It's no secret that I wanted Hillary Clinton to win the Presidency in November. While I held some serious differences of opinion with Secretary Clinton on policy, I just could not continence electing a man such as Donald Trump to the nation's highest office. The concerns are myriad, and the list long. I'll not delve in to them here, but suffice it to say my primary concerns were character, competence and composure. I felt Mr. Trump was sorely lacking in each, and that his election would genuinely endanger our country. I still believe that, but he did in fact win the election. The win was legitimate. He is our President and I sincerely hope he proves me completely wrong and ends up being one of our greatest leaders.
That hope, however, does not completely eliminate my concerns. I have a daughter. I have a granddaughter. I have a life partner. These women are integral to my life. Their hopes and aspirations are mine. I live and die with their successes and failures. I have a grandson who needs to learn how to treat women as equals, with dignity and respect. And I have concerns.
So I participated in the March for Women today in Dallas. My partner, granddaughter and I walked through the streets with 3,000 others, to voice those concerns, and to share a positive message. We marched with women; we marched with men; we marched with blacks; we marched with whites; Hispanics and Asians; gays and straights; children and animals. 3,000 people with a common cause.
This was not an anti-Trump protest, as I have seen it characterized. It was an expression of concern over what people fear may happen under a Trump administration. It was also not a bunch of crazy liberals whining -- another description I've seen. I am 100% pro-life and have absolutely nothing in common with the woman who for a brief time walked next to me in her Planned Parenthood tee shirt, yelling into a bullhorn. But I share her concerns that the hard-fought gains made in gender equality in past decades could be endangered by the current administration. And that was what made today so beautiful, to me. Here we were, 3,000 individuals, with our own combination of political philosophies joining together, peacefully, in an effort to make our voices heard.
This is what American politics should be about. Not the slash and burn, "total victory or absolute defeat" cycle of the last 20 years. I like to compare democracy to adulthood. When your kids turn 18, you can bet the clock is ticking until the moment they say, "I'm an adult. I can do whatever I want." My reply was always, "No, being able to do whatever you want is childhood. Being an adult means knowing what you can and cannot do, and making the best decisions." Similarly, politics should not be about winning the argument. It should be about doing the most good. St. Ronald of Reagan and Tip O'Neal were polar political opposites, yet they got things done by each conceding some ground, for the common good.
While it's safe to say the folks who marched today had a whole lot more in common with one another than that on which they differed, it was an incredible relief, after the campaign we all just endured, to have a peaceful exchange of ideas. There was no yelling. No violence. Zero arrests. There really wasn't much in the way of vitriol. Now, the sign game was on-point -- and almost all of them took aim at the President -- but we only saw one that contained profanity, and heard no profanity at all. (and if you know me at all, you know we were ALL OVER that crowd. If it was there, we'd have seen it.)
In the end, in this most unusual of times, today's march had an almost unreal normalcy to it. It uplifted me. It was cathartic for the partner. It was a good example for our burgeoning six year-old political activist. And I think it may have even made Ron and Tip smile.
I still have concerns, and I will continue to pray. For a day though, it sure felt good to know I am not alone.
Click here for our pictures from the march, and as always,
Keep the Faith.
