Election thoughts

Que sera, sera - whatever will be, will be

I went to sleep Tuesday night, long before the election returns were in.  I spent the first hour Wednesday deliberately not checking news sources.  Preparing myself for whatever results happened. It was a surprisingly quiet, calm hour. I know I'm typically not very political on this blog but I have some thoughts for the Republicans.  

I really enjoyed this podcast about political differences.

 

this podcast

There are major disagreements on how to proceed.

 This is simply my take.
1 - Don't choose a candidate with a silver spoon
Clinton and Obama both came from single parent homes. This makes a difference. The vast majority of Americans live in single parent homes or other non-traditional families. They're not raised in privilege.

Working class roots won't seal the deal, of course. A person needs to have a pragmatic point of view and be willing to be moderate on social issues. Which leads me to point 2...
 2 - Whatever happened to fiscally conservative, socially moderate Republicans?
My liberal friends have been making hay from this election, but I predict that once the fiscally conservative/socially moderate Republicans reappear - the Democrats will have a real fight on their hands. If there's a mandate from this election - it might be that maybe more Republicans would win if they promoted small government. Small government that stays out of your personal life. That gives you the freedom to make your own personal choices - without the state's interference. It shocks me that this is not more popular in the GOP.
3 - No legacies
Another thing most of my Republican and Democrat friends can agree on - we don't like political seats being "gifted" to a child or grandchild. One Democratic friend of mine voted for one Republican - against the Democrat who gained their seat from a parent (same last name). I see this trend as well. This country was founded against inherited aristocracy, like we saw in England. We don't want to recreate that.
4 - Moderation
The message is clear - we need more moderates. We need people who will question their party line. And the moderates will win over swing voters. It's a lesson for both sides. There is a reason that congress had a very low approval rating. No one wants our representatives to simply refuse to work with one another. Find common ground (there is common ground). Work together to get things done. Figure out what's non-negotiable and figure out what's negotiable and work from there. We really do start to look like Rome when we refuse to work together.