Stinging slaps...

It’s still sinking in. Those pictures of Donald and Melania Trump and hearing the words – “The President and First Lady of the United States” announced when they walk onto a stage… it’s like a little a stunning slap on my cheek every time I hear it, watching re-runs of the inauguration, the inauguration balls, or news podcasts discussing Michelle as the ‘former’ First Lady. I don’t want to accept it. Many of us don’t. We keep hoping one of those little slaps will wake us up from the bad dream, not remind us that it isn’t a dream.

But my hope this morning is that each of those little stinging slaps will awaken us to what we have not wanted to see, have not felt personally and therefore disregarded. The significant malcontent among average working Americans of all races. This economy is not working for them. So we who speak of inclusive politics, need to do some internal reflection about what inclusive politics would truly look like.

What I also hope will come of this moment in our political history that feels so dark and surreal… in fact, is something that Trump’s presidency has already brought to the foreground. The liberal world order where the United States is a defender of the free world. That is the positive spin that our politicians have placed on the behavior, but there are many dangerous realities that are tucked into this accepted norm that organizes our modern world. This includes unhampered drone wars that threaten civilians on a daily basis in lands far away from our safe streets. This includes a World Trade Organization that has no mandate to protect and give support to fledgling economies struggling to gain an economic foothold in the modern era.

The beauty of having a president that is a complete wild card is this: no one can take their eyes off him. None of his policies and executive orders will be a given, expected, the order of the day. The political parties platforms on both sides of the aisle have been thrown out the window in a sense. Trump’s words were revolutionary – a tone never before witnessed in a swearing in ceremony. ”America First.” He directly challenged the world order and with these two words has shaken confidence and questioned our political alignments and military presence across the world. I concur that we should question this world order. Does it still make sense, the unquestioned might of the United States of America? I would likely arrive at very different conclusions than President Trump, but what he lends us is a moment to step back and say, hey, the world is changing very rapidly. Let’s question everything. Let’s explore what makes sense of this modern era, and what is not working for many people.

The beauty of the wild card we’ve all been handed is that we have to keep engaged, and find meaningful ways to discuss what we want our new world order to look like. To be a part of the conversation and not let rash new executive orders or Republican-dominated legislative and executive branches do away with what is good, but be a part of the voice encouraging them to explore alternative avenues of achieving what many of our citizens are crying out for. If the platforms of both parties are no longer relevant for wide swaths of the population, now is the time to find new policies that are meaningful and relevant. Let us make good use of every minute. And know that we, as the people, are collectively responsible for what order takes shape in the next four years.