This was a big week for Democrats, and for democracy. Democratic supporters have been crowing about the “blue wave” and the changes it will bring. Trump lost. That’s for sure. His followers have been bailing, and now he will have to contend with an oppositional Congress. But who really won?
There are those who will say that the winners were everyone who wants lower gas prices, an end to the war that Trump started, more access to health care, and a return to civility in politics. None of those things will happen automatically, and we are at the very beginning of a number of contentious battles for control. The wheels of government turn slowly, and the hearings and investigations and accusations will become tiresome. There will be cover-ups and court battles, intra party squabbling and inter party name-calling.
It has already started. As I pointed out in a previous post “Two Kinds of People,” our President doesn’t take responsibility for his actions, and tends to blame others if anything goes wrong. He almost immediately replaced his Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, with Stephen Miller, and on 60 Minutes he recently stated that “I love my cabinet. I think they’re good. But I’ll be doing maybe a few changes. I don’t want to mention who…”
Meanwhile, others are blaming him. “It’s on him. It’s not on anybody else. It’s a total, complete rejection of President Trump,” Bill Miller, a top Republican lobbyist in Texas, told the BBC. “This is a disaster of the first magnitude. Nobody saw it coming like this.” “It was just one mistake after another,” said Gregg Peppin, a Republican strategist in Minnesota. “Clearly, in state after state, people did not like the president’s policies.” (www.bbc.com)
Losing is hard. It hurts. But you can do it well, or you can do it poorly. If you do it well, you focus on what you can learn from the contest and try to improve the next time. It can be a springboard to success.
The same with winning. Some winners become complacent, while others remain focused on their goals. Those who think the game is over have not been paying attention. Looking back at the results can yield some helpful information for the future, and may even provide glimpses into what needs to change the next time around.
It is important to remember that there is a difference between winning and succeeding. No matter who gets the most votes, succeeding will mean making meaningful change for the country. Finding ways to solve our economic problems, keep people healthy, heal the divides between nations, keep our country safe, develop great educations for all, and provide meaningful opportunities for those who seek them will require compromise, vision, and the ability to look beyond our own parties. I hope that whatever team you side with, you will be looking to help with this enormous task in the days to come.
Yes!!! Great post!