An Op-Ed by Daniel Rose
On November 5, 2024, a troubled American public—largely dismayed about their present ‘income vs. expenses’ and deeply worried about the future—spoke out loudly and clearly.
Sixty-eight percent of voters told Gallup and Pew pollsters that they felt the national economy was “not so good” or “poor,” and they expressed a loss of trust and faith in national leadership with a sense of betrayal. Only thirty-one percent felt the economy was “good or “excellent.”
The anxious majority voted for a presidential candidate who repeatedly declared that:
a) He understood, and sympathized with, their anger and frustrations, and with the chagrin they felt at the contempt and disdain shown to them by an over-privileged ‘elite,’
b) He knew well “the enemy” responsible for their humiliation and degradation,
c) He promised dramatic change—not to “defund the police” but to increase police power to protect our threatened country from the illegal Mexican immigrant drug dealers, gang members and rapists who are destroying us, and
d) He swore to defend us from the foreign conspiracies threatening us, while ending financial aid to other countries and imposing tariffs on their products to protect American jobs.
On November 6 our American democratic society demonstrated that our elections ARE free and fair, and that we CAN indeed make a dramatic change in ruling parties without violence or civil disruption. The post-election statements by both Kamala Harris and Joe Biden—assuring Donald Trump of an orderly transfer of power—reflect the best American acceptance of the rule of law.
That said, patriotic, law-abiding Americans who did not vote for the re-election of President Trump must now consider how we should react. Those of us with respect for, and faith in, American traditions and institutions must ponder our options. We who are concerned about social justice, civil rights, and equal opportunities for all need to engage responsibly for the public good, rather than boycott the public process. If we are to help everyone in our country to achieve their full inherent potential for socioeconomic advancement, we must redouble our efforts rather than retreat from the field.
Legal, constructive and nonviolent adaptation to the likely turmoil of the next two years is the most appropriate course of action. We must work to truly understand why a significant majority of our fellow citizens cast their votes as they did. Seeing the world through their eyes may help to bridge what appears to be an almost unbridgeable divide, as we work toward electoral victories in 2026 that may lead to potentially different election results in 2028.
Important and effective social institutions like People for The American Way, the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Urban League, Planned Parenthood, Reproductive Freedom for All, and the Brennan Center For Justice are vehicles that merit our active support and involvement.
The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. believed that America’s best days are before it, and he prayed that we could demonstrate the wisdom, judgment and courage to bring them about. As the old lady said, “Out of his mouth and into God’s ear!”