Political analysts are telling us we are a nation divided, that the political map has been redrawn, and that old assumptions about political identity and partisan preferences no longer apply. If that’s true, and even if it’s not, this seems like an important time to ask, what do we Americans agree on? On what, if anything, do we stand united? Continue reading “Three weeks later (United we stand…)”
Month: November 2016
Ten days later (This isn’t normal!)
As we watch the jumble of reports on plans for a Trump presidency, it’s hard to know whose opinions reliably predict future actions. With an unfocused president-elect and an eager but changing Republican Party, who will be calling what shots? Will they really move troops into the streets to deport millions of Mexican immigrants, repeal Dodd-Frank—the only protection from another greed fueled financial collapse, impose a registry for Muslims as the Third Reich did for Jews, withdraw from the Paris Agreement when carbon threatens massive social displacement and the health of the planet, or eliminate Medicare along with Obamacare, reducing coverage and raising costs for millions of the most vulnerable Americans? Continue reading “Ten days later (This isn’t normal!)”
Day seven
The jury is trickling in and the verdict isn’t looking good. People being named for key administration positions so far sound angry and authoritarian and are lacking relevant experience. His chief of political strategist is a self-avowed white supremacist. People with foreign policy and national security experience are reported to be turning away, describing the transition team as “angry,” “screaming,” and “unhinged.”
Mr. Trump also is refusing to separate himself from his vast business interests the way presidents, judges, and other high policy level public servants do. Apparently he’s not worried about conflicts of interest, which makes sense if his primary interest is marketing his brand and making money, and not taking the role and responsibilities of the presidency seriously. Continue reading “Day seven”
Day three
On the Morning After the election, my mediator/problem solver instincts kicked in to appreciate the values and motives behind Trump voters. That’s what I do, back up and work for a balanced perspective. It’s where a mediator goes to find common ground and ways forward. Days later, however, I find myself more worried, not less. Continue reading “Day three”
The morning after
I feel a shock wave rippling through the country, and the world. An eerie silence has descended around me following last night’s election of Donald Trump. People at work are walking around each other without speaking, I assume because they don’t know what to say, because they don’t know what to think. His election started off as a protest and ended up a revolution, a rebellion. The order has been undone and no one is sure where we go from here. And when I say no one, I doubt even the Donald—President-Elect Trump knows.
On the other hand... 