Trump, Clinton offer a way forward to healing

In speeches offered in victory and defeat on Wednesday, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton reminded Americans of one of the great truths of our nation:

When the arguing is done, when the elections are over and the votes are counted, we are all Americans.

When the arguing is done, when the elections are over and the votes are counted, we are all Americans. We are the inheritors of a great and noble experiment in representative democracy.

And with Donald Trump’s election as the nation’s 45th president on Tuesday, Americans must once again honor that legacy, fought for and won with the blood of our sons and daughters.

This is the time to set aside differences and wish him well, as another grand American tradition — the peaceful transition of power — begins. He is facing no small task. While Trump won the Electoral College, Clinton as of this writing, is leading in the popular vote.

But if some of the Clinton faithful plan to fight rather than support the incoming administration, we’d remind them of their candidate’s own words on Wednesday.

Clinton said Americans owe Trump “an open mind and a chance to lead.”

In these polarized times, when it’s easy to believe that many Americans are living on separate planets, we must rise up to accept the request Trump made during his magnanimous victory speech.

“For those who have not supported me in the past, I’m reaching out to you for guidance and help in unifying our great country,” he said.

But loyalty to the nation and respect for the office of the president ought not to be construed as issuing a blank check.

But when Americans find themselves in disagreement over proposals made by the new President-elect, they must work to resolve those differences with as little acrimony as possible.

If Trump’s election is proof of nothing else, it is proof that Americans have tired of the gridlock on Capitol Hill; have grown weary of an unresponsive federal bureaucracy and believe their voices are not heard in the halls of power.

It’s not enough to merely say “No,” and not offer a solution. Active participation in a democracy demands that we provide workable alternatives in areas where we find ourselves in disagreement.

In return for this support, Americans have every right to demand a government that treats each citizen, regardless of race, creed, religion or economic station with absolute dignity and absolute respect.

Those aren’t mere words. They’re enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, which reads, in part: “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

So we gather today in optimism that the Presidentelect will honor those values and be given the space to pursue his goals within those ideals.

If Trump’s election is proof of nothing else, it is proof that Americans have tired of the gridlock on Capitol Hill; have grown weary of an unresponsive federal bureaucracy and believe their voices are not heard in the halls of power.