and impact
a better
quality of life
in Middle
Tennessee.
Laura
Hollingsworth
President and
Publisher
Michael
A. Anastasi
Vice President /
News and
Executive Editor

Try to overcome rhetoric

So we have elected as president a man who during the election
campaign assailed and demeaned women, ethnic groups, disabled
individuals, potential allies and anyone else who dared to disagree
with him. Our incoming president brings no previous commitment
to public service or the public good as he assumes his new role,
primarily supporting his policy positions with little more than believe me.
As a response from anyone who is not willing to accept such poisoned language in our public dialogue, including, I hope, our Tennessee Republicans in Congress, I invite you to join me in demonstrating extra and genuine care and kindness toward those who are
different in gender, ability, skin color or ethnicity, religious preference, living in a small town or large city, or in other ways.
We can and must be more than a mere reflection of our new
president. Believe me.
Mike Pinter, Nashville 37204

Trumps speech reflected good character

Write us

There is an old German expression: Just do what you said.

Lasst den Worten Taten folgen.
The speech the president-elect delivered on Tuesday night was
too good to be Donald Trump. It was so inconsistent with what he
had said all along the campaign that either one or the other cannot
possibly have reflected what he really thinks and intends to do now.
Will there be a positive attitude? Will there be reasonable decisions and actions? Will there be respect for different opinions?
The world is watching closely and with great concern what is
happening in the U.S. It will influence and change the international
development politically, economically and socially.
In the U.S., many people will be disappointed and take to the
street, even from among his own supporters.
Good luck to Trump.
Paul Mensing vonTroschke, Nashville 37208

Letters:

Overcome campaign divisions

Maria
De Varenne
News Director
David Plazas
Opinion
Engagement
Editor

250 words or
fewer. Name,
city and ZIP are
published.
Address and
phone number
required for
verification.
These can be on
any topic, but
Insight staff
reserves the
right to edit
letters for space,
grammar,
spelling, and
libel.

racism, sexism and divisiveness. After half of Americans voted for

this type of leadership, my hope is Congress will squelch Donald
Trumps permeation of violence and lead us back to civility. My
hope is Congress will not be enthralled by Trumps presence but
appalled at his words of hate and fear.
Mussolini and Hitler showed the sick power of narcissistic leadership. Have we learned anything from their destruction?
I appeal to all congressional leaders at this pivotal and crucial
time in our country to have mercy on all Americans. Having voted
both political parties, I recognize party is no longer the issue.
Trumpism must not rule over our strong established Republican and Democratic platforms.
Carol Williams, Nashville 37206

Featured letter
Speeches bring hope
While it remains to be seen whether ultimately actions are consistent
with words, post-election sentiments offered up by Donald Trump and
Hillary Clinton speak to the legitimacy of all citizens.
Clintons concession speech, following a long and protracted
campaign season, seemed to set the healing tone for her followers. A
key takeaway is that the anticipated culmination of a dream does not
always align with the reality on the ground.
Clinton exhibited grace and deference to the will of the electorate
while conceding the election to Trump. To her credit, she refused to
dwell on negative speculation as to why her coronation as Americas first
female president proved unsuccessful.
Trump, during his acceptance speech, in a rare expression of humility,
opened the door of reconciliation to former adversaries. Notable, in its
absence from his address, was the omission of the customary
saber-rattling rhetoric, replaced by a more measured and diplomatic
delivery.
Robert Judkins, Hendersonville 37075

We now have a third-party president.

One who is represented by his own rhetoric as he touts violence,

Tennessee
Voices
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writes a
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volume of
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immediate
publication may
not be possible.
Think pieces are
preferable to
reaction articles.
500-600 words
or fewer. Include
a short
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sentence and
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Letters to the editor

America governed by laws
If you want to understand the fears and reservations many had
and have for a Trump presidency, look no further than your own
social media pages.
Already Ive read from Trump supporters that protesters, minorities and those who are not of the secular Christian faith should be
rounded up.
Let this be a gentle reminder that this is not Nazi Germany,
where the Jewish people were rounded up during the Holocaust and
forcefully sent to their deaths.
This is still America and we are governed by laws. On Friday, we
honored the sacrifices and deaths of the veterans who served our
nation to provide the equal protections and freedoms we all enjoy
today.
Congratulations to Donald Trump and to the supporters who
elected him. I hope that the rhetoric from the campaign will subside
and that hell be a more humble person as a president than he was as
a candidate.
As a citizen, I hope we all think before we post our thoughts and
feelings or the words we use in conversations. Words have meanings and consequences. The words, like our actions, show our individual character.
Ben Brady, formerly of Nashville, Batavia, Ohio 45103

Lamar good for small business

Over my time as a small-business owner, the federal government
has consistently come down on us with regulations that are confusing, costly and unnecessary. Instead of protecting small businesses,
duplicative or unnecessary regulations harm our growth and our
ability to invest back into the community.
When the Department of Labor announced its overtime rule, I
wasnt so much surprised as I was disappointed.
What Ive never been surprised by is Sen. Lamar Alexanders
unwavering and constant support of small businesses and I want

to thank him for all that he is doing. His Overtime Rule and Reform
Act in the Senate gives us the one thing that we need but cant buy:
time. We need the Senate to approve this act, just as the House approved its legislation.
Time will help me figure out what my upcoming costs will be,
which of my employees are eligible for overtime and if I am actually able to afford these new changes.
Thank you, Sen. Alexander, for truly being on the side of small
business.
Wyatt Harper, Dickson 37055

Featured letter
Move on from past rancor
Politically, America is solidly purple. Both candidates got 48 percent
of the vote. This means that most of us are just to the right or left of
center. We all want a good job, fair taxes, proper education and a
chance to live a happy, healthy life.
Single-issue voters and ideologues can expand the fringes or refuse
to compromise for the common good, but respect and care for each
other, not just personal enhancement, is what true citizenship entails.
We cannot let the rancor of the last year seep into our collective
psyche. We have to cleanse our spirits and minds to be able to address
the work to come. Do not fall prey to the idea that we have become a
country we cant recognize. We have our problems and shortcomings,
but we are not a mob of fanatics. We are still neighbors. We have our
differences, but we have so many common goals that bind us.
May our political leaders become statesmen, and may we become
truly vigilant citizens working for the greater good of our fellows, our
nation and the future of our planet.
Matthew Carlton, Nashville 37216

insight

U.S. Rep.
Jim Cooper
says he is
ready to
work with
Trump
We must put the interests of America
first, and that means working in good
faith with President-elect Trump.

JIM COOPER

I am humbled by the
overwhelming 62 percent support that the
voters gave me in this
years election. I pledge
to continue working
hard to represent all
700,000 people in my district, regardless of their politics.
Likewise, after the Trump victory,
the entire Congress must work hard to
make the nation successful. Members
of Congress take the oath of office to
the U.S. Constitution, not to any leader
or political party. We must put the
interests of America first, and that
means working in good faith with
President-elect Trump.
Thats always been the Tennessee
way: solving problems, not starting
fights. Being practical, not ideological. Respecting other people regardless of their views. Doing such a good
job that people want to re-elect you.
It is very hard to move forward
when your heart is broken because
your candidate lost. It is harder still
when you are fearful for the nations
future. But our nation survived the
Civil War, World War II and 9/11. We
will get through this, too.
Hillary supporters have a lot to be
proud of because we won the majority
of the vote. But that was not enough.
The Electoral College will, for the
second time since 2000, pick the Republican candidate to be president.
Remember that the Republican
Party did not really win this week. An
insurgent candidate with zero political
experience won, a man who often
scares Republicans as much as he
does Democrats. Trump has now completed his hostile takeover of the old
Republican Party. It remains to be
seen what he will do with it.
True, Trump carried the GOP banner, but mainstream Republicans like
Gov. Bill Haslam and former President George W. Bush refused to vote
for him. Trump actually agrees with
Democrats and Libertarians on some
key issues. Democrats should lock
him in before the Republican establishment tries to tame him.
No presidential candidate in history was such a wild card. With no voting record, no detailed platform
only a mountain of tweets, soundbites, and rally speeches Trump is
known for generalities but few specifics. He has criticized many Republicans in Congress who do know the
specifics.
No one really knows what sort of
president Trump will be. We do know
he is the oldest president-elect in
American history. Being president is
the hardest job in the world and it
ages people rapidly, graying them
before our eyes.
It wont be anyones fault, but everyone is bound to be disappointed
with Trump, no matter how hard he
tries. Expectations are so high that it
will probably be impossible for him,
or anyone, to be the vessel of so much
anger, frustration, and hope. Ironically, this is the same problem Obama
had after the 2008 landslide. No one
can satisfy all their supporters. Candidates campaign in poetry, but must
govern in prose.
New presidents only get 100 to 200
legislative days to pass their main
agenda. That means his window of
opportunity will close next August. Is
Trump ready? He has 60-plus days
before inauguration. We really dont
know who Trumps team will be. If he
picks incendiary pundits like Newt
Gingrich, Rudy Giuliani or Chris
Christie, he probably wont get much
done. If he picks someone like our
own U.S. Sen. Bob Corker he would
have a much better chance.
I am hopeful that Trump will be as
much of a reformer as he has promised, particularly on national problems that, until now, both major political parties have ducked. Getting the
economy growing faster in order to
benefit all Americans is vital.
Reining in our huge budget deficits
is urgent.
Crafting a new foreign policy that
keeps us engaged in the world, without being the worlds policeman, will
define the 21st Century.
I hope and pray he is ready for
these huge challenges. I know that I
am ready to work constructively with
him.
Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Nashville, represents District 5 (Davidson, Cheatham and Dickson counties) in the U.S.
House of Representatives.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2016

3H

TENNESSEE VOICES

Lets find some common

ground to solve problems
MEGAN BARRY

Honestly, this isnt

the op-ed I originally
wrote. My original op-ed
envisioned a Hillary
Clinton victory and the
title Lets Find Common
Ground resonated in a
different way because, frankly, the
ground I thought we needed to find
was ground with which I was already
comfortable.
But the ground has shifted and Donald Trump is our president-elect. I said,
our president, and I mean it.
Both sides can agree it has been a
divisive campaign. We could continue
to find the issues that divide us and to
focus on those but I believe we need to
find what unites us, and whether you
believe we are Stronger Together or
you want to Make America Great
Again, chances are you believe wed
be both stronger and greater with better infrastructure, fewer traffic jams
and less congestion on morning and
afternoon commutes.
And while this may feel like a local
issue, addressing our traffic and transit issues is very much connected to
regional and national politics.
As a member of the Regional Transit Authority and the Middle Tennessee
Mayors Caucus, Ive seen partisan
affiliations fall by the wayside when
we start talking about our shared goals
to move toward a real transit network
thats worthy of Nashvilles status as a
major American city.

Ive seen partisan affiliations fall by

the wayside when we start talking
about our shared goals to move
toward a real transit network.
On the national level, Congress
should work with President-elect
Trump to implement an infrastructure
investment program that will repair
dilapidated roads and bridges while
expanding transit options for metropolitan areas. Both presidential candidates made big promises on this.
In his victory speech, Mr. Trump
said were going to rebuild our infrastructure, which will become second
to none. And we will put millions of our
people to work as we rebuild it.
This, to me, shows room for great
bipartisan compromise. If nearly every
voter chose a candidate who wanted to
increase our nations commitment to
quality infrastructure, then surely
Congress can find common ground
with President-elect Trump to honor
that commitment.
Here in Middle Tennessee, we saw a
bipartisan coalition of mayors and
community representatives in the
region come together in support of the
nMotion strategic plan for transit.
Now well need our elected lawmakers from both the Middle Tennessee region and across the state to
support our joint efforts to build a
transportation network that will sustain our growing economy, reduce
traffic congestion, and improve the

quality of life for residents and visitors.

This doesnt mean we expect the
State of Tennessee to pay for our transit system. But having state approval
for local funding mechanisms will be
critical to having an effective and sustainable plan for implementing the
nMotion vision.
We have the opportunity on the
local, state, and federal levels to move
forward on infrastructure in a way that
creates jobs, sustains our economy, and
makes America more competitive
globally.
In doing so, we can create a more
equitable transportation system. One
that empowers low-income and working men and women by giving them
better transit options so they have
access to new or better paying jobs. A
system that reduces burdens on working moms and dads who struggle to
pick their kids up from school, or
transport them to the school of their
choice. One that allows us to spend less
time sitting in traffic, and more time
doing the things we love.
My hope is that we seize this opportunity and show the American people
our political system is not broken. Lets
build a 21st-century transportation
network that can be a source of pride
for all Americans.
The election is over. Lets get to
work.
Megan Barry is the seventh mayor of
the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. She was
elected in 2015.

TENNESSEE VOICES

Act on election ideas, make move

to put them in a positive light
BETH HARWELL

Election Day has

come and gone, and I
know many are probably
glad its over. This cycle
was a long one, much too
long, in my opinion
the first major announcement from a candidate regarding a presidential run was way back in
March of 2015.
There has been a lot of divisive
rhetoric this year, but one thing that is
important to our system of governance
is the process of coming together after
a hard fought election.
It is a good thing that challengers
step up to run against incumbents, or
when primaries have several candidates. Our founders certainly envisioned that voters should have choices
with regards to who represents them.
Our democratic republic is healthier
when options are presented to voters,
so they can learn about both candidates
and make an informed decision.
It is, of course, not unusual for elections to become contentious, especially
in presidential election years. The give
and take between candidates often
brings new ideas to the forefront, and
increases public awareness of the issues facing our state and nation.
And now is the time that we take

In the Tennessee General Assembly,

and all levels of government, we must
serve our constituents and do what is
best for the state and the country.
those lessons and ideas and put them
into action. The peaceful transfer of
powerat all levels of government
will become official in the coming
months, which is a vital part of the
process.
The voters have made their choice,
and now is the time for the country to
come together, accept the results, and
begin working toward solutions to our
countrys challenges. In simple terms,
it is now time to govern.
As I watched President-elect
Trumps acceptance speech, and Secretary Clintons concession Wednesday
morning, I was struck by the change in
tone. They were both gracious in winning and losing, respectively, and
pledged to accept the results. This sets
an example we need to follow, whether
our candidate won or not.
In the Tennessee General Assembly,
and all levels of government, we must
come together to serve our constituents and do what is best for the state
and the country.
Coming together does not mean we
cast aside our principles or that we will

always agree it means reaching

toward a common goal of prosperity
for all Tennesseans.
As we look toward next year when
the 110th General Assembly convenes,
we will need to do so with level heads
and a thoughtful approach. We will
need to put behind us the heated election year rhetoric, and focus on doing
whats best for Tennessee. The taxpayers of this state deserve nothing less.
I have no doubt that we will. I have
seen your Tennessee General Assembly come back, year after year, with
these priorities in mind and ready to
work. In order to tackle these challenges, it will take everyones ideas on
the table, and a healthy and thoughtful
debate about how we accomplish it.
This includes input from you our
constituents. We always appreciate
hearing from Tennesseans who have a
unique perspective on the issues that
we face.
I am grateful for the opportunity to
work on these important issues, and
look forward to addressing them when
we begin our legislative session in
January.
Rep. Beth Harwell, R-Nashville, is
Speaker of the Tennessee House of
Representatives. She represents District 56, which includes the west Nashville communities of Belle Meade, Oak
Hill and Forest Hills.

4H

S UNDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2016

insight

TENNESSEE VOICES

Look at views, the issues

MING WANG

Donald Trump has

been elected our next
president. This has been
one of the most contentious elections in recent
U.S. history, characterized by an unprecedented
amount of personal attacks.
Although it was a messy election, it
did present a valuable opportunity for
many Americans to openly share their
views.
Now that the election is over, I believe our country has a chance to turn
the elections negativity into something
positive by examining the viewpoints
expressed, and finding out where we all
stand, and how we feel.
Something happened in this election
that surprised most of us the unexpected popularity of Donald Trump
and Bernie Sanders. Even though they
represented two opposite ends of the
political spectrum, they nonetheless
shared one thing in common neither
was expected to do as well as he did.
Why did we believe they wouldnt do
well? Because most of us thought their
opinions would not be popular. So why
did they end up becoming so widely
supported? Because large sectors of
our society do, in fact, share their
views.
Donald Trump wants to return our
country to the post-war America of the
50s and 60s, when our borders were
secure, our country was the dominant
power internationally, and there was
less cultural, racial and ethnic diversity domestically.

I believe our country has a chance to

turn the elections negativity into
something positive by examining
the viewpoints expressed.
Many who voted for Trump are nostalgic about that period of time in our
nations history. They are fed-up with
the changes that have taken place in
recent decades and believe that the
current system of government is
rigged against the middle class, as they
see debt soar, healthcare diminish,
incomes stay stagnant, and jobs leave
our country.
But can the clock be turned back? If
not, how can we adjust to the changes?
How can we help America maintain its
leadership in a world that has seen the
dramatic rise of emerging economies?
Domestically, unlike the America of
the 50s and 60s, we are now much
more diverse with Hispanic, African
and Asian Americans accounting for 20
percent, 18 percent and 6 percent of our
population, respectively. In the next 10
to 15 years, these groups are projected
to become the majority. So how can we
in fact harness the strength of our increasing diversity?
Bernie Sanders wants to move our
nation toward socialism. He has gained
strong support, especially from the
younger generation which has not experienced the disasters of communism
in the last century. They feel that
America as a society no longer cares
for the underprivileged, and they believe the government should help by
requiring greater sacrifices from the

wealthy.
Yet how can we strike a proper balance between an individuals responsibility and societys duty to help the
poor? How do we maintain social programs for the needy yet avoid advocating attitudes of complacency, entitlement and fiscal irresponsibility
which continue to reduce our products
competitiveness internationally?
How can we rekindle the hard-working spirit of our forefathers? We must
reignite curiosity and drive, especially
in our youth who often lack motivation
due to living in a country with material
abundance.
Though the election is now behind
us, the necessary changes have just
begun. We need to look beyond the
candidates and political parties, and
begin listening and discussing the issues exposed in this election that are
important to our country.
Better listening leads to better understanding, and better understanding
leads to better solutions. Perhaps the
best formula for success for our country is a progressive social policy that
embraces diversity and a conservative
fiscal policy that emphasizes individual
responsibility.
Dr. Ming Wang, MD, PhD is the director of Wang Vision 3D Cataract &
LASIK Center, Nashville, TN, founder of
Wang Foundation for Sight Restoration,
co-founder of Tennessee Immigrant and
Minority Business Group, president of
Tennessee Chinese Chamber of Commerce and honorary president of Tennessee American-Chinese Chamber of
Commerce. He can be reached at
drwang@wangvisioninstitute.com.

Dont disengage now, millenials

KIRK A. BADO
KBADO@TENNESSEAN.COM

Like so many other of

my fellow millennials, I
watched in disbelief on
Tuesday as more and
more states turned red.
The same faces of
friends who had worn
their first I Voted stickers with such
pride and enthusiasm now showed
frustration, disappointment and fear.
Donald Trump was not supposed to
win if you ask young people.
According to The Washington Post,
Hillary Clinton overwhelmingly carried voters age 18-29, in similar numbers to Barack Obama. In fact, some
models showed that if only millennials
votes counted, Clinton would have
crushed Trump.
We thought we were going to make
history with the first woman president,
instead we woke up to heartbreak.
Now begins the difficult part of

Dont allow electoral disappointment

to turn into political apathy.
democracy. Its easy for me to write
this as a straight white male and say
we need to rally behind a presidentelect who has openly bragged about
sexually assaulting women, called for a
ban on Muslims and his running mate
who is openly hostile to people in the
LGBTQ community.
For some this is very scary and it
will take more time to accept this new
reality. It is a time of uncertainty, but
we cannot let that scare us every day
for the next four years.
Love will still trump hate, even if it
didnt on Election Day. But love will
triumph only if we keep fighting for it.
We can never forget the feeling of
disappointment when we read the returns, or the elation we felt when filling out our first ballot. Hold onto that
energy, channel it into change.
We cannot allow our electoral dis-

appointment to turn into political apathy. Continue to be engaged. Read every day and hold your elected officials
accountable. Thirty-three Senate seats
are up for election in 2018 along with
hundreds of other seats at the state and
local level.
This is not as glamorous as a presidential election, but it is just as important. Campaigns need energized young
people to make the change we all wish
to see in the world.
Take as much time as you need to be
upset. Reflect on your feelings and
where we are going as a country.
Tomorrow the sun will rise again
and it will be a new day.
Do not let your voice go out because
of a loss. We need it now more than
ever.
Kirk Bado is a Belmont University
student studying journalism and political science. Over the summer he
served as an intern with The Tennessean as a general assignment reporter.

Fisk University will welcome everyone

FRANK L. SIMS

This morning signals

a different reality in
America and many of our
students are deeply concerned about what lies
ahead and what this
means for their future.
As an institution of higher learning,
we feel compelled to express our deepest commitment to the values of diversity, inclusion, and equality. We believe
education remains the key to continually improve the world in which we live

We express our deepest commitment

to diversity, inclusion, and equality.
and to better understand and engage the
challenges we face.
For all the incivility and hostility this
election has exposed, Fisk University
remains steadfast in its mission to provide a welcoming environment for all.
We cherish the opportunity to educate
all of our students as they embark on
their journeys to make their mark on the
world. Curiosity, kindness and the willingness to embrace plurality remain pil-

lars of the Fisk experience and no

amount of exclusion and divisiveness
can stall our dedication to this calling.
As we move forward into the coming
weeks, months and years, we continue to
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Trumps
victory
offers many
political
lessons
Saritha
Prabhu
The hope is that the weight and
power of his new position will humble
and ennoble him.
Donald Trumps stunning victory
offers many insights and lessons on
our politics today. But the need of the
hour is to leave behind the ugliness of
the 2016 campaign and to move forward with our better angels.
But first, lets give credit where its
due. Whatever one thinks of Trump,
he pulled off something huge and
almost surreal he defeated 16 challengers for the GOP nomination, and a
veteran Democratic politician and her
formidable political apparatus to become president.
And he did it without a big political
machine or the kind of big money that
his opponent had. He did it with his
outsize personality, charisma and
relatively simple message that resonated with millions of ordinary
Americans.
This election would have been historic if Hillary Clinton had won, for
obvious reasons, but the Trump win is
historic too: A rank outsider with no
government experience will now be
our 45th president.
We also owe it to Trump voters to
not indulge in facile, one-dimensional
characterizations of them as nativists,
xenophobes, rubes and racists.
It would be a mistake to look at the
election results in just one or two
ways or narratives, that annoying
word pundits overuse. In my opinion,
Trump didnt win only because of
economic and cultural anxiety, and he
didnt win only because of demographic and class differences, or only
as a repudiation of both political establishments.
It is a combination of all the above,
and added to the mix was the fact that
the Democratic Party fielded an establishment candidate and also took
for granted and misread many of their
blue-collar voters.
I didnt vote for Trump, but I can
understand that his election was at
least partly voters powerful rebuke
to everything establishment, that is
establishment politics, establishment
media and establishment economics.
Also, I think we should lay off the
apocalyptic scenarios now that Trump
is president. Roughly 30 percent of
Hispanic Americans and about 30
percent of Asian Americans voted for
Trump. They probably saw in him
what many other Americans saw: a
rude, crude figure, sure, but also
someone who scrambled ideologies
and orthodoxies, and one who is like a
human defibrillator to our dysfunctional political status quo.
The hope is that the weight and
power of his new position will humble
and ennoble him, and help bring his
best possible self to the office.
After a long election season, it also
bears remembering that democracies
arent just about elections they are,
of course, about power sharing, compromise, rule of law, acting for the
common good and citizens faith in
institutions.
We especially learned that after the
first, free Iraqi elections in 2005: All
the excitement and raised purple
fingers didnt amount to much if you
return to scorched-earth tactics the
day after.
And the coming months and years
will be a test for our constitutional
democracy: one party rule in Washington and a president with some
strongman tendencies.
Meanwhile both parties and the
media need to engage in some serious
reflection on their part in bringing
things to this pass.
The news media, in some quarters,
abdicated their roles somewhat,
dropped neutrality and overtly and
covertly advocated for their candidate, supposedly for the goal of saving
American democracy from a strongman. Voters saw it and didnt like it.
I didnt vote for Clinton, but I hope
my party, the Democratic Party, does
some reflection too on their many
missteps. If they look at the election
results and castigate Trump voters
and paint half the country as misguided, theyd have failed to learn
lessons.
One lesson for both parties seems
to be: Dont take your voters for
granted. Voters hate that.
One of my favorite quotes postelection, quoted in The New York
Times, came from a Florida voter: I
think the future of our country is
about each one of us, not one person in
charge.
Saritha Prabhu of Clarksville is a
Tennessean columnist. Reach her at
sprabhu43@gmail.com.