Yearning for Graciousness in Politics

With the election over, I had foolishly hoped to experience some sense of a return to political civility. I had hoped that with George Bush finally on his way out, we would no longer be treated to the lunacy that causes people to compare Bush to Hitler and continue to argue about the 2000 election. Listening to conservative talk shows on Wednesday gave my hope a boost as they graciously offered support and well wishes to President elect Obama.

Since that time, I have had my hopes dashed. Rather than more examples of good winners and gracious losers, the news is filled with poor losers and poor winners. Not only have we had to see people protesting the passage of Prop 8 and threatening to sue to subvert democracy, we have also witnessed young men claiming to be Mormon (though I doubt that they are) disgracefully attack those protesters. We have also had to listen to boos while John McCain offered a gracious congratulations to Obama and this evening I saw a car with writing on the back window saying "McCain got crushed, ha ha ha." Again poor winners and poor losers.

The wonder of the America experiment is that way in which we hand power over peacefully. No other country has a track record like ours for that peaceful exchange. Generally we support our president regardless of if we vote for him or not (no Monty Pythoneske claims to not have a king because we did not vote for him). At least we offer some respect to the office and the current holder of that office. Our litigious society is starting to convince us that the true rule of law is left in the hands of lawyers and the courts rather than in the voice of the people. Yet it is the voice of many of the people that calls for the courts to cease from the rest of us our own voice of vote.

I yearn for graciousness in politics focused on a mutual love for America. Not because America has achieved some kind of perfection, but rather due to the high principles to which we as Americans have always aspired to and communicated throughout the world. One of those principles is a graciousness by which political opponents jointly seek the best for our country despite their different beliefs as to what might be best for our land.