The cat came back

Harry Miller wrote a song in 1893 about a cat who wouldn’t go away. Mr. Johnson tried and tried to rid himself of the “troublesome cat.” But despite his efforts the cat kept coming back. This election made me think about another cat who wouldn’t go away. 
 
There must have been a lot of vote for Donald Trump hidden from pollsters. There were millions of people who did not want to declare out loud that their preference was for him. The polls were way wrong; it was a slaughter. 
 
We will see how grace-filled this victory is for the MAGA winners. This was a free and fair election, and a very clear outcome. The American people have spoken, and the sun came up this morning anyway. While I am personally disappointed in the electoral outcome, I accept it and pray all will go smoothly in transition. I also hope I get a chance to vote again in a future election. That remains to be seen. 
 
Donald Trump is the head of MAGA, but the body behind him is huge. Crudeness, cruelty and incivility have become normalized over the past decade or so. The anger and distrust have bubbled just under the radar for years, overspilling election night into the public square. Such a huge victory was quite impressive. 
 
The transgender ad was the most effective. But other ads were persuasive. Huge amounts of money were spent on both sides. The litter of signage up and down the roads and highways was a blight on the landscape. 
 
I hope and pray gloating is not the order of this day. I pray for gracious winners to rise up and lead all of us. I honestly did all I could to promote a pro-democracy agenda. But now it is time for the Republicans to prove me wrong. 
 
Prove to me that women’s rights will not continue to be taken away. Prove to me that education and health care will not be stripped. Prove to me that freedom of choice will be for all people. Project 2025 supports draconian steps to dismantle the American state. Prove to me that is not so. Prove to me that the press will remain free, and that opinion can flourish on all sides. 
 
I may not be celebrating today, but I am a grown up. This is what it is. It’s on you now, Republicans. You have the House and the Senate and the Supreme Court. You have all the levers of power. I pray you use them judiciously. If there truly are “good people on both sides”, I pray they show up to govern with kindness, mercy, humility, and grace. 
 
This is no time to sit despondently and lick wounds. This is the time to speak out. Free speech is a constitutional right for ALL of us. This is no time for us to be afraid. We have the right of dissenting opinions. While the guardrails, checks and balances, are at a stress point, we have work to do in maintaining this dream we call America. 
 
Autocrats around the world are doing a happy dance. Who knows what will happen with Ukraine and NATO. I hope there is a plan for remaining true to common values and continuing relationships with our world partners. We are not alone in the world. We live in the richest country in the world. There are responsibilities that come with that. And we have the cat to lead us. 
 
“Oh, the cat came back, he wouldn’t go away. He was standing on the back porch the very next day.”  Neighbors and family are happy now. Their guns are safe. There is license to do everything they want to do and say anything they want. Grudge and grievance have won the day. Congratulations on the victory. Meow!
 
Lib Campbell is a retired Methodist pastor, retreat leader, columnist and host of the blogsite www.avirtualchurch.com. She can be contacted at libcam05@gmail.com