Jill Hacker just took the words out of my mouth. Since Vice President Al Gore delivered his gracious concession speech, congratulating George W. Bush on becoming the next president of the United States, the media seemed to have focused on reconciliation, disregarding the real life world of policy differences in running the country. The media also seems to be afraid of making known readers' questioning of the legitimacy of our new president.
Reconciliation is necessary in the wake of the highly contested post-election ordeal.
However, reconciliation cannot substitute for the First Amendment. People have the right and freedom to air their views. The media would not have done anything wrong in publishing different opinions, which in my opinion are indicators of our nation's strength. If one is aware of the major newspapers' headlines the world over in recent weeks, one will only find out the fact that while world leaders send rhetoric congratulations, serious commentators, scholars, and political analysts wrote to challenge the legitimacy of our new president-elect. No matter whether they voted for the new president-elect or not, all Americans can do now together is to stand behind him and show the world that we are one united America, though the honeymoon of calling for reconciliation would not outlive our huge political and policy differences that have existed since day one of the Union.