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Moving On
Introduction
Over the past several weeks since the election, I've had a lot of time to think. As you know from my previous blog, in the wake of overjubilance from one side and seething bitterness from the other, I decided to remove myself from the usual everyday activity of the social aspect of the web. Since then, I've not been on message boards, MySpace, Facebook, Digg, etc. in an effort to come to terms with everything on my own. I don't need to elaborate any further on this; just read the blog.
In any event, I feel that I have reached a general peace of mind within and have established a sense of direction for myself, which I will get to in a moment. First, I'd like to take a minute to highlight a couple of the people that helped me get to where I am, as well as elaborate on where I am.
Influences
One of my personal role models/heroes is the former Governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee. As long-time readers of this site know, I was an passionate supporter of Mike Huckabee's run for President, writing blogs and editorials on the man and his policies. I credit him for getting me as involved in politics as I am now. My desire to help Mike Huckabee out changed me from being a fan watching in the stands to a player on the field, starting as far back as the New Hampshire primaries in January. So I place a great deal of trust and confidence in a position Mike Huckabee takes on a matter. Now with his own political action committee (HuckPAC), and a weekend show on Fox News Channel, he remains a prominent figurehead for the conservative movement in this country.
It was this very show I eagerly anticipated watching following the election, as I wanted to see how Mike would process the results and react to them. As I mentioned in my blog, a lot of the conservative talk radio hosts I listened to were venomous in the shows following the election. How would Mike respond? Well, let me just say that what Mike said moved me so much that I attempted to find a video of it to post here. When I couldn't find it online, I transcribed his words instead in a process that saw me hit "Play" for about ten seconds on my DVR, then type what he had said, then hit "Play" again, type some more, repeat. A day later, it was available online. Here now is the video that helped shaped my own personal outlook.
I was amazed by the words of Mike because that's pretty much exactly the state of mind I wanted to be in. It was just a matter of sorting out the myriad of feelings going through my head. Mike's words assembled my emotions in the correct functionable order for me. What he said is exactly how I've come to feel.
Glenn Beck is another figurehead whose commentary on issues I enjoy. While he may be labeled as conservative, I see him as more a "common sense" kind of guy. By that I mean that he will take to task any politician who is not pulling their weight or is otherwise displaying a degree of ineptitude or corruption, regardless of their party. His commentary is motivated not by partisanship, but by a very transparent love of country and his desire to see it grow and succeed. I will admit that I thought I might discover Glenn to be in the same boat as the acerbic talk radio hosts I mentioned before. However, I was pleasantly surprised to read a transcript of an excerpt from his radio show where a conservative caller called in and declared that Barack Obama would not be his President. Glenn's response to this caller was, in my opinion, what conservatives like the caller need to come to terms with and understand:
CALLER: I'm on the other side. He is not my President and I will not accept him as my President until he proves to me that the platform and all the issues and stuff that he has stated so far that he will not do those things.
GLENN: Well, how very un-American of you, Joe. Congratulations.
CALLER: No, I am an American and --
GLENN: No, no. No, Joe, how does America work? How does the election work? Explain that to me.
CALLER: Okay, well, let me -- okay. The election works by people electing who they want as their President.
GLENN: Yes. And when it is done, who is elected? The Democratic President or the Republican President? Or is it the American President?
CALLER: The one that gets elected.
GLENN: And what is he? Is he the Republican President or the Democratic President or is he the American President?
CALLER: He is the President once he is elected.
GLENN: He is the -- say it, Joe. He is the American President, right?
CALLER: He is the President of America. However, at this point I don't accept --
GLENN: Say the words, he is the American President.
CALLER: I can't accept him as the American President.
GLENN: Well, Joe, then you're un-American because this is the way our system works, and this is -- you are exactly the kind of person that caused so much trouble with George W. Bush. When the Supreme Court decided the way our system works, when the Supreme Court decided you count the way you are supposed to count the votes, you guys set this up, the Democrats were the ones who set it up. So you've got to play by those rules. When they counted the votes the way they were supposed to be counted and even when they counted them the way that they were trying to get them to count, you know, and change the rules, George Bush still won, they still said, "Well, he's not my President; he was selected, not elected. No, the facts are he was elected the President of the United States through the Supreme Court and then the New York Times -- that crazy -- I mean, it might as well be reading the National Review. That crazy newspaper went back and counted them again and Al Gore still lost. And yet people said he's not my President. Well, that was the problem. And Joe, you are now the person that you most likely railed against in 2000. Barack Obama won. He is now our President. We do not sacrifice our values. We are not required to now become a socialist. We're now not required to stand up and fight for the things that he believes in if we disagree, but we understand that he is the President of the United States.
Now, don't get me wrong. I am not selling out my principles, jumping on some bandwagon, or buying a "Yes We Did!" T-Shirt. I still believe McCain would have been better and that all my concerns and criticisms of Barack Obama remain. The difference is that they really do not matter anymore. I can harp on and on about faults of his that I personally feel he still has, but it won't change that he will be President come January 20th. And I do want him to be successful in that I want this country to be successful. However, I do continue to worry about his policies and values system that is nearly in direct contrast to my own and other conservatives like myself, but the time to combat those was in the time before the election. Much like the opponents of Proposition 8 in California, our side lost, and we now must accept it. We won't be protesting the results or appealing to courts. And I won't be scathing to those that did support him. I hope that in return they will show the same respect. Their candidate waged a very successful campaign that managed to unite a majority of people, despite the litany of criticisms and faults the man has. We should applaud that success. We would be just as jubilant had McCain won. Rubbing a victory in anyone's face is never a gracious thing to do, but berating the victors is similarly uncouth.
I agree that conservatives are at a loss right now. With all three branches of government under the rule of the same party, it is very possible that any liberal-based bill could be passed that goes against the conservative principles we believe in. I do hope that those who would not call themselves conservative will at least try to understand this point of view us conservatives share, whether or not they agree with it. I'm not quite sure at this point what means of action we conservatives have to fight for our side should these measures arise in Congress; we very well may just have to deal with it for the next four years. But we should not spend those four years in a bitter state lamenting our loss and harshly reacting to those that disagreed with us.
Engagement
We have been a divided nation for so long. Now is the time to come together as one. Likewise, conservatives should come together with each other, and then with the rest of the nation - even those who share different values than theirs. The common goal should be unity and a comprehension of differences of opinion. I've always felt that, for a majority of issues, I need not agree with someone to be a friend of theirs. As long as we can each understand the viewpoint someone has on an issue, we can remain cordial even if we simply agree to disagree. I feel that Americans need to do that now, whether you deem yourself conservative or liberal, Republican or Democrat - none of that should matter. In the end, we are all Americans. So how about no more hate-mongering, insulting labels, or any form of disparagement. I call on Americans to unite with each other. If you meet someone who voices an opinion other than your own, instead of discount their opinion outright, take the opportunity to expand your horizon on the issue. Say to them, "That's interesting. What makes you feel that way?" By simply taking the time to understand why one feels the way they do, you might get a better understanding of the issue. And, in turn, they will be more likely to hear you out on why you feel as you do.
I believe this is a vital step to healing as a nation. I believe that it is through dialogue with each other that we can not only unite, but perhaps better understand each other and why we feel as we do. One should never berate another for their opinion as long as it is well-informed (nothing bothers me more than ill-informed opinions).
The Future
How does all this factor into the next four years? How can conservatives gain any ground or find their voice? By speaking their voice. Now, I do not mean for everyone to suddenly start making bold unsolicited proclamations of how they feel on issues in social settings. But engaging others of opposing viewpoints in open and civil dialog to understand them. The only way to gain ground will be to make others aware of why you feel as you do and hope that they end up sharing your viewpoint, or at least become sensitive to it. Take the issue of abortion, for instance. I choose this as an example because most people feel strongly about it one way or another. But opponents of abortion tend to be too extreme in their efforts. I do not believe that the correct way for abortion opponents to reach their goal is via a ruling or law that immediately makes abortion illegal overnight. Instead, there would need to be a general movement that attempts to change minds about it, similar to the efforts of Nancy Reagan's anti-drug and the eventual anti-smoking movement that has seen statistical reductions. The same can even be said about safety rules (like wearing seatbelts) or the ongoing "go green" phenomenon. Only when people begin to think differently about something will they be able to accept a change; change should not be forced upon anyone or it will be met with adversity. And the only way that happens is through civil discourse.
I realize that conservatives have taken quite a beating in the wake of this election, so much so that 2012 might not be soon enough to regain ground. But it doesn't mean we can't start now.
One thing that this election cycle did for me, and a lot of other young folks, is engage us in the process. John McCain's slogan of Country First was elaborated on during his speech at the Republican National Convention. His call to service for all Americans is something now being implemented by Barack Obama (although there have already been several variations). This is a good thing that all Americans can and should appreciate. I, too, think that we should all give service in one form or another and become active in helping build up our nation. Watching John McCain speak about service to our country, I felt inspired. I had been interested in the National Guard and began looking into joining the Guard further. I've had a desire to serve for years now. I can remember wanting to help out during the hurricanes in Florida in 2004 and especially in the aftermath of Katrina. One of the aspects I particularly liked about the National Guard was the disaster relief they would provide in the face of such events. Unfortunately, it also required the possibility of being deployed overseas in war zones like Iraq and Afghanistan. And while I have the utmost respect, reverence, and admiration for our armed forces, that is not the route I personally want to go; I prefer to serve on a domestic front.
As mentioned above, we now are facing a Barack Obama presidency for the next four years, and possibly eight, given the state of the only major opposition, the Republican Party. I do believe that all Americans need to come to terms with it, accept it, and hope for the best. We also should get involved and serve our country. I've always believed in the mantra that "If you don't like something, change it" and I think that's what dissatisfied (and even those that are satisfied) should do.