This election year? Anger and angst permeate the electorate.
We are united only in frustration. Which leads to some mutual distrust.
Not good.
Neither the Republican nominee, Donald Trump, nor the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, will receive my vote. But that doesn’t mean I don’t respect people who will vote for one or the other.
My father, whom I respected more than anyone else — and who passed away months ago — was a big Trump enthusiast. Not that he liked Trump’s demeanor; he didn’t. But he believed Trump was the only person who would shake up a completely corrupt Washington.
Some friends and loved ones simply have different political views or a different perspective on Mr. Trump or Mrs. Clinton.
“We’ve got the fate of the U.S. in our hands,” wrote a longtime Common Sense email subscriber yesterday, irritated that I was treating Trump’s “sins” as on par with Hillary’s corruption. He asked to cancel his subscription.
What could I say? Well, that’s exactly what I said: “Sorry to see you go.” And I urged that we not “part ways.”
All’s well that ends well: He emailed back and “re-enlisted.” Not only did that make my day, but he illuminated the biggest danger in this crazy election: allowing ourselves to become divided.
Those of us who understand the gift of liberty, who demand honest government and free markets, must hang together or, as Ben Franklin quipped, “we will all hang separately.”
Disagree and debate, of course — but as friends and neighbors and fellow patriots we must realize that no matter who becomes the next president, the future of freedom in America will depend on us working together to hold them to account.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
7 replies on “United We Disagree”
Hi Paul,
Another good piece based, of course, on common sense. I would only add my hope that you might sometime get to the North book I gave you. If you become convinced of it as have I, it could/should provide a tad of extra nuance here and there that might/might not be fitting for your columns. His summation is heavy going if not outright shocking and might be hard to weave into your articles. Many thanks.
.… Neither Trump nor Clinton will receive my vote .…
Nor mine. But, then nor will anyone else who’s on a ticket.
Guess I’ll write in Senator Cruz. By far the best candidate since Ronald Wilson Reagan.
I can’t believe t hat Trump has become the standard bearer for my party.However, he got to this point fairly and squarely.That said, I will vote for him despite the fact that he has clearly divided the party. Clinton’s choices for the Supreme Court will result in at least two generations of Liberal justices.
Hold them to account: We are already living in a police state and the corrupt have it firmly in hand. Trump may not be the American Idol buut he comes closest to saving America than any of the others. As for dividing the Republican party, nonsense. There hasn;t been a real republican politician in DC for ages.
The subscriber story was heartening in two ways: first in how you responded to his request to be taken off your list and then in his decision to ‘re-enlist’. I definitely understand your desire to vote for ‘someone else’, having voted third party a few times in my life. I probably would have done the same this year had the GOPe had its way and nominated Jeb!.
That being said, no matter who wins in November, our fight for freedom is not over. It never ends.
Pat — That’s the key point.
I have generally voted my conscience, but this year I had planned to vote for the Republican, frankly due to very real fear of Hillary Clinton. But for me, Trump took that off the table.
Nonetheless, we can find common ground and act as individuals outside candidate races
Howard — You’re correct about the state of this Nation-State. But the only path to a better, more free country is for the people to step up more actively, more directly. Even if you are correct that the right choice is Trump, that alone won’t save us. Ultimately, we have to be better organized and more active and courageous to win greater liberty.
After more than 200 years and uncountable failures and corruption beyond measure by the political class, isn’t it time we put a real successful executive in charge of the executive branch of our national government?