Opinion: Protect democracy first

View in [Browser] | Add [nytdirect@nytimes.com] to your address book. Tuesday, November 15, 2016 [The New York Times] [NYTimes.com/Opinion »] [Opinion] Tuesday, November 15, 2016 If you opposed Donald Trump's candidacy, it's easy to be angry about almost everything he now says or does. When he does something outrageous — like appoint a promoter of racism to a top job — it confirms your fears. And when he does something reasonable — like say he wants to improve the lives of all Americans — it feels hypocritical. Yet I would still urge people to welcome any step he takes toward democratic normalcy, including those that feel hypocritical. Trump ran a campaign that was opposed in important respects to American democratic values — and he won. The question that now confronts us is whether our values will change or whether Trump will begin to change. One of the main reasons that President Obama and Hillary Clinton have reacted to his victory as positively as they have is their desire to move the country back toward democratic normalcy. It's the right instinct. In [my column] this morning, I argue that the best approach to Trump is a balance of generosity and vigilance. The full Opinion report from The Times follows, including [Ronald Krotoszynski] on voting lines as the modern version of poll taxes and [Jonathan Gruber] on the future of Obamacare. David Leonhardt Op-Ed Columnist  ADVERTISEMENT  From The Columnists Op-Ed Columnist [Gwen Ifill arriving, with Wendell Pierce, for a State Dinner at the White House.] [The Life and Example of Gwen Ifill] By DAVID BROOKS She has left a chasm, which nobody else can fill up and which nobody has a tendency to fill. Op-Ed Columnist [Reince Priebus at the Republican National Convention in July.] [Protect Democracy First] By DAVID LEONHARDT There are two kinds of issues: those worthy of passionate, ideological debate, and those that must unite everyone who believes in democratic values.  The Conversation [There Are No Permanent Victories in Politics] By ARTHUR C. BROOKS AND GAIL COLLINS Will President Trump and the Republican Party overreach when they take full control of the government in January?  [Stephen Bannon at a rally for Donald Trump in New Hampshire in October.] Stephen Bannon at a rally for Donald Trump in New Hampshire in October. Stephen Crowley/The New York Times [Editorial] [‘Turn On the Hate’: Steve Bannon at the White House] By THE EDITORIAL BOARD Donald Trump’s pick of the alt-right propagandist for chief Oval Office strategist may be unsurprising, but it’s still unacceptable.  From the Editorial Board Editorial [Colombia’s Revised Peace Accord] By THE EDITORIAL BOARD After marathon negotiations, the Colombian government and the FARC struck a new deal that serves as a road map to officially end five decades of war. Appreciations [Gwen Ifill in 2012.] [The Grace of Gwen Ifill] By BRENT STAPLES As a black woman in journalism, she had spent her entire career proving people wrong.  [Mark Zuckerberg, chairman and chief executive of Facebook.] Mark Zuckerberg, chairman and chief executive of Facebook. Eric Risberg/Associated Press [Contributing Op-Ed Writer] [Mark Zuckerberg Is in Denial] By ZEYNEP TUFEKCI From fake news stories to ideological bubbles, Facebook is having a corrosive effect on our society. It needs to be fixed.  Op-Ed Contributor [People in line to vote in Austin, Tex., on election day.] [A Poll Tax by Another Name] By RONALD J. KROTOSZYNSKI JR. Long waits at polling places disparately impact poor and minority voters. Op-Ed Contributor [Information about enrollment in the Affordable Care Act being distributed by volunteers in 2013.] [What Could Be Worse Than Repealing All of Obamacare?] By JONATHAN GRUBER By keeping only the most popular parts, Donald Trump would leave patients worse off than they were before the law was passed. Room for Debate [Should President Obama Pardon Hillary Clinton?] In an interview on “60 Minutes,” President-elect Donald Trump said he had not decided whether to prosecute Hillary Clinton.  Edward Ubiera [Contributing Op-Ed Writer] [The Spanish Lesson I Never Got at School] By HÉCTOR TOBAR Californians’ approval of a ballot measure on bilingual education gives Latino kids their cultural heritage back.  Fixes [When Reportage Turns to Cynicism] By DAVID BORNSTEIN AND TINA ROSENBERG Trump listened to the media’s drumbeat of problems without remedies and turned it into a winning narrative of doom that only he could fix. Contributing Opinion Writer [Undocumented immigrants waiting to be deported by plane in Mesa, Ariz., in 2015] [Mexico Awaits Trump’s Next Move] By IOAN GRILLO Even without a wall, his border-bashing could backfire on the United States. Op-Ed Contributor [A supporter of Hillary Clinton at the Javits convention center in New York on election night.] [Donald Trump Trolled Us All. We Should Learn From It.] By SCOTT GOODSTEIN Democrats need to borrow his tactics. Op-Ed Contributor [A newspaper featuring a photo of president-elect Donald J. Trump, at a newsstand in Beijing.] [How Trump Is Good for China] By ERIC LI The Chinese prefer a relationship with a United States that doesn’t impose its values on the world. Op-Ed Contributor [Coal being stockpiled at the coal port of Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia.] [Australia’s Addiction to Coal] By RICHARD DENNISS The country’s politicians say they want to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions while planning to build new coal mines. Op-Ed Contributor [Who Owns the Street in Mexico City?] By ANTONIO MARTÍNEZ Bicycle riders fight a daily battle for space with cars and drivers.  From The Blogs Nicholas Kristof [Refugee children from numerous countries participated in the IRC’s Refugee Summer program in 2012.] [In the Holiday Season, Supporting the Vilified] By NICHOLAS KRISTOF The Neediest Cases Fund has become international. Dot Earth [One of many Macbook keyboards worn out by Andrew Revkin.] [My ProPublica Move: From Blogging and Teaching Back to Deep Digging on Climate] By ANDREW C. REVKIN Andy Revkin shifts from blogging and teaching back to long-form in-depth reporting, at ProPublica.  Letters to the Editor Letters [As the Democrats Lick Their Wounds] Readers discuss an Op-Ed article by Senator Bernie Sanders.  ADVERTISEMENT  A NEW ELECTION PODCAST Listen to Opinion columnists and contributors on The Run-Up, a new podcast from The New York Times covering the final three months of the election. 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