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Election 2016:
Healing USA
Our view
President Barack Obama meets with President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday, Nov. 8, in the Oval Office of the White House.
Inside Insight
We heal by listening
first to one another;
We should focus on
what we have in
common.
Now is the time for courage, for unity of purpose and for summoning the intentionality to sustain and strengthen our democracy.
We Americans are capable of this and so much more.
We are all the United States of America.
Opinion Engagement Editor David Plazas wrote this editorial on
behalf of The Tennessean Editorial Board. Call at 615-259-8063, email
him at dplazas@tennessean.com or tweet to him at @davidplazas.
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Featured letter
Speeches bring hope
While it remains to be seen whether ultimately actions are consistent
with words, post-election sentiments offered up by Donald Trump and
Hillary Clinton speak to the legitimacy of all citizens.
Clintons concession speech, following a long and protracted
campaign season, seemed to set the healing tone for her followers. A
key takeaway is that the anticipated culmination of a dream does not
always align with the reality on the ground.
Clinton exhibited grace and deference to the will of the electorate
while conceding the election to Trump. To her credit, she refused to
dwell on negative speculation as to why her coronation as Americas first
female president proved unsuccessful.
Trump, during his acceptance speech, in a rare expression of humility,
opened the door of reconciliation to former adversaries. Notable, in its
absence from his address, was the omission of the customary
saber-rattling rhetoric, replaced by a more measured and diplomatic
delivery.
Robert Judkins, Hendersonville 37075
Tennessee
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to thank him for all that he is doing. His Overtime Rule and Reform
Act in the Senate gives us the one thing that we need but cant buy:
time. We need the Senate to approve this act, just as the House approved its legislation.
Time will help me figure out what my upcoming costs will be,
which of my employees are eligible for overtime and if I am actually able to afford these new changes.
Thank you, Sen. Alexander, for truly being on the side of small
business.
Wyatt Harper, Dickson 37055
Featured letter
Move on from past rancor
Politically, America is solidly purple. Both candidates got 48 percent
of the vote. This means that most of us are just to the right or left of
center. We all want a good job, fair taxes, proper education and a
chance to live a happy, healthy life.
Single-issue voters and ideologues can expand the fringes or refuse
to compromise for the common good, but respect and care for each
other, not just personal enhancement, is what true citizenship entails.
We cannot let the rancor of the last year seep into our collective
psyche. We have to cleanse our spirits and minds to be able to address
the work to come. Do not fall prey to the idea that we have become a
country we cant recognize. We have our problems and shortcomings,
but we are not a mob of fanatics. We are still neighbors. We have our
differences, but we have so many common goals that bind us.
May our political leaders become statesmen, and may we become
truly vigilant citizens working for the greater good of our fellows, our
nation and the future of our planet.
Matthew Carlton, Nashville 37216
insight
U.S. Rep.
Jim Cooper
says he is
ready to
work with
Trump
We must put the interests of America
first, and that means working in good
faith with President-elect Trump.
JIM COOPER
I am humbled by the
overwhelming 62 percent support that the
voters gave me in this
years election. I pledge
to continue working
hard to represent all
700,000 people in my district, regardless of their politics.
Likewise, after the Trump victory,
the entire Congress must work hard to
make the nation successful. Members
of Congress take the oath of office to
the U.S. Constitution, not to any leader
or political party. We must put the
interests of America first, and that
means working in good faith with
President-elect Trump.
Thats always been the Tennessee
way: solving problems, not starting
fights. Being practical, not ideological. Respecting other people regardless of their views. Doing such a good
job that people want to re-elect you.
It is very hard to move forward
when your heart is broken because
your candidate lost. It is harder still
when you are fearful for the nations
future. But our nation survived the
Civil War, World War II and 9/11. We
will get through this, too.
Hillary supporters have a lot to be
proud of because we won the majority
of the vote. But that was not enough.
The Electoral College will, for the
second time since 2000, pick the Republican candidate to be president.
Remember that the Republican
Party did not really win this week. An
insurgent candidate with zero political
experience won, a man who often
scares Republicans as much as he
does Democrats. Trump has now completed his hostile takeover of the old
Republican Party. It remains to be
seen what he will do with it.
True, Trump carried the GOP banner, but mainstream Republicans like
Gov. Bill Haslam and former President George W. Bush refused to vote
for him. Trump actually agrees with
Democrats and Libertarians on some
key issues. Democrats should lock
him in before the Republican establishment tries to tame him.
No presidential candidate in history was such a wild card. With no voting record, no detailed platform
only a mountain of tweets, soundbites, and rally speeches Trump is
known for generalities but few specifics. He has criticized many Republicans in Congress who do know the
specifics.
No one really knows what sort of
president Trump will be. We do know
he is the oldest president-elect in
American history. Being president is
the hardest job in the world and it
ages people rapidly, graying them
before our eyes.
It wont be anyones fault, but everyone is bound to be disappointed
with Trump, no matter how hard he
tries. Expectations are so high that it
will probably be impossible for him,
or anyone, to be the vessel of so much
anger, frustration, and hope. Ironically, this is the same problem Obama
had after the 2008 landslide. No one
can satisfy all their supporters. Candidates campaign in poetry, but must
govern in prose.
New presidents only get 100 to 200
legislative days to pass their main
agenda. That means his window of
opportunity will close next August. Is
Trump ready? He has 60-plus days
before inauguration. We really dont
know who Trumps team will be. If he
picks incendiary pundits like Newt
Gingrich, Rudy Giuliani or Chris
Christie, he probably wont get much
done. If he picks someone like our
own U.S. Sen. Bob Corker he would
have a much better chance.
I am hopeful that Trump will be as
much of a reformer as he has promised, particularly on national problems that, until now, both major political parties have ducked. Getting the
economy growing faster in order to
benefit all Americans is vital.
Reining in our huge budget deficits
is urgent.
Crafting a new foreign policy that
keeps us engaged in the world, without being the worlds policeman, will
define the 21st Century.
I hope and pray he is ready for
these huge challenges. I know that I
am ready to work constructively with
him.
Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Nashville, represents District 5 (Davidson, Cheatham and Dickson counties) in the U.S.
House of Representatives.
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TENNESSEE VOICES
TENNESSEE VOICES
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insight
TENNESSEE VOICES
wealthy.
Yet how can we strike a proper balance between an individuals responsibility and societys duty to help the
poor? How do we maintain social programs for the needy yet avoid advocating attitudes of complacency, entitlement and fiscal irresponsibility
which continue to reduce our products
competitiveness internationally?
How can we rekindle the hard-working spirit of our forefathers? We must
reignite curiosity and drive, especially
in our youth who often lack motivation
due to living in a country with material
abundance.
Though the election is now behind
us, the necessary changes have just
begun. We need to look beyond the
candidates and political parties, and
begin listening and discussing the issues exposed in this election that are
important to our country.
Better listening leads to better understanding, and better understanding
leads to better solutions. Perhaps the
best formula for success for our country is a progressive social policy that
embraces diversity and a conservative
fiscal policy that emphasizes individual
responsibility.
Dr. Ming Wang, MD, PhD is the director of Wang Vision 3D Cataract &
LASIK Center, Nashville, TN, founder of
Wang Foundation for Sight Restoration,
co-founder of Tennessee Immigrant and
Minority Business Group, president of
Tennessee Chinese Chamber of Commerce and honorary president of Tennessee American-Chinese Chamber of
Commerce. He can be reached at
drwang@wangvisioninstitute.com.
appointment to turn into political apathy. Continue to be engaged. Read every day and hold your elected officials
accountable. Thirty-three Senate seats
are up for election in 2018 along with
hundreds of other seats at the state and
local level.
This is not as glamorous as a presidential election, but it is just as important. Campaigns need energized young
people to make the change we all wish
to see in the world.
Take as much time as you need to be
upset. Reflect on your feelings and
where we are going as a country.
Tomorrow the sun will rise again
and it will be a new day.
Do not let your voice go out because
of a loss. We need it now more than
ever.
Kirk Bado is a Belmont University
student studying journalism and political science. Over the summer he
served as an intern with The Tennessean as a general assignment reporter.
Trumps
victory
offers many
political
lessons
Saritha
Prabhu
The hope is that the weight and
power of his new position will humble
and ennoble him.
Donald Trumps stunning victory
offers many insights and lessons on
our politics today. But the need of the
hour is to leave behind the ugliness of
the 2016 campaign and to move forward with our better angels.
But first, lets give credit where its
due. Whatever one thinks of Trump,
he pulled off something huge and
almost surreal he defeated 16 challengers for the GOP nomination, and a
veteran Democratic politician and her
formidable political apparatus to become president.
And he did it without a big political
machine or the kind of big money that
his opponent had. He did it with his
outsize personality, charisma and
relatively simple message that resonated with millions of ordinary
Americans.
This election would have been historic if Hillary Clinton had won, for
obvious reasons, but the Trump win is
historic too: A rank outsider with no
government experience will now be
our 45th president.
We also owe it to Trump voters to
not indulge in facile, one-dimensional
characterizations of them as nativists,
xenophobes, rubes and racists.
It would be a mistake to look at the
election results in just one or two
ways or narratives, that annoying
word pundits overuse. In my opinion,
Trump didnt win only because of
economic and cultural anxiety, and he
didnt win only because of demographic and class differences, or only
as a repudiation of both political establishments.
It is a combination of all the above,
and added to the mix was the fact that
the Democratic Party fielded an establishment candidate and also took
for granted and misread many of their
blue-collar voters.
I didnt vote for Trump, but I can
understand that his election was at
least partly voters powerful rebuke
to everything establishment, that is
establishment politics, establishment
media and establishment economics.
Also, I think we should lay off the
apocalyptic scenarios now that Trump
is president. Roughly 30 percent of
Hispanic Americans and about 30
percent of Asian Americans voted for
Trump. They probably saw in him
what many other Americans saw: a
rude, crude figure, sure, but also
someone who scrambled ideologies
and orthodoxies, and one who is like a
human defibrillator to our dysfunctional political status quo.
The hope is that the weight and
power of his new position will humble
and ennoble him, and help bring his
best possible self to the office.
After a long election season, it also
bears remembering that democracies
arent just about elections they are,
of course, about power sharing, compromise, rule of law, acting for the
common good and citizens faith in
institutions.
We especially learned that after the
first, free Iraqi elections in 2005: All
the excitement and raised purple
fingers didnt amount to much if you
return to scorched-earth tactics the
day after.
And the coming months and years
will be a test for our constitutional
democracy: one party rule in Washington and a president with some
strongman tendencies.
Meanwhile both parties and the
media need to engage in some serious
reflection on their part in bringing
things to this pass.
The news media, in some quarters,
abdicated their roles somewhat,
dropped neutrality and overtly and
covertly advocated for their candidate, supposedly for the goal of saving
American democracy from a strongman. Voters saw it and didnt like it.
I didnt vote for Clinton, but I hope
my party, the Democratic Party, does
some reflection too on their many
missteps. If they look at the election
results and castigate Trump voters
and paint half the country as misguided, theyd have failed to learn
lessons.
One lesson for both parties seems
to be: Dont take your voters for
granted. Voters hate that.
One of my favorite quotes postelection, quoted in The New York
Times, came from a Florida voter: I
think the future of our country is
about each one of us, not one person in
charge.
Saritha Prabhu of Clarksville is a
Tennessean columnist. Reach her at
sprabhu43@gmail.com.