Unity often spirals with the perception of some kind of mandate\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I remember in 2004, when Pres. George W. Bush won the election by a 286 to 251 Electoral College count \u2014 a 31 to 19 state count \u2014 but only received a narrow 50.7% of the popular vote. He then asserted that he had a mandate to privatize Social Security. \u201cI earned capital in this campaign, political capital, and now I intend to spend it.\u201d Except he didn\u2019t seem to realize such a narrow victory did not result in said mandate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 2020 victory of Joe Biden had an eerily similar feel. Biden was inaugurated on a 306 to 232 electoral count \u2014 a 25 to 25 state count \u2014 but also received only a narrow popular vote victory, at 51.3%. Making it increasingly more politically complicated, the President\u2019s party saw their House of Representatives majority decrease to a mere 8 votes out of 435 (a majority of 1.8%), and the Senate outcome resulted in a 50\/50 tie of sitting U.S. Senators. With that as the current legislative backdrop, the President is attempting to spend unprecedented trillions in a precarious inflationary time, with all sorts of partisan policy initiatives creatively now called “infrastructure.” Dare we go out on a less precarious limb here and suggest Pres. Biden has not yet learned from Pres. Bush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maybe it\u2019s just me. Always possible. Each of us can be a little foggy-brained at times. But I\u2019m not sure how majorities formed by unequivocal razor-thin margins ever equate to a so-called mandate. If a mandate is a license to enact any policy of choice, far more than 50\/50 needs to be in play. Far more than less than 2%. Otherwise the elect is not really representing all of \u201cwe the people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let us figuratively think out loud for a moment\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What\u2019s it like to be on the receiving end of a mandate? No harshness, but rather, simply, sincerely, when we disagree with what a leader believes to be wise, what\u2019s it like?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What does it feel like to be on the other end of the opinion, knowing that regardless of what you believe, those in elected authority are determined, come hell or high water, so-to-speak, to jam their desired means and methods through no matter what? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This could apply to our government, our neighborhood HOA, or other organizations and institutions to which we belong. What\u2019s it like to be on the other end of another\u2019s authority when you respectfully but sincerely disagree?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you feel important?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you feel like your opinion matters?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you feel like <\/em>you<\/em><\/strong> matter?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you feel like the leaders actually speak for you and represent you?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you feel like they <\/em>care<\/em><\/strong> if they represent you well?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you feel like they keep acting as if only they<\/strong> know best?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you feel like they think you\u2019re stupid?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Wrong?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Completely misguided?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n And do you feel like others presume that unity only arrives if <\/em>you<\/em><\/strong> change your mind?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve been thinking more of this not \u201ctreading on me\u201d concept. Let me be honest. I\u2019m not a huge fan of the brash, in-your-face, shouting display, no matter its association with historic American patriotism. The Intramuralist is also not a fan of the arguably less brash, but still disrespectful, your-perspective-doesn\u2019t-matter approach. Each seems to feel it\u2019s ok to still tread on someone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s no humility in those approaches. And I feel like so many of us, while we believe that humility is good thing, we also behave as if we believe it starts with <\/em>\u201cyou.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Humility never starts with somebody else, friends. Humility always starts with \u201cme.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n What would it change if we realized how people on the other side of “me” feel? What would it change if we realized when we declare a mandate, how we\u2019re making other people feel? What would it change if we realized that we are actually misreading the mandate? \u2026 that maybe, just maybe, we\u2019re not called to enact mandates but to model humility instead?<\/p>\n\n\n\n My sense is that such an approach would be totally good and right and true\u2026 healthy and positive\u2026 solution-oriented\u2026 progress making\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026 unifying, too\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Respectfully\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n AR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Unity often spirals with the perception of some kind of mandate\u2026 I remember in 2004, when Pres. George W. Bush won the election by a 286 to 251 Electoral College count \u2014 a 31 to 19 state count \u2014 but only received a narrow 50.7% of the popular vote. He then asserted that he had … <\/p>\n