Democracy Continues

One of the things which distinguishes democracy from mob rule and anarchy is that in democracy you have a smooth transition of power, even when the transition occurs with polar extreme parties. Even when rivals and adversaries met and were forced to face each other, our nation has continued, despite their vitriol. To her credit, Hillary Clinton will be at the inauguration today, not in her role as vanquished candidate, but as former First Lady. Sadly, mob rule has taken over and 70 Democratic leaders have decided to boycott the inauguration. This is the last act of cowardly men and women who tried in vain to do everything possible to derail this election, from cheating (passing along debate questions to candidates before the debate) to recounts (thanks Jill Stein). This is an act of betrayal to our nation that I hope ends here.

Hopefully many years from now, the liberals will regain the White House and Congress...it will happen. This effort to de-legitimize the presidency of a candidate you do not agree with is more than an act of civil discourse, but an act of secession. When the south wanted to deny the government of the US was legitimate, they seceded from the Union. They set up their own government, walking out on the government in power. This led to a Civil War. Please, don't let this fracture happen again.

The policies put into place by Barack Obama were personally repugnant. While I think the man is sincere and has a good heart, I think he was a terrible president. I feel less safe, due to forces internal and external. My beliefs were trampled on, and my money was taken to support many things I did not agree with. If I disagreed, I was called a racist, a bigot, a xenophobe....part of the 1%. Despite all of this, there never was an advocacy for boycotts or de-legitimization. The democracy is bigger than that....bigger than my opinion....bigger than your opinion. Is it perfect? No! But it is better than anything any other nation has, and it should be defended.

So, I caution those who protest, riot even. I caution those like Rep. Lewis who boycott. Think of where we have been....is that what you want for this great nation? To be sure, the divide amongst us is great. But, we must continue to look for ways to bridge the divide, not blow up the bridge.