We Are All in This Together

I watched Bill Clinton’s speech at the DNC last night and I have to say, I was blown away. That is one feisty, funny, intelligent, thoughtful, sensible man! He knows and understands the principles of democracy. He has such amazing insight on American politics and has a passion to make America a better place. A fair place. A place where anyone can make it and it’s okay to be a woman, non-white, gay, or disabled. A country where fairness, cooperation and honesty get us farther than greed, oppression or bigotry. Where Wall Street doesn’t run the show and the economy isn’t controlled by millionaires and billionaires. Where everyone pays their fair share and takes pride in it. Where, as he put it, we are all in this together!

                It’s important that we all be willing to help one another and have a desire to make things better for not just ourselves, but everyone else who’s struggling. We have to have the heart to understand, the sense to compromise and the mind to listen. We can’t continue doing things as we have been. We can’t keep giving tax breaks to the wealthiest in America. We can’t deregulate Wall Street and let them operate laizze-faire. We can’t start wars we have no business starting. We can’t deny women health care services because of our own moral standings. It’s been shown, time and time again that this approach Does. Not. Work. We can’t just step aside when it comes to fiscal policy and step inside when it comes to body politics.  

                A massive part of this whole equation is partisanship. Washington has become a battleground of ideological warfare. Instead of working to find common ground and fixing significant problems, everyone is more concerned with being right. Politicians spend time debating versus implementing public policy. Everyone is more concerned with sticking to their own beliefs instead of working to a compromise.  The middle ground is almost non-existent. There isn’t any room for agreement along opposite party lines and compromise is seen as weakness. This type of hostility is what is creating so many of our governmental problems. Nothing is getting done and no one is happy.

                I think that is why Bill Clinton’s “We are all in this together” is such an important message. We must live it and embody it. Because if we are all in this together, there is no who is left out or ostracized. As one America, we embrace each other’s differences and can appreciate differing points of view. We can discover how to work together to come to compromises, we can create a system built on cooperation and we can become a stronger nation. Together, we can rebuild our economy and make the system fair for everyone. We can create jobs and get out of debt. It is possible and we can do it….but only if we decide to put aside our differences, respect one another and once and for all declare that we are all in this together.