Guest MINDSETTER™ Sen. Metts: Post-Election Thoughts at Thanksgiving

Thursday, November 24, 2016

 

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Sen. Harold Metts

A Sunday hymn before Thanksgiving reminded me that “every day is a day of thanksgiving; God’s been so good to me; Every day, he’s blessing me.”

It is with this thought that I will continue to ponder the presidential election and rise above the fray, being fully aware that a house (or nation) divided cannot stand.

The Presidential Election 

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A recent mayor’s event, an intern from a Boston television station asked me for a response about the election. My response was shaped by my background of being an African-American, an American citizen, a deacon and an elected official.

Processing the cares, concerns and fears of many here in Rhode Island and across the country, I couldn’t help but reflect and paraphrase Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. about never letting a man pull you so low you hate him.

I can remember what Dr. King said about the arc of the universe being bent toward justice. I’ll treasure and remember the civil rights tour I went on this spring with the Rhode Island State Council of Churches. We were in the very kitchen where Dr. King prayed about his fears during the Montgomery bus boycott (the front of his home having been bombed earlier that week by the KKK, with his wife and infant children in it.) He had an epiphany and heard a voice say, “Martin Luther, stand up for justice. Martin Luther, stand up for truth. Martin Luther, stand up for righteousness.” He received strength that came from on high, continued his prophetic journey, and the rest is history we can be proud of.

I reflected on the contributions of countless other Africans and African-Americans since the birth of this nation. Sadly, I also reflected on the disparities that continue.

I reflected on the Urban View radio station I listen to with Joe Madison (Black Eagle) and the Rev. Al Sharpton and others who speak of not allowing despair to destroy or paralyze you; silence being consent; and most importantly, that “the difference between a movement and a moment is sacrifice.”

Even in times of disappointment, can we as a nation rise above the fray and respect the democratic process? I remembered quotes from two local media articles from the past:

“In the heat of political conflict, passions often become inflamed. If they are not managed with care, they can block the road back to common ground, compromise and resolution.”  (It is time to let Beacon take care of its business, Providence Business News, Feb. 13-19, 2016)
Concerning our propensity for polarization, and talking about our obligations as Americans: “They demand a willingness to exercise the values of representative democracy: tolerance, mutual respect, accepting ideological differences, working together to build consensus.” (Doomed to polarization,Providence Journal editorial, July 15, 2014)

The Spiritual Side 

My spiritual side weighed in, and I remembered a question raised by a pastor in Georgia who asked his multicultural congregation, “Isn’t God for both justice and righteousness? How did we allow Satan to divide God’s standards of justice on the left and righteousness on the right?”

Various Bible verses come to mind. We are to love God and our neighbors as ourselves. We are not to be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21). We are to look out for the least of society. We are to pray for our nation.

The verse that captures what we are witnessing today is Galatians 6:7, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”

In closing, we must pray for healing and unity and that America continue to strive to live up to its creed of liberty and justice for all. Our collective voices must ring out against injustice. We must also remember that “making a difference is not for spectators, it takes active engagement.”

Every day is a day of thanks-giving, and despite differences, I thank God that I live in a country where I can continue to work with others for justice, truth and righteousness.

 

Senator Harold M. Metts, (D-Dist. 6, Providence) is a retired school administrator and is a deacon at Congdon Street Baptist Church.

 

Related Slideshow: Winners and Losers - 2016 Election

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Winner

Joe Trillo and John DePetro

While most Republicans in Rhode Island were hiding in the bushes, Trillo (the former GOP lawmaker) and DePetro (the WPRO talk show host) were loyal advocates for Donald Trump from the beginning and through the rough spots.

Both could be big winners and could score slots with the administration -- want to go to the White House? You now know the rings you need to kiss.

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Winner

Donald Trump, President of the United States

The most unlikely candidate pulled off the biggest victory in Presidential history. The billionaire developer was underestimated which set forth much of his success during the primaries and in the election. The next four years will never be dull.   

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Winner

General Michael Flynn

The Rhode Island native and URI grad will have a major roll in the Trump Administration and America's foreign policy. As top GOP consultant Ian Prior wrote in GoLocal in July about Flynn when he was on the VP shortlist:

Of course, there are any number of national security experts that can prosecute the case against Hillary Clinton, but Flynn is unique. He is a registered Democrat that was appointed by President Obama in 2012 to serve as Director of the DIA. Even more importantly, he resigned two years later over what he believed to be a misguided approach by the administration as it concerned ISIS.

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Loser

Nellie Gorbea, Secretary of State

This year's election was one of the the most mismanaged in modern Rhode Island history. First, the Chief-of Staff of the Secretary of State's office gets into a battle with talk show host John DePetro on social media. The action seemed inappropriate at best for the head of the office administering the election.

Then, the state's Presidential election hit a number of rough spots with faulty equipment and a failed repair and triage system that lead to long lines and frustration in a number of communities across the state.

The job of Secretary of State has three major components:

1) Take care of the State's achieves

2) Maintain a database of businesses

3) Run the state's elections

She needs to assure voters that she understands the problems and correct the mistakes.

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Loser

Brandon Bell, GOP Chair

Both Democratic Congressional candidates won big. The GOP had a net loss in the legislature.

Bell went all in on taking out Speaker Nick Mattiello -- a pro-business legislator, instead of recruiting a large number of competitive candidates. If Mattiello delivers of paper ballots like his campaign claims - Bell will have wildly miscalculated at every level and will have left the GOP a weaker party.

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Losers

Cicilline and Langevin

A Trump win greatly increases the likelihood that Rhode Island will lose a Congressional seat in the next federal redistricting. Rhode Island will be more like Vermont and Delaware -- two Senators and just one House member. This will mean a big loss for Rhode Island's clout in D.C.

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Winner

Allan Fung, Republican Mayor of Cranston

Fung had just the kind of night he wanted to have. He ran up big numbers against Democrat Mike Sepe and put parkinggate in his proverbial rear window.

The margin of victory is impressive -- Fung ran up 68% of the vote and has established himself as one of the top Republicans in Rhode Island.

Now, the personable Fung is the GOP frontrunner to challenge Raimondo as it does not look like she is going to Washington, D.C. now.

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Loser

RI's Broken Technology Infrastructure 

No money, no car, and no vote.

Lets see if we got this right. You have to wait in line to vote in some locations for as much as two hours because not enough scanners were deployed. Some days you can't register your car because the Hewlett-Packard system is not deployed and the state is now suing the company. And, tens of thousands of folks most in need have not been able to get their most critical benefits (or the from benefits) because the UHIP technology was flawed despite hundreds of millions being spent. 

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Winner

Speaker of the House, Nick Mattiello

If Mattiello does hold on to his House seat, he will be a stronger Speaker than ever before. He has added more Democrats to his majority and was the architect to many of the Democrats victories. 

The simmering stress between Mattiello and Raimondo will turn into a vibrant boil over during the next two years. Raimondo was no help to Mattiello or House members -- they had to clean up for her truck tolls and absorb her unwillingness to release 38 Studios documents.

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Loser

Gina Raimondo, Governor

Raimondo's options and national political network just took a major blow. No longer can Raimondo jump to the Clinton Administration to avoid a difficult reelection. Moreover, national Democratic connections are now in Siberia as the Presidency, the House and the Senate are all in Republican hands.

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Loser

Peter F. Neronha United States Attorney District of Rhode Island 

In a short period, it is highly likely the Neronha and a few other high profile political appointees will be replaced by the Trump White House. 

The impact of Ray Gallison and others is an unknown.

 
 

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