Editorial: Is Unity Possible? Keep the Faith!
By • November 13, 2024 0 20
“Campaigns are contests of competing visions,” said President Joe Biden last week. “The country chooses one or the other. We accept the choice the country made. I’ve said many times you can’t love your country only when you win. You can’t love your neighbor only when you agree.
“Something I hope we can do no matter who you voted for is see each other not as adversaries but as fellow Americans. Bring down the temperature.”
The Nov. 5 general election hit Democrats hard, showing that we’ve gone beyond being a 50-50 country. “Sometimes the fight takes a while,” said Vice President Kamala Harris in her concession speech. “Don’t ever give up. Don’t ever stop trying to make the world a better place.”
Of course, most folks — as different as Marianne Williamson and Bill Maher — are telling Democrats to “take a look in the mirror.”
A political party took a shellacking, nationally and locally. But here in deep-blue D.C., not so much. Our local election went as planned. Nevertheless, besides worrying about Trump’s promises, Washingtonians have to live with the guy — and need to understand his supporters, who said yes to policies many progressives don’t get.
More than that, the losers have to stand with the winners for the sake of America. Williamson asked for “contrition and humility.” We don’t have to agree but should be able to talk with one another.
Is civility possible? Is unity possible? The good news: clearly, democracy is not dead.
“The American experiment endures, and we’re going to be okay, but we need to stay engaged,” said Biden. “We need to keep going. And above all, we need to keep the faith.”
