With the election upon us, It strikes me that we are at an unusual and alarming point in our Nations political history. And we need to respond to it at the ballot box.
We have always had vigorous political fights over candidates and policy, and that is most healthy. But there has also been an understanding that the loser in those fights accepts the results as the will of the people. That the loser acknowledges, perhaps begrudgingly, that the winner has the right to pursue their plans for the nation. This is, of course, within the constitution and laws we all agree to operate under. Without this mutual agreement by all parties, a civil society and democratic republic can not function. Now one political party has thrown off that agreement, and the evidence is everywhere that they have no intention of abiding by it.
“Activists” have taken to the streets to berate, intimidate and often assault those with whom they disagree. They pursue leaders in the opposition party and run them out of restaurants and other public places. They disrupt and seek to shut down town halls and rallies, often resorting to violence. They seek to force those they oppose to resign from office.
The leaders in the Democratic party are silent or encourage “getting in the face” of those with whom they disagree. Those leaders themselves orchestrate disruptions of congressional hearings and hurl outrageous personal attacks on the character of nominees they are charged with vetting – as well as anyone who dares support them.
So what are we as citizens to do about this assault on our political process? First, don’t be drawn into it. Maintain your sanity and civility while those around you have lost it. But secondly we must use this very political process to soundly defeat the destructive tactic of intimidation. The party that fosters it must not be rewarded with political power. We can not allow our right to self determination to be over ridden by shear force.
I hope and pray this message will be sent loud and clear Nov. 6th. This election, I can not vote for any candidate for any office that is a member of a party that does these things – even if that candidate is personally appealing to me. In fact, I plan to vote for some folks I don’t much care for – just because they are not a part of this movement to resist our right to choose our own destiny.
There is nothing more basic to the American experiment than our unique and precious right to govern ourselves: with representatives of our choosing – to achieve the goals we deem best for our nation.
The horse race between individual candidates will always be there, but I hope you too will ponder the essential choice this election – and cast a vote for our system of Government itself.
James Coyne