The Reconciliation Agenda

That vision must capture the American dream,
And in the teary eyes of its people gleam.

BY EDWIN E. VINEYARD

Oh, the audacity of hope! Hope swells eternal within the human breast, and it impels us onward toward our vision of destiny. So has it happened in these United States of America.

The gallantry of Barack Obama in extending the friendly hand of reconciliation on election eve was matched only by the graciousness of Sen. John McCain in response. Strangely enough, President Bush rose a bit in the eyes of this observer, as he made his welcoming and perspective speech in the Rose Garden on the morning after.

America is truly a wonder in a world where so often power changes hands by violence.

Not simply to offer another set of comments from the land of punditry, this writer would like to cite some personal observations of Election Day and its aftermath.

Perhaps most touching the heart strings of emotion was the sight of the old warrior, Jesse Jackson, standing toward the forefront of the Chicago celebration with tears streaming unabashedly down his cheeks. That which could not be accomplished by the confrontational tactics of civil rights activism had occurred naturally in the emergence of a new, dynamic, young leader from his race who successfully touched hands, hearts, and minds of the electorate to win the coveted prize of the presidency.

One could not help but note the conciliatory stance of such assertive civil rights activists as the Rev. Al Sharpton, who had followed after Jackson in previous unsuccessful efforts to capture a place in the presidential race. These less popular black Americans took great pride in the accomplishment of one who had come into leadership through his appeal to all the people.

America has become a bitterly divided nation. The negative campaign of personal attacks and the slimy back-door e-mail rumor mill carried out against Barrack Obama have added to the intensity of that division.

Are we to continue the hostility born in the dirty tactics against the Clinton presidency and given impetus by the 2000 election in Florida? Many still consider the election stolen by the Bushites, partisan state officials, and a partisan Supreme Court.

According to an editorial writer in the New York Times, we can expect a bitter, angry Republican Party core to become dominant in the wake of Obama’s victory. More moderate Republicans will be shunned, he thinks, while this tight-knit, hard-core right wing base will be in party control. If so, the writer argues, Republicans will be in a minority in the nation for years to come.

Mr. Obama has already been stretching forth his hand in political reconciliation. Let us hope that sensible Republicans will accept that, and that they will join in the reform process of making this a better country for all the citizens. Continuing to emote about a smaller, laissez faire government with its hands off business and finance, while touting government intrusion into private, personal, and bedroom affairs, will not work.

It is time for Americans to come together to bring a new era into our national government.

– The author, AKA The Militant Moderate, lives in Enid, OK and is a regular contributor to The Oklahoma Observer