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High gas prices. A war in Iran. Tariffs imposed on allies. Grocery costs soaring. Corruption at the highest levels of government. Alienating friends. Cozying up to oligarchs. A proposal to live-stream an execution.
And I would add the general tone of nastiness, belittling, bullying, berating and disrespecting anyone who disagrees with the powers-that-be.
Those were all factors in the blue tsunami that swept the United States a week ago.
Before the unsubstantiated accusations of a stolen election spew forth, let me ask this question: Why is the election considered stolen only when Democrats win?
I’m no Democrat or communist, socialist, Muslim, baby killer, genitalia mutilator, Islamist, antisemite, jihadist, etc., or any of the other nasty names spouted by Republicans at people who vote differently than they do.
I am a former Republican. In 2004, when President George W. Bush sought re-election, I called people on a list of Republicans to “get out the vote,” even though I hated feeling like a telephone solicitor. In 2008, during the presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain — a true American hero, despite what some say — I ran the Lewis County Republican Office. In 2012, I supported former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in his quest to serve in the Oval Office.
Then, in 2016, the Republican Party had 17 candidates seeking the presidency, 15 of whom I could easily support. When Make-America-Great-Again Republicans selected Donald Trump as their standard-bearer, my husband and I left the party. Character matters in our leaders.
And we weren’t alone.
In January of this year, Gallup News reported the percentage of independents in the United States hit an all-time record at 45 percent, with more independents leaning Democrat than Republican. The number of self-identified Republicans stood at 27 percent, equal to the number of self-described Democrats.
“In most years since Gallup began regularly conducting its polls by telephone in 1988, independents have been the largest political group,” Gallup News reported. “However, the independent percentage has increased markedly in the past 15 years, typically registering 40 percent or higher, a level not reached prior to 2011.”
I’m still prolife, as I’ve always been, but I also favor feeding the hungry, tending the sick, caring for the poor, assisting the downtrodden — you know, the kindness Jesus spoke of in the Bible.
On Tuesday, six Christian pastors were elected to national public office, but I’ve seen conservative Christians call them heretics because they ran as Democrats. And they’ve described those who cast ballots for Democrats as bound for hell.
Nevermind that these Democrats believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior, surrendered their lives to the Lord, and spread the gospel of love to thousands. Nevermind that they promote the spoken rather than implied teachings of Christ — love your neighbors, feed the hungry, help the poor, comfort the sick and welcome the stranger.
Because for some, only Republicans have a lock on Jesus Christ — even if their words and actions fail to reflect the fruits of the Spirit.
Jesus was neither a Republican nor a Democrat. And I think independents sided with the voices reflecting the love of Christ rather than the hatred of “others” seen in the MAGA movement, with “others” being gays, lesbians, trans, socialists, communists, people of color and immigrants from Somalia, Mexico, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.
This nation I love began as a melting pot of people from diverse backgrounds with the right to freedom of religion, whether that be Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism or something else.
In James Talarico’s speech after winning election to the U.S. Senate in Texas, the former middle school teacher and state lawmaker drew on his faith as a Presbyterian seminarian and grandson of a Baptist minister to urge people to love their neighbor. The 37-year-old is the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Texas since 1988.
“We just took back Texas,” he said. “We just proved that all the money in the world is no match for the people of Texas. We just showed that a politics of division is no match for a politics of love.”
He likened his campaign to that of David defeating Goliath in his battle to defeat corrupt defenders of a broken political system who spent more than $300 million against him. He described his former work as a middle school language arts teacher as the best preparation for politics.
“There is something broken in America,” he said. “Our economic system is broken. Our political system is broken. Even our relationships with each other feel broken. That’s because the most powerful people in the world want it that way.
“My granddad was a Baptist preacher in South Texas, and when I was little, he told me that we follow a barefoot rabbi who gave us two commandments, love God and love neighbor, because there is no love of God without love of neighbor.
“Every single person bears the image of the sacred. Every single person is holy, not just my neighbor who looks like me, not just my neighbor who prays like me, not just my neighbor who votes like me. I am called to love all of my neighbors the way I love myself.”
I love Talarico’s message of unity, which is such a stark contrast to the berating and belittling words spoken by President Donald Trump, leader of the MAGA movement.
Adam Hamilton, 62-year-old pastor of the nation’s largest United Methodist congregation and the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Kansas in 94 years, campaigned on a message of unity, affordability and bipartisanship. People in his church describe him as a peacemaker who brings together conservatives and progressives to worship together. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said in the Beatitudes, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
He didn’t say — “but only if they’re Republicans.”
Like me, Hamilton used to describe himself as a Republican but became independent before running as a Democrat. During his victory speech, he wore a lapel pin that read, “Love one another.”
The messages are so refreshing from Talarico and Hamilton who defeated Republican candidates endorsed by Trump.
Christians on social media have chastised me for celebrating the election of people advocating for peace, unity, bipartisanship, and loving your neighbor. Some even told me I’m going to hell (such a loving Christian message, right?)
But I’ve had people who joined me hoping for a new, more civil tone in politics. I hope and pray our leaders will govern from the center, where the majority of Americans reside, rather than from either the far-left or far-right ends of the political spectrum.
When someone complained on Facebook that conservative Christians stayed home and failed to vote, enabling the blue wave to sweep Democrats into office, I loved this response I read:
“When Republicans stop acting like Christ, Christians stay home.
“I hope this wakes up the Republican Party, and they remember the words of Abraham Lincoln: ‘My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.’”
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Julie McDonald, a personal historian from Toledo, may be reached at memoirs@chaptersoflife.com.
