SEARCHING FOR COMMON GROUND

Since starting this new blog on Monday, I've had a number of discussions with friends of both parties about the election of President Obama, the campaign, partisan politics and where we go from here. But more than anything else, it seems we've all discussed a genuine hope that perhaps now will be the time we can all work together to find common ground. To build on what we agree on, and to respectfully debate that which we don't.

I got an email this morning from a dear friend who doesn't particularly share my "lean to the right" and who has been troubled by much of what he's read in previous blogs of mine. He wasn't sure he could stomach more of it and was considering simply not reading. What I told him this morning, as I said at the end of the blog on Tuesday, is that I want this to be a discussion rather than a monologue. I'd love for these posts to be not simply my opinions, but conversation starters for all of us to talk about. Will what I write be conservative and tilt to the Right? Most likely. But I will base my opinions on what I know to be factual., and not simply rhetoric. I will call out good ideas when I hear them no matter which side of the aisle they come from, and I will write what I hope will encourage smart, positive conversation about how we can make a positive impact on our country.

Case in point - last night, I received a wonderful post on my Facebook page from another great friend named Jonathan Rice who is a gifted designer and art director here in Dallas. Again, Jonathan and I do not always find ourselves on the same page politically, but we do enjoy the debate and certainly respect each other's opinions. I asked him if I could post his work here and he graciously said I could. Here it is.

THE FABRIC OF OUR NATION: HOPE, NOT FEAR

I hope after the overwhelming vote for Obama that the opposition will not lay this victory down at the feet of dishonesty and corruption. And I hope those people will not continue their spirit of fear towards our new President and the positive changes he may bring. I am excited for our nation's future for the first time in over 12 years. I know many people's thoughts about potentially higher taxes, bigger government and that the very fabric of our country will change over the next several years are big issues that they fear. And some of that may be true. Time will only tell. But, as a friend of mine said this week, everyone has to change their clothes from time to time -referring to the fabric of the country. And in our history we have changed that fabric many times.

We changed from the fabric of servitude to the fabric of independence in 1776; from the fabric of slavery to freedom in 1865; from the fabric of men only voting to all people voting regardless of sex in the 1920's; from the fabric of racial hatred in the first half of the 20th century to racial equality in the last half; and now from the fabric of intolerance to that of inclusion; this is what America has done all along its history — change.

Change for the future. For the betterment of our society. I think this is what happened yesterday. And I think it good. And with every change there were always those folks who feared it. Feared that our country would be worse for it. Feared that they would lose their way of life. The slave owner feared what would happen to their businesses. The men feared what the women would do to their government. The whites feared what the blacks would do to the country. And now, the religious right fears what will happen to their potential Theocracy. For those people who have spread fear or have an abundance of fear, especially my Christian brothers and sisters, I have one thing to say — 2 Timothy 1:7 " God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and love and self-control."

When major Christian leaders put out fear-filled propaganda about what COULD happen under Obama, they were wrong to do so. The fear they were using wasn't the fear of God, but the fear of man. The fear of losing their position of power. The fear of the unknown. It is the same kind of fear I was raised under as a kid in a very right-wing religious home. The fear that said going to a school dance was a sin. The fear that said don't drink because it's a sin. The fear that said to my cousin in the 1950s that she couldn't continue to skate competitively because it was a sin. The fear that said I couldn't go to a movie because it was a sin. The fear that woman shouldn't wear pants because it was a sin. The fear that owning a TV was a sin. And now, the fear that some modern day Christians had about Obama, because voting for him was basically a sin. To these far-right, fearful people, I say to put your trust in God and stop being afraid of change. If the past eight years didn't teach you something about the consequences of this fear doctrine, then I pray that maybe eight years of a hope doctrine will.

I look forward to the future with hope and anticipation, NOT because of Obama, but because of a shift away from the doctrine of fear and ignorance to one of hope, intelligence and inclusion.

HISTORY WILL TELL

It's a new day in America.

Barack Obama, a young, eloquent, mixed race, ultra-Liberal socialist is the 44th President-elect of the United States.

Endorsed by Oprah Winfrey, the most influential woman and African-American voice in America, sheltered and shielded by an unabashedly leftist press and buoyed by a Bush Presidency that's been at best a disappointment, Obama rode America's wave of displeasure to what even 18 months ago seemed unlikely and unbelievable.

Look at history and American politics is cyclical. Since 1980, Republicans have been in the White House for 20 of 28 years. But now, at least for the next 4 years, that will change. Tonight, ABC News had an interview with Oprah asking her for her observations on the historic night and her response, "I haven't seen our country this united since 9/11." Not surprisingly, many of the press had similar sentiments.

The truth is, Obama carried about 52% of the vote. Reagan 1984 was a mandate. With all respect, Senator Obama won a split-decision.

Indeed, our country remains split this morning. By income. By ideology. By what we believe about the man our country just elected as its next President. Just a day ago, a USA Today/Gallup poll had 48% of those polled saying they didn't think Obama was qualified to be President. But today, that doesn't matter.

This morning, I still disagree with much of what Barack Obama has promised for America. I do not agree with many of his ideas or how he proposes to achieve them. I'm sad and disappointed that Senator McCain is not our next President. But like our country, I must find a way through those feelings. I too want change. I too want to be hopeful. I too want answers to how our generation will reconstitute the America we all want to pass down to our children.

We live in the most extraordinary country in the history of civilization. A country that has reinvented itself a number of times, when in our greatest hour of need, we found the best in our citizenry, the best of ourselves. This is clearly a time when we must do that again.

History well tell if President Obama is the socialist many of us fear. If he will indeed, redistribute the country's wealth as promised. Or reset the Supreme Court. Or raise taxes on more than those earning over $250,000 a year. For at least the next two years, he will be flanked by the protection of Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and a largely Democratic Congress with the only saving grace the fact that the Republicans held on to more than 40 seats in the Senate.

For those of us who believe in a conservative imperative for America, the foreseeable future will be an uphill battle. But a battle clearly worth fighting.

Today, I respect the will of the American people. I recognize the historic step our country has taken by electing an African-American to be Chief Executive of the United States. I am moved by the tears shed by Jesse Jackson and John Lewis knowing what this election represents for them and their lives work. And I hope for God's blessing on our very troubled nation. Today is a day of national celebration. But tomorrow is another story.

Tomorrow, the Republican Party and the guardians of conservative values must begin finding a way to reconnect with America. We have to get younger, smarter, more inclusive and learn to solve problems rather than point fingers. We must find a way to make the values that built this country relevant and resonant again. Not just to Republicans, but to those who found in Senator Obama the connection, the promise and the validation of a better country and a better life.

I hope for common ground. I hope for bridges we can build together. I hope for opportunities to reestablish America's greatness side by side. Obama has been characterized as a transformational figure. As the great uniter. I pray that will be the case.

History will tell.

WHERE DEMOCRACY BEGINS

Tomorrow, our country will elect the 44th President of the United States and when we do, history will be unalterably changed. Over the last few months, much has been made out of what is expected to be a historically large turnout for a Presidential election, yet no matter what happens, 60 to 70 million people will make the decision not to vote.

Gore Vidal once commented, "Half of Americans have never read a paper. Half have never voted in an election. We can only hope that they are the same half."

I can remember how proud I was the first time I got to vote in the Presidential election. In was 1984 and I had turned 18 just a month before the election. At the time I didn't know much of anything about politics but I read the paper, I watched the debates, and studied what each of the candidates was putting forth as policy. When all was said and done, I realized I was most closely aligned with President Reagan and that's who I voted for.

Three months before, I had gone down to the Post Office to register for the draft - where we ever to need one. I remember coming home and telling my mother I had registered and she cried. At that moment, she felt her baby had grown up. I didn't feel it then. I felt it 97 days later when I walked into the voting booth and cast my vote as an American adult for something that mattered. Suddenly, my voice was just as important as everyone else's. I've never felt more like an American than I did that day.

I have a friend who's a fellow dad in my Boy Scout Troop. He is Middle Eastern and has lived all over the world in countries where we now find ourselves fighting, in others most of us would be challenged to find on a map. He has lived through all kinds of governments, all kinds of ideologies, all kinds of freedoms. Two months ago, he became a United States citizen and tomorrow, for the first time, he will vote as an American citizen.

Win or lose, he has a voice. We each have a voice. And no matter what it takes, tomorrow, it is our responsibility to use it.