Ever since he has entered the office of president, Donald Trump has been at the center of many political debates.
In fact, there doesn’t really seem to be a middle ground when it comes to people liking or disliking what he stands for. That being said, we have an awesome chance to be on center stage for what may possibly be one of the few times the world will turn its attention to the City of Vision.
How do we prepare for such an event?
First, we need to build tolerance for each other’s views. A recent poll question on our Facebook page indicates that many of us still have problems with differing views, often going off into left field and even doing some grade-school name-calling.
We all need to take a deep breath and take a unified stand to show the nation that we are above radical outbursts. If you think about it, many of our historical leaders made major changes by being calm, cool and collected.
We are not saying to dampen your passion; we are just saying don’t turn it into a fist fight.
Second, if one thing can deepen angst in a mass of politically passionate people, it will be that same mass getting behind the wheel before and after the event. If your road-rage level is at 10 just because it’s Tuesday, you might want to find a designated driver.
Reports indicate crowds will close in at Santa Ana Star Center before noon. We caution patience and chivalry while finding your spot to park.
Whatever your viewpoint and stance on the nation’s issues and the man that personifies them, we only have one chance to get this right; there are no do-over’s.
Let’s travel back to the first time Trump came to New Mexico for a campaign rally. Some of us were there, when what was supposed to be a peaceful demonstration turned into a free-for-all.
We can only imagine what the nation thought of us New Mexicans the morning after. Tomorrow we have a chance to start changing that image.
If history repeats itself, then we have learned nothing about how the system of politics works. Sure, people were mad at Trump for what he stood for, but in the end, we looked bad for breaking our own property and beating up each other.
What we need to take from an event like this is that we are not two factions fighting each other. In fact, that’s what dissenters want us to think.
What we may fail to realize is that we are on the same side. We all work hard to provide for our families in a state, let’s face it, that is last on many officials’ agendas.
Regardless of what party you are affiliated with, we all go home, sometimes to same neighborhoods, to wake up and face identical struggles.
The Observer only asks that we all stay safe and look at each other with respect during tomorrow’s rally.