Time for non-partisan dialog
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Editor,
“The morning after” can mean a whole bunch of things, but only one that this letter talks about, and that is election day, Tuesday, Nov. 4 (also my son’s 57th birthday). “Verrry, interesting,” as the American comic actor, Arte Johnson, in “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-in,” used to say. The interesting part will be our behavior on both the national and international stages as we head into the 2016 presidential elections.
Both parties have the great opportunity of not following the recent Republican party’s inactions and negative approach to politics. They have the great opportunity to sidestep all the negativity and employ the solid and long-term tactics involving sensible communications leading to compromise and forward movement.
Many significant doors have been opened in the last few years because of the Obama administration’s appearance on the world scene. We have our first black president elected to office. He immediately inherited an expensive and confusing war, which he and the bulk of Americans did not believe in. Then came the roll out of the Affordable Care Act, a first step toward totally revising the American approach to healthcare. At the same time many social issues and other issues such as drugs, gun control, education and the environmental future of our physical planet were brought to the front burner to be addressed. And this does not even list the number of international crises being faced. Is it any wonder people were fearful, confused, angry and susceptible to emotionally based political advertisements and speeches during the midterm election process?
All I am suggesting is that right now it seems to me, and the many people I have talked with, that this nation has a great opportunity to take a deep breath, step back and look at where we are right now, assess things logically with non-partisan dialogue and begin the long, slow, steady process of rebuilding towards the great democratically based ideals which were the foundation for the formation of the United States of America.
This, of course, will require that truth, wisdom, integrity and generosity replace greed, fear, anger and money as our politically driven motives and power.
Bob McClellan
Polson
