Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Addressing a Divided House

As of this entry, there is now one week to go before the 2020 Presidential election. By now, it is safe to say that most everyone knows there is much riding on the results. People on both sides of the political aisle are convinced that the country will be on the road to disaster if their side loses. The kicker is that each is probably right - given their perspective on life in the U.S. these past four years. That means there are going to be an awful lot of unhappy folks no matter the results. With that in mind, it seems as if the first order of business for either Trump or Biden will be to begin taking steps to bring the country together. How does one do that? How does one take opposing sides that are convinced with every core of their being that not only are they right in how they see the world but the other side goes beyond wrong. Those on the opposite side are practically evil and because they feel the way they do they are also idiots. On top of that, a large segment of the population will view Trump with much distrust and scorn if he wins and the same will be true with Biden should he win the day. Talk about your tall order. If the winner of the election ignores this divide, then they will be making a major mistake as it will only get worse. The first thing the winner will need to do is acknowledge the divide. Even though such a declaration may seem like stating the obvious, coming from the President of the United States it will still have impact. The second step should be to launch a nationwide listening tour as conducted by the President, his top aides, and even leaders from the opposite political party. Voters will be upset and cry out to express their emotions. Trump and/or Biden will need to give them that opportunity in the form of town hall meetings throughout the entire country. Results of that effort should then be compiled with appropriate recommendations for elected leaders and citizens to follow. Throughout all this, the President should continue to recommit himself to establishing unity in our nation. It is time for all of us to begin taking tangible steps to address our house divided.

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