Shaheen: Pass the Turkey, Skip the Politics

MANCHESTER, NH — A day after minister on the Seacoast offered commentary suggesting that it was time for the nation to come together after a very divisive presidential election, one of the politicos on the front lines of that election is suggesting Granite Staters enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday – but hold the politics. U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, New Hampshire’s senior Senator, who spent a lot of time campaigning for her party’s nominee to win the presidency, took to her social networks and newsletter and called on her supporters to take a break from politics this week.

“As Granite Staters and Americans, we have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving,” Shaheen said. “Let’s express gratitude and share laughs with our loved ones as we break bread and eat turkey.”

While the hard-fought campaign election was only weeks past, and emotions were still high, Shaheen told her followers to not give politics “a seat at the table” this Thanksgiving.

“As you gather with family and friends, remember that there is far more that unites us than divides us, both within our own family and within our American family,” she noted, adding, “I wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours!”

In a letter on behalf of Ministerium, the Seacoast Interfaith Clergy Association yesterday, Rabbi David Ross Senter of Temple Israel in Portsmouth offered similar thoughts, suggesting it was time for the nation’s people, with diverse political perspectives, to come together.

“We believe that fostering such understanding will help our nation heal and reconnect with the values of our great democracy and the proposition that all human beings are endowed with the right to enjoy equal rights, opportunity and protection under the law,” he noted.