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Time for healing
On Tuesday, the American people went to the polls and elected Bill Clinton president.
Independent Ross Perot, mounting a grass-roots, privately funded effort, garnered a respectable 18 percent of the vote nationwide, and 17 percent in Fauquier County.
The mood of American voters was evident in the electoral landslide that propelled Clinton to victory, as well as the significant number of voters who supported Perot, voicing their discontent with the state of politics as practiced by the two nuyor parties.
The most telling statistic is the combination of Clinton and Perot votes, 62 percent nationwide (with two-thirds of the vote tallied early Wednesday morning). That signals a profound discontent with President George Bush in particular.
But we’re not going to dwell on the negatives.
The President-elect and the new Congress have a daunting task on their hands — how to get this country moving again. There seem to be a lot of ideas floating around, but no one is offering any sure answers.
There is one sure bet — the fix won’t be easy, and it won’t be painless. Some sacrifices are going to have to be made. « Maybe that was one of the messages sent by American voters — that their desire for change includes a willingness to face up to the country’s deficit and crushing debt. We hope so. Somehow, we think the American people have a lot more courage and willingness to sacrifice than their leaders sometimes give them credit for.
Both President Bush and Gov. Clinton were concilatory and positive in their speeches Tuesday evening, and indicated a willingness to work together for the good of the country.
If those were not just empty words spoken on Election Eve, we would do well to heed them, and to help our leaders mend their differences, that we might begin to mend our nation’s difficulties.
There has been far too much divisiveness in our nation, and it is time for us to begin working together again. America has always brought together people of many varied backgrounds, willing to set aside their differences to work for the common good. It is one of our greatest strengths, and it is one we should cultivate again.
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