Time to Move On

Like most Americans, I am relieved that the election is finally over.  I was so tired of the political ads—so tired of the lies—so tired of the bickering.  Now it is time to move on.  Is that possible?  Can our Congress and our president work together to solve our country’s problems?  Can there be compromise?  If there isn’t, I’m afraid that the fiscal cliff won’t be the only cliff that we could fall off.

This country has become so divided.  Why?  I have heard a number of theories.  My answer, of course, is biased.  The Republican Party has moved further and further to the right.  It has been taken over by the religious right and the Tea Party.  For the Tea Party, it’s “my way or the highway”—no compromise.  Who knows what they really stand for; there are many different agendas.  The religious right seems to be all about judgment, forcing their views on others, and often hate.

While I have considered myself an independent for some time, I am more aligned with the Democratic Party.  The most extreme of this party can be just as intolerant and immoveable as the Republicans.  I don’t feel like the Democrats have moved further to the left—I do remember the 1960s after all.  Obama is considered more of a centrist, at least in some areas.  However, I have not seen an analysis of this.

Some Democrats are disdainful of religion.  However, there are many people who take a more progressive stand on issues because of their Christian beliefs.  I count myself among these Christians.  Jesus was a radical in his time—he would also be seen as a radical today if he were in human form.  Jesus condemned the self-righteous.  He emphasized that we should take care of the poor.  Jesus accepted the outcasts of his society.  My Christian beliefs lead me to work for social justice issues, like GLBT rights.  I don’t believe our national budget should be balanced on the backs of the poor.  I have worked for anti-hunger programs and I will continue to do so.  I strongly believe we need to work with people of other faiths to make a better country and a better world.  My political views are opposite those of fundamentalists; they don’t even consider me Christian.

I hope that we can all discover what we have in common.  There has been so much anger.  Conservatives are disappointed with the election results—this is understandable.  To move our country forward and solve our problems, we must ALL be willing to compromise.  That is what is required in a democracy.  Let’s hope we can save ours.