“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” – Mohandas Gandhi
Depending on how much you pay attention to political news, you may already be aware of the stir our president-elect is causing in his choices for his cabinet. The announcement that come Jan. 20 liberal political hardliner Rahm Emanuel will serve as the new White House chief of staff prompted many top-level Republicans, with the surprising exception of Lindsey Graham, to condemn this choice, sounding like 8-year-olds in their haste to essentially yell, “See? See? Nothing but Democrat the whole way!”
Never mind the fact Emanuel is a proponent of less governmental regulation of the economy, which, last time I checked, Republicans were all about. Never mind that he is only one – albeit large – cog in the machine that is the office of the White House, and that there are still many people left to be named to a position. No, it’s far more important to pick apart every decision Barack Obama makes and try to paint it as a betrayal of his campaign promises.
The time for petty bickering is past. Now, more than ever, we need to put aside the divisive political methods we’ve gotten by on for the past 30 years and remember that we’re in this together.
It wasn’t always this way. There used to be an atmosphere of respect between politicians; a belief that it was okay to disagree, as long as a workable solution was found in the end. In his book “The Audacity of Hope,” Obama mentioned how struck he was by the “relative cordiality among the Senate’s older members.” He referenced such instances as the genuine over-the-aisle friendship between Republican Ted Stevens and Democrat Daniel Inouye, and the mutual respect between Republican John Warner and Democrat Robert Byrd. It was only recently that this theory of “us or them” has really taken off.
The worst part is, it’s not just sore-loser Republicans who can’t look more than one year ahead who are continuing to foster the divide; it’s Democrats, too. Obama has also caused some outcry with his specific remark that he held no grudge against Sen. Joseph L. Lieberman, an independent who rallied strongly for John McCain. According to The New York Times, he even went so far as to say he would not get involved in the choice over Lieberman’s remaining on the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and was glad he remained a member of the Democratic caucus.
Even though this fits right in with his attempt to bring our political system back to that type of brotherhood and mutual respect, Obama was criticized by liberals who wanted to punish Lieberman’s supposed betrayal, echoing the same sentiments the new Senate Republican Steering Committee Chairman Jim DeMint brought against John McCain, deciding it was more important to determine who is to blame, not what is to be done.
Are these people dense? Half of Obama’s campaign was based on unity and bringing both sides of the aisle together. How would that serve his message if the first thing he said about Lieberman is that he wanted him cut off from the Democratic caucus? It wouldn’t. It would show he didn’t mean any of what he said. It’s not just the president who needs to rise above it, it’s all of us. Enough about Lieberman being a traitor. He stood up for what he believed in, and stood alongside an old friend. Would you do any different?
No more talk about how Obama is not going to represent conservatives. He’s only named one member of his cabinet, just a week after his election. Of course he’s going to pick a Democrat for his chief of staff; Obama is a Democrat. Everyone knows some people will be unhappy no matter what he decides. If he had chosen a Republican, he would have been branded a traitor or been accused of pandering to conservatives.
The point is, lingering on supposed election slights is pointless. The election is over. At the same time, attempting to predict the future based on one cabinet appointment is equally stupid. This is a time to build bridges, not burn them. We are not going to fix what’s wrong the United States by getting into fights that rival elementary school in their pettiness. We will fix things by forgiving our “enemies,” their “trespasses” and loving our neighbors. And if you’re not into universal brotherhood, just remember what Oscar Wilde once said: “Always forgive your enemies – nothing annoys them so much.”