In a Dallas Morning News op-ed, Bush Center President and CEO Ken Hersh urges Americans to be well-educated voters all the way down the ballot. He notes that change takes time, but if we all do our part in responsible citizenship and hold our leaders accountable at the polls, we will continue to move the country forward.
“I have advocated in these pages that it is not time to give up in this election cycle even though many find themselves politically ‘homeless.’ The roadmap that President George W. Bush laid out in his first inaugural address continues to offer a guide.
“‘Civility is not a tactic or a sentiment,’ he said on the Capitol’s steps in January 2001. ‘It is the determined choice of trust over cynicism, community over chaos.’
“We all need to reject cynicism and choose community over chaos. That is how we as individuals can continue to strengthen our political system and our nation.
“Today, that means doing our job as citizens. It is time to use our voice to vote, even if we’re tempted to check out or be cynical about the election. Only by expressing ourselves within the confines of our durable political system can we create lasting change. Debate, dialogue and peaceful protest are all good, but they must be accompanied by the exercise of our political will through voting, referenda and other means by which we convey our thoughts to leadership.”
