---Allie Yang
I remember the very moment my thoughts on the Republican Party took a hit. Although a registered Democrat, I always believed in voting for the politician, not the party. Many republicans earned my vote through the years, because they seemed well suited to achieve the results I believed best for the country at the given moment. Barack Obama was not a shoe in vote for me that first term. I looked at both sides very carefully before I cast my vote for him.
I was happy to give him a chance though, and I looked ahead to some needed change where both parties would get together and work for the betterment of our country. Then I read an interview that the "National Journal" did with Mitch McConnell, who was the Senate minority leader at the time. I waited for him to present ideas that they could compromise on to improve conditions in our already great nation. Instead, he said, "The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president."
That was the day I lost faith in the Republican Party and our two party system as it is today. If the objective is anything other than working together to make our country stronger, than I have no interest in what they have to say. It is for that reason that I am going to agree with former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg when he said we should "get behind Trump." I didn't vote for Donald Trump, and many parts of his platform sicken me, but enough people supported him to make him our 45th President. I can still work against things I don't believe in, but supporting a leader who has won an election is the hallmark of a great democracy.
As Bloomberg said "people in other countries 'try to tear down the government and have a revolution ' when their candidate doesn't win but Americans should be more strategic." We need to back whoever holds that office and hope he is up to the job. We must hold his feet to the fire and make sure that he works toward a goal that will benefit all, but if we tear him down we are showing the world a broken United States of America.
Those who are unhappy with the president must strategize and work harder to find a way to defeat him in the next election. That is the American way. We must make sure that we are presented with two strong candidates and then chose the one whose platform matches our ideals, rather than find ourselves facing candidates who make people settle rather than chose. I liked Hillary Clinton and believed her experience would lead us to a better tomorrow, but I know that many people found her platform as uncomfortable as the other side found Donald Trump's. I know that if Clinton would have won, and her detractors continued acting as obstructionists, I would have been furious.
So I will continue to support the causes I believe in, write/call my congressmen/congresswomen to let then know my feelings, and volunteer when I find the next candidate that works towards equality for all races, religions, genders and sexual preferences. I will do all of that while I show respect for the office of the President, and as I hope that our President shows respect for the office as he grows into the job.
Meanwhile, Snapshot, by Lis Wiehl is an historical thriller that reminds us that our government has faced hard times before, and we will survive to face them again. Wiehl's cast of characters are strongly portrayed, and her plot is well conceived. The Civil Rights Movement is far removed from Federal Prosecutor Lisa Waldren's current life, but a snapshot of her and a young black girl, both four years old, sitting at the rally where a beloved leader was assassinated, brings her back to those days. When her ex-FBI agent father asks her help in freeing the innocent man who is set to be executed for this crime, she begins investigating. It is an interesting mix of fiction and history that definitely kept my interest.
The second book I reviewed this week is Salt: A World History, by Mark Kurlansky. It is a great mix of the beginnings of salt through modern times, the varied uses of salt, and even same recipes. While not a book to read in one sitting, it is a book filled with facts you will enjoy learning.
As always, complete reviews of these two books follow this blog.
Happy reading,
- Beverly