I have debated with myself for days whether or not to share my political views after the recent election. I'm pretty sure that with my post title - I have now alienated myself from 99% of people who care about US politics. Before removing me from your 'follow' list though :) - please at least hear what I have to say.
I don't align myself with a specific political party, but I would probably be described by most as "center right independent". Personally, I identify myself as a pragmatist. I like when we get things done for the good of the country. It doesn't matter which party is getting them done.
I have followed what goes on in American politics for quite a long time. I keep track of what things are getting discussed and voted on in congress. There are several issues that are very important to me, and I have spent a lot of time thinking about what we can do as a country to find resolutions to them.
One thing that I have found, is that it is extremely important to separate "election politics" from "policy politics". The two are intertwined, but they are very different. Election politics is about getting yourself re-elected. Policy politics is about getting stuff done.
I cannot stand election politics. No matter how much I like a particular politician, if I follow them through the election process I am pretty much guaranteed to dislike them in the end. It brings out the worst in people. It is filled with negativity. Much of it is untrue. I dislike what it turns us into. I generally tune it out.
Policy politics is where it gets interesting. One thing that I have discovered over the years, is that outside of getting re-elected, almost all politicians are there genuinely trying to do what they believe is best for the country. If you don't buy into that, then in my opinion you have fallen into the trap of election politics.
While for most people this is where things get ugly, for me it is what makes our political system very interesting. Believe it or not, there are actually people who have different views than me on what is best for our country! Does that make them bad? Or evil? I don't think so.
There are lots of things that Obama did which I disagreed with. I did not think Hillary would have made a perfect president. I do not expect that I will agree with everything Trump says or does.
How is it possible then for me to support all three of them?
The way I see it, they have one core thing in common - they all care deeply about our country, and want to do whatever they can to make it the best country it can possibly be.
If you can get past all the rhetoric, and all the specific policy issues that you disagree with, this fundamental believe in wanting making our country great is where you start. This is how you can look someone in the eye that you fundamentally disagree with, see past the disagreements, and find common ground.
Once you are on common ground, and share a mutual respect and understanding that you both want what is best for the country, then you can start to discuss what "best" is, and how to get there.
Despite the specific items I disagree with him on, I saw this from Trump. During his acceptance speech, he made it clear that he was willing to set aside differences and work with anyone who was willing to work with him for the good of our country. This is the reason I believe Trump will make a good president in the end.