Dan Rather has a message for those grieving the election: 'Your voice matters now more than ever'

(Image credit: Jemal Countess/Getty Images)

published 9 November 2016

Journalist Dan Rather is trying to comfort those upset by Donald Trump winning the election, while urging them to "not opt out" of the conversation now underway in the country.

Donald Trump's tone in his speech early Wednesday was of the "utmost importance," Rather wrote in a Facebook post, and he noted that Trump spoke of public works and protecting veterans, and did not bring up the "drastically contentious hallmarks of his campaign — building a wall, a Muslim ban, the NATO allies — just to name a few." You don't have to accept Trump at face value or forget the things he's said, but "we need to have a peaceful transition of power," Rather said. "That is an unmovable hallmark of the stability of our democracy."

Trump admitted campaigning was difficult, but "governing is much more so and that is now in his hands," Rather said, and people will watch as Trump attempts to keep the promises he made, with a "world on edge" and "markets [that] have gone off a cliff." Many Americans are "going through the shock of grief," but as the country grapples with a Trump presidency, everyone needs to be part of the national conversation. "Do not opt out," Rather said. "Your voice matters now more than ever. I will continue to be here in the days and weeks ahead. And we shall endeavor, together, to find a path forward in the best of America's ideals."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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