Mike Gemmell is the founder and president of Restore Our American Republic (ROAR). Prior to founding ROAR, he was a geologist specializing in groundwater resource development, a technical writer, and a freelance writer addressing environmental and other cultural issues. For more information on his professional background please see: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelmgemmell.
With this, the third post of ROARâs âThe Week in Review,â I have decided to change the format a bit. Weâll start with bullet points concerning the theme of the post and then following the bullet points will be some analysis and conclusions. This weekâs post âA Moment In Timeâ concerns reflections upon the recent election of Donald Trump as the next president of the United States and the political/cultural implications of his election â Mike Gemmell   November 18, 2016
A Moment In Time
- Leonardo DaVinci once said: âNothing can be loved or hated until it is first understood.â This might be a good time to embrace that sentiment.
- Since you already know your own views, I would like to suggest taking a look on an ongoing basis at the views of those you think are your opponents. If you consider yourself a Progressive Liberal, try looking at WND.com to assess their perspective. If you are of a conservative or a Libertarian persuasion, try looking at The Nation (thenation.com). You donât have to agree with them. Just take a look and try to understand them.
- The impact of social media and its trouncing of the mainstream media is one of the most important outcomes of this election cycle. One of the mainstream mediasâ own, Bernard Goldberg, (Arrogance: Rescuing America from the Media Elite, and Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News) has been trying to tell them about their biases for years and that they would eventually catch up to them. They are now paying the price for ignoring him.
- Some commentators had worthwhile insights, but were ultimately too pessimistic about the results:
- âAmerican exceptionalism is real.â
- âDefiance, not obedience, is the Americanâs answer to overbearing authority.â
- âTrump has no abstract, political principles or even any firm policies or political views.â
- âEven more worrisome, this follow-the-leader authoritarianism is not a disease confined to Trumpâs campaign, to the Republican Party or even to the so-called right. It appears to run deep in the veins of the country, infecting also independents, Democrats and the so-called left.â
- The most insightful essay on the election that I have seen to date is by Walter Donway, âThe Media Stages a âPostmodern Electionââ (http://www.thesavvystreet.com/the-media-stages-a-postmodern-election/). In my opinion, if you take the time to read only one in-depth essay on the election, this is the one to choose. There are several philosophical terms that may be unfamiliar to some readers, but it is well worth the effort to become familiar with them in order to understand this essay’s message.
- Some heroes have risen and shown their true colors during this election cycle. My top two hero-of-the-moment choices are James OâKeefe of Project Veritas and Tom Fitton of Judicial Watch. These two people have persevered over a long period of time to expose corruption in our political processes most specifically the lack of integrity in the voting process.
- Politicians almost always get in the way of real progress. That may change one day, but until we see clear evidence to the contrary we should be wary of this new administration. That need for wariness is why ROAR specifically focuses on reaching out to the Grassroots of America. They are the true âmovers and shakersâ in America and have been from its early days.
Summary and Conclusions
I recently attended a Leadership seminar where I met a gentleman whom I liked very much and who happened to be at the opposite end of the political spectrum . . . or so I thought. We met the day after the election and both of us being a little weary of it all took a conciliatory approach toward finding out if we might be able to get along. Our conversations were along the lines of: âThis is what I think. What do you think about this topic?â By taking this approach I was able to communicate to him new information and perspective on a variety of subjects of which he was unaware, and vice versa. By the end of the conference, it was clear to both of us that we wanted to continue to find out more about each otherâs views on politics and culture. As a result of this, I have decided to begin speaking to groups of different political persuasions in the near future. The purpose of these meetings will be to exchange views and for people to be heard. It doesnât mean I will embrace views I donât agree with, but it does mean I will listen and respond. It is my hope that by combining this activity with the writing of content for the ROAR website I will be able to expand the influence of ROARâs perspective. We now have a moment in time to pause, reflect, and perhaps try some new approaches toward effecting positive cultural/political change. I plan on fully utilizing this opportunity and I hope others will as well.