Where do we go from here as a nation?

The 2020 election concluded when the last polls closed on November 3, 2020. In the following days, final vote tallies were completed, some states conducted recounts, and the process reached its conclusion. There is little doubt that the outcome—a Biden victory—will remain unchanged. The question now is: where do we go from here?

The past two decades have been among the most divisive in modern American history. Our nation bears deep wounds that must be healed, with divisions that have been exacerbated by increasing tribalism and partisanship. It is imperative that we learn from recent history and find a way to move forward together. The challenges ahead demand unity, and the way we have operated over the last twenty years cannot define the next decade.

As a lifelong registered Republican, my lack of support for Trump has never been a surprise to those who know me. There is a common misconception among Trump supporters that opposition to him stemmed solely from partisan loyalty. However, I did not vote for Clinton or Trump in 2016, fully aware that my preferred candidate would not take office in 2017. My opposition to Trump was not about party allegiance; it was rooted in disagreement with many of his policies and leadership style over the past four years. In the same way, I opposed Obama on numerous issues throughout his presidency, while also acknowledging his successes. Like anyone, I have personal biases against Trump, but I have also made a conscious effort to listen to his supporters, to understand their frustrations and aspirations. Many of them feel that their faith, their vision of America, and their political ideology have been under attack for the past twelve years.

At the same time, there is a misconception among many Democrats that Trump supporters are predominantly ignorant or racist, that they harbor hatred toward people of color and embrace bigotry. From my experience, this is simply not true. Many Trump supporters are compassionate, decent people in their everyday lives. Their support for Trump was based on a variety of reasons, and if we are to move forward as a nation, it is critical that we listen and seek to understand those reasons.

There are good people in both parties. What we must stop doing is labeling and dismissing each other. Instead, we should commit to listening more, engaging in thoughtful reflection, and striving to find common ground. I personally am making a commitment to listen and reflect more, and I hope that in the coming years, others will do the same. Reuniting as a country requires meaningful dialogue, especially with those we disagree with. We don’t have to agree on everything, but we should strive for compromise and progress. I hope this shift occurs not only in Washington but also in our own homes.

May God bless America.

10 Things You Should Know About U.S. Politics.

Image source: Flickr

Many people tell me they hate politics for one reason or another. They tell me they hate all of the fighting, all of the lies, how long it takes for things to happen, or all of the drama. I was born to talk politics. I've loved it all of my life, and I've followed every election closely since I was a young child. Most people are not me. I studied political science, worked on the hill, and I've worked in the political field ever since. Politics is in my blood. So I love talking politics, but not everyone does.

Even with people who like to talk politics it doesn't mean we're having great conversations. When we talk politics we often assume that the people across from us are as politically informed as we are. Sometimes they are more sometimes they are less. All of us could probably do with upping our political IQ, Hopefully it isn't as bad as the people who appeared in this video from Jimmy Kimmel live. None of the individuals interviewed were able to identify any member of Congress.



So I thought through what are 10 things you should know about U.S. politics as a citizen even if you don't really want to get too involved.
1. You should know the basics of how our federal government works. This includes the branches of government, checks and balances, who has the power to make law, implement and review it.

2. You should know who represents you in Congress. Can you name your representative, and two senators? If you don't feel free to go here to find out.

3. You should know who the leaders of the country are. You should at least know who the President, Vice President, Speaker of the House and Senate Majority leader are. A few other good ones to know are the minority leaders, the Secretaries of State and Defense, and the Supreme Court Justices.

4. You should know who the Governor of your state is. It's also good to know your local leaders and try to be involved at the local level because you have the opportunity to have far more of an impact on the local level than the national level.

5. You should know before an election where candidates stand on the issues compared to you. I recommend the site isidewith.com

6. You should know what the federal budget looks like. Every spending decision that is made affects the budget, every tax cut or increase affects the budget. When people talk of spending on military, welfare etc. it's important to know what those budgets look like.

7. You need to know that your participation in society and in politics matters. The more that people are involved in society the better their income, health, and happiness. The more people are involved in politics and government especially in their community, the more ability we have to accomplish great things and move the nation forward. In fact there is a direct correlation between civic engagement and many of our problems as a country. People have lower drop out rates, lower crime rates and better healthcare as a whole. Unemployment drops and incomes rise.

8. You should know that no one has all of the answers. Listening to the other sides' opinions is just as important as listening to your own side. If you start hearing a major push for one opinion on an issue you may want to take a step back, do some research on your own and figure out both sides.

9. No one disagrees on everything. All of us have shared common ground. Even Ted Cruz, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have common ground. We need to recognize that more and not get caught up in the things that tear us apart.

10. Lastly you should know that your vote matters. Here's a good list of times where just one vote mattered.

Should Donald Trump Be Taken Seriously?

Image Source: Flickr

On Friday morning the Huffington Post announced it had come to a decision concerning coverage of Donald Trump's presidential campaign. It stated:

"After watching and listening to Donald Trump since he announced his candidacy for president, we have decided we won't report on Trump's campaign as part of The Huffington Post's political coverage. Instead, we will cover his campaign as part of our Entertainment section. Our reason is simple: Trump's campaign is a sideshow. We won't take the bait. If you are interested in what The Donald has to say, you'll find it next to our stories on the Kardashians and The Bachelorette."

The Huffington Post's Washington bureau chief Ryan Grim also dismissed Trump as "a clownshow" earlier this week.

Donald Trump's campaign dismissed the Huffington Post as a "glorified blog" in a statement on Friday evening."The only clown show in this scenario is the Huffington Post pretending to be a legitimate news source."

The Huffington Post announcement came as Trump has begun to rise in the polls in the Republican Nomination. Much of the first month of his campaign has been surrounded in controversy over remarks he made concerning illegal immigrants from Latin American countries.

There is major concern about the amount of press Trump is recieving as it is affecting the coverage of candidates that some see as "more serious." Pointing to his high polling numbers we need to remember that Michelle Bachmann was polling even higher than Trump is today in 2011.

Often seen as an  outsider and despised by the establishment of the Republican party, many are concerned by the impact Trump will have on other candidates. Whether it is pulling attention from more well established candidates like Perry, Huckabee, Bush, and Walker, to limiting the polling of some who are getting lower numbers because they aren't as well known such as Fiorina and Kasich.

Presidential primaries shouldn't be a place for sideshows like Trump. While he is a ratings hog, he dilutes the real conversation away from candidates with a real shot at representing the core values of the nation and the Republican Party.

I Believe in America

Mitt Romney Believe in America

As many of you who know me well are aware, I am a bit of a history geek. This passion has led me to study intensively the history and founding of our nation. I believe deeply that it is important to remember that throughout our history, we as a people are responsible for the leaders we elect. The election we are now preparing for could possibly be the most important we have ever had, for it is a battle for the soul of America, or rather, it is a battle for what type of America we will have for us and future generations

I believe in our country, I believe in our proud heritage and I believe that America has the ability to continue to be a great nation. I believe we can be the best force for good in the world, and stand up for what is right and good. We can understand and believe that with the right leadership we can get headed in the right direction. To paraphrase Ronald Reagan, we can be the shining light on the hill to the rest of the world.

As we consider leaders, we often seek ones with experience, with leadership qualities we admire, and with a good ability to communicate. Today I will focus on experience though. When we think about the United States of America, it is a very large and complex body, comparable to a very large ship. It has many different moving parts, personnel that need leadership, and it needs direction and navigation both to move through the storms ahead, and to reach the destination we seek that of an America that is the beacon of hope to the world.

America deserves a captain that is familiar with the ship, its parts, its personnel, and has a clear view of the greatness that America can achieve. That is where Mitt Romney comes in. His experience in such various roles, from businessman to governor has prepared him to be a great leader in America. He has weathered storms as captain of the 2002 Olympics. He has an intricate knowledge of the economy, and a clear view of where we need to go in our future.

Our current president, on the other hand has come into this office with little to no real experience and America has suffered. It is not his fault the economy was suffering when he came into office, but it is time that we realize, under Obama things have not improved as they should have. Why? The reason is because we have had a captain that hasn’t known how, where and when to lead. He relies on his advisers to lead, which has led to some of them being out of control and unaccountable. He has attacked business owners and business in general. FDR once said “the business of America is business.” It seems to me that our current president’s opinion is that the business of America is to attack business.

Financially Obama has increased our debt more than any president, and he has done it in less than 4 years. What has it accomplished? Are we safer than we were four years ago? Is our economy better off than it
was four years ago? No. Having a captain who doesn’t know how to turn the ship around has led to Americans suffering to survive. Attacking crucial mechanizms through over regulation, burdensome tax standards, devaluing our currency, allowing other countries to bully us on economic policies, and leaving future generations with a load of debt that seems insurmountable, does not strengthen america.
In simple terms, we can’t afford to spend four more years on a president who doesn’t understand how the economy works, who doesn’t appreciate the entrepreneurial spirit, and who doesn’t seem to have a  clear view of where America should be heading.

We need a captain, a leader, someone who has been storm tested and has a definite view of the destination.
I believe in America,

do you?


Some reading I encourage
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/post/romneys-foreign-policy-the-opposite-of-obamas/2012/07/24/gJQAytNc6W_blog.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/charles-krauthammer-did-the-state-make-you-great/2012/07/19/gJQAbZOiwW_story.html?wpisrc=nl_opinions

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/charles-krauthammer-the-imperial-presidency-revisited/2012/07/05/gJQAR66PQW_story.html

The Battle for the Soul of America

As we begin to consider national elections this year we must begin by understanding ourselves and what we wish for our country. The majority of our country believes that we are not heading in the right direction. I believe that we must seek for wise leaders who have correct priorities in their actions as elected representatives. The question becomes what qualities should we look for to determine said wisdom?

Recently a friend of mine Kyle stated "If you really want to change the country for the better then fix the family and study the founders. And I don't even need to say study conservatism because once you study the founders then conservatism becomes the obvious choice. It is the perpetuation of everything the founders stood for - most importantly freedom and individual liberty." I believe that strong conservative values have been the foundation upon which our country has been built.

As a conservative at heart I do believe that conservative values that promote individual liberty and limited government are essential to a free society. Our country was founded on the belief that hard work, strong moral values, and faith in God were essential to our success and prosperity as a country. Through the last few years we have struggled in more than just economics. We have struggled for the soul of America. This struggle on whether we are going to stand by the same values we have held for many years or let them fall.
Holding true to our values is essential and we must not compromise our values. Our founders had varying opinions of what a free society needed in terms of government, especially the national government. What set them most apart, and what we remember them most for was their ability to compromise, and by so doing bringing to pass action, which in turn has brought to pass a prosperous country of over two hundred and thirty years. We have come to an age however that it seems that individual thought clouds the capability of many of our elected officials from being able of acting in the best interest of the country as a whole. While I do not blame either party individually I do blame both for playing to the extremes of their parties. However there does need to be compromise on the issues where we can come together.
What we most need are leaders who will unite us and lead us rather than divide us and follow others. We need leaders who understand how to inspire us to action and to be more than we are. We also need leaders who will lead us into the future.

I encourage you to consider these as you decide on who to vote for this year, I especially encourage you to research each candidate including and most importantly your local officials, and make a decision according to your conscience and vote.