This is definitely a post where you will see the whole "living conundrum" title in action.
Last night, as you know, was election night. While it was not a Presidential Election year, this one carried significant weight throughout the country. For my home state, Oklahoma, this was a big year. Our two-term governor was term limited. The Office of Lieutenant Governor became an open seat, too, because the current officeholder left her post to run for Governor. Our Attorney General ran for Governor as well. So, that was an open seat. Numerous State House and Senate seats were up for grabs. Some were clearly going back to the incumbent, and some were going to have new blood in them.
It was, to borrow a colloquialism, "Bloody Tuesday." Republicans in my home state not only won, they won big. Incumbents who thought they could pull off a win lost and lost by large margins. It was embarrassing. Democrats should be embarrassed. Yes, Oklahoma has become a hugely Republican state. It is so red, that even I, Dear Reader, could be considered, **gasp** a "liberal".
That's beside the point. Here's my first of two points, and then I'm finished. First, I want to implore Democratic leaders in my state to finally come up with a plan and execute it. A quote from Haley Barbour in USA Today hit home. He said, "Four years ago Republicans controlled just 22 governorships. The fact that we've already reached a majority tonight is a testimony to the four-year plan our governors and staff developed and executed." Do we, as Democrats, have something like this? I know that I need to become more active, but shouldn't this be in place already?
We need a plan, not just on a state-by-state basis, but on a national level. I know that Will Rogers once said, "I am not a member of an organized political party. I'm a Democrat." While funny, it's a sad truth. To Chairman Kaine, and Chairman Goodman, let's get a message that we can all share. Hopefully we can turn the tide in 2012.
Finally, I know that I need to accept defeat in humility and grace. I need to follow Hebrews 13:17, which says that I need to pray for my leaders and submit to their authority. I pledge to pray for the new leadership, that God would give them guidance and wisdom to lead us. These next four years will be tough for all of us. I hope that we can all work together and not lay at the feet of partisanship.
1 comment:
my dear friend... being a Republican I felt like this right after the last Presidential election.... however I wish that our leadership could find a way to work together instead of it being about the parties. It's a contradiction in terms to call them our leaders when they simply cannot (or will not) work together. We as Republicans should also be praying for the ability to be gracious winners and then to step-up and make the difference and work together..... love to you .... my absolutely favorite Democrat!
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