The United States of America isn’t about any one man or woman.
The United States of America isn’t about any one party or set of beliefs, however deeply held.
The United States of America is all of us, past and present and future, an astonishing diversity of souls, engaged in an ongoing debate about where we’re going and where we’ve been. It’s not always a comfortable journey, but it makes us who we are.
So this morning after Election Day, whoever might be ahead, whatever decision might be suggested from early totals last night, let’s remember that we’re all bound to one another. We are all one people.
Some of us may be unhappy with where the results are heading. The temptation will be great to claim that those results are invalid. That’s understandable, and it’s important that all votes be counted accurately. But we have all had our say. In the United States of America, we then wait and see what those results will be.
Perspective, especially in a moment like this, can be difficult.
Yet the discussion isn’t over. If your candidate ends up losing, the disappointment will be acute, but you still have a voice. You still have the ability to speak out, to lobby, to mobilize. In four years, there will be another election. There will be more opportunities to make your case.
Remember this: Whoever wins, both candidates will have collected millions upon millions of votes. Whoever wins, both candidates will have earned the support of nearly half the population of this country. Maybe that makes you angry and frustrated. Maybe it should motivate you to know more people who disagree with you.
Members of both parties love this country. Those without a party love this country. And even those who don’t love this country have a voice. We’re all part of the astonishing diversity of the United States of America — some 328 million people. We can’t be contained by any one candidate or party or by any one election.
So let’s all commit this morning, let’s all commit this day, to a peaceful post-election period. Whichever man becomes president, let’s support him when we agree and speak out clearly when we disagree.
Let’s keep the discussion going. For all of us.
— Topeka Capital-Journal
