2 weeks Ago
More than 100 people signed the Braver Angels’ “With Malice Toward None” pledge, and I was one of them. Not once since the election have I regretted doing so. It is a question I am being asked often these days.
The pledge is as follows: “Regardless of how the election turns out, I will not hold hate, disdain or ridicule for those who voted differently from me. Whether I am pleased or upset about the outcome, I will seek to understand the concerns and aspirations of those who voted differently and will look for opportunities to work with people with whom I disagree.” Upset about the outcome, I am committed to understanding the concerns of those who voted differently than me — and there were quite a few of my fellow citizens who did.
This post-election, unlike 2016, I am in listening mode. What did the Democrats, and I, not hear? This time, I am finding myself looking more inward at my own party, instead of blaming and casting labels on the other party. This way is a lot harder.
It sure is easier to cast blame. As Nate More wrote in “The Liberal Patriot” on Wednesday, “Self-reflection and accountability are not fun — but they sure beat more losing.” The morning after the election, I received multiple texts and emails from my left-leaning friends.
They calmed and comforted me at a time when I desperately needed to be calmed and comforted. Yet the email that meant the most to me was from a red-leaning friend. The subject line was: “I am sad for you.
” We had been together the previous day, standing in the light drizzle at Brookens Administrative Center in Urbana as part of red/blue Election Day pairing being done all around the country. Our sign said: “We’re red and blue voters committed to holding America together.” My friend wrote in his email: “It’s just like you said yesterday: One of us will be disappointed, perhaps fearful, and the other one will be relieved, but their relief will be tempered by the knowledge that their friend is sad.
Hang in there ...
” And then later that afternoon, there was this text from another red-leaning friend — a friendship nurtured through Braver Angels and now valued: “Hope you are doing OK today. ..
. It was a shocking conclusion to a divisive election ..
. but we will be OK.” A surprising thing about Braver Angels is the friendships that emerge across the political divide as we talk about difficult issues — political issues that are often discussed only with same-minded people.
My 2016 self would have never imagined having a reflective, listening — and even curious — conversation with those who vote differently than me like the one that took place at the Braver Angels holiday potluck. Such bipartisan conversations are needed at the local level. There are local issues — from school funding to public safety to the Strides no-barrier homeless shelter — that continue to pose concerns to the community.
While the referendums on these issues did not pass, the problems still exist. Solutions are still needed. A wise and politically savvy friend said to me last week: “Disappointment in a national election often provides the opportunity to become more engaged in local politics.
” The 2025 consolidated election is less than four months away — on April 1. There are important races on the ballot this spring — school board, township, mayor. Election judges are needed for those elections as well.
And if you want to get involved with getting more local people registered to vote, check out the League of Women Voters at lwvchampaigncounty.org and consider joining and volunteering in that effort. About this series These are the 18th and 19th installments of a series of “Braver Conversations” columns, which appeared every two weeks leading up to November’s election in Town Hall.
Braver Angels is a national organization dedicated to bringing Americans together to bridge the partisan divide, with a local presence in East Central Illinois. The public is invited to attend the next Braver Angels meeting at 7 p.m.
Jan. 28 at the Champaign Public Library..
