Has the 2016 Election changed us? Let’s hope so! Democracy must be renewed periodically in order to reflect the wants and needs of the electorate. This election season has tested and tried the voting public for over 14 months. If we don’t come through it with a stronger sense of who we are and what our country stands for, then we will have wasted a great opportunity. I, for one, hope that all the angst we have suffered as a country will have redemptive value. If it only serves to divide us, then we are in trouble.
Many people have decided who they will vote for on November 8, but there are a great many who say they will not vote for any presidential candidate. How did it happen that we started out watching 23 Presidential candidates in the primary debates, and now many voters have ended with no viable candidate?
The President of the United States represents all its citizens. Once the President takes the oath of office, personal preferences or prejudices have to be put aside for the next four years. In order to make sure that happens, we have checks and balances in our political system. The President can’t get carried away with his/her own agenda because there is a Congress to make sure everyone’s interests are considered. And there is a Supreme Court to make sure that our laws are interpreted and applied fairly. So the President cannot make sweeping changes nor do things that are unconstitutional.
As voters, we must make sure that our Representatives and Senators are representing our interests. Over the past eight years, we have seen what happens when the House and Senate do not work with the President, and vice versa. This has to stop. Voters need to get better informed about their representatives in Congress and make them accountable to us. They need to do their jobs or lose our votes.
There are a lot of people in this country who are suffering. If I have learned anything from this election, it is that people want change. They want our leaders to listen to them and make public policy that helps every American. I am reminded of one of my favorite movies which a surprising number of people have never heard of! Dave (1993) – Kevin Kline plays a presidential look-alike who takes over for the President when he has a stroke. My favorite scene is when he decides to find money in the Budget to fund a homeless shelter. It is an innovative way to make the point that we should spend our government dollars on the things that are important to us as Americans. Dave is a good and decent man who puts common sense back into the Oval Office. Check it out!
I have to admit that I am ready for Election Day to be here! I will be serving as an Election Officer, which means that I will not be watching the news shows all day. For that, I am very thankful. No one really knows who will make the effort to get out and vote. If people lose faith in the system, democracy won’t work. My hope is that we will let our voices be heard through our votes. And then follow our votes with letters to our representatives in Congress to let our voices be heard. If more of us get involved, all the election angst will not have been in vain.
The President of the United States represents all its citizens. Once the President takes the oath of office, personal preferences or prejudices have to be put aside for the next four years. In order to make sure that happens, we have checks and balances in our political system. The President can’t get carried away with his/her own agenda because there is a Congress to make sure everyone’s interests are considered. And there is a Supreme Court to make sure that our laws are interpreted and applied fairly. So the President cannot make sweeping changes nor do things that are unconstitutional.
As voters, we must make sure that our Representatives and Senators are representing our interests. Over the past eight years, we have seen what happens when the House and Senate do not work with the President, and vice versa. This has to stop. Voters need to get better informed about their representatives in Congress and make them accountable to us. They need to do their jobs or lose our votes.
There are a lot of people in this country who are suffering. If I have learned anything from this election, it is that people want change. They want our leaders to listen to them and make public policy that helps every American. I am reminded of one of my favorite movies which a surprising number of people have never heard of! Dave (1993) – Kevin Kline plays a presidential look-alike who takes over for the President when he has a stroke. My favorite scene is when he decides to find money in the Budget to fund a homeless shelter. It is an innovative way to make the point that we should spend our government dollars on the things that are important to us as Americans. Dave is a good and decent man who puts common sense back into the Oval Office. Check it out!
I have to admit that I am ready for Election Day to be here! I will be serving as an Election Officer, which means that I will not be watching the news shows all day. For that, I am very thankful. No one really knows who will make the effort to get out and vote. If people lose faith in the system, democracy won’t work. My hope is that we will let our voices be heard through our votes. And then follow our votes with letters to our representatives in Congress to let our voices be heard. If more of us get involved, all the election angst will not have been in vain.
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