Trump Is President, the Cubs won the World Series, and Shia LaBeouf can freestyle… 2016 in a nutshell, I guess. I never thought in a million years this buffoon would get into the White House. I thought, “This country can’t be that stupid.” Boy, do I have pie on my face!
Every feeling has surfaced from the anti-Trump side, everything from anger to sadness to denial. There is apparently a petition to abolish the electoral college, but who knows if that is even possible to do.
One feeling is more common than others: Uncertainty. For millions of undocumented people and their families it means a very uncertain future. Will Trump keep his promise to deport all 12 million undocumented immigrants? Will he only go after habitual criminals? No one knows and that is what keeps people up at night.
I have family that is undocumented. I know undocumented people who have careers and stable jobs, planning their futures; that have been able to use their college education as a direct result of President Obama’s DACA executive action in 2012.
All of that can go flying out the window with the stroke of Trump’s gold plated pen. Muslim Americans are also feeling unsure of their future, along with African Americans. Will Stop and Frisk become a federal initiative with someone like Sheriff Clarke at the helm?
As the election results made it clear Hillary would lose, the blame game began. The DNC has been shotgunning excuses for why they lost, everything from the F.B.I. to Bernie supporters. But it’s becoming clear that the overwhelming majority of blame goes to the DNC leadership and Clinton herself.
Michael Moore correctly predicted the outcome of the election. In short, he believed the race would be won or lost in the rust belt states. Trump connected with the disaffected blue collar workers that used to be solidly Democratic, something the Clinton campaign failed to realize.
Clinton, for all that she has accomplished, had a lot of baggage, and not the B.S. scandals like the emails. She had a track record that some progressives did not like, which made her an establishment figure and Trump the anti-establishment candidate. Bernie could have won, there is no doubt. The difference between his rallies and hers was noticeable.
Bernie connected with and understood what the struggling families of this country are going through (not that Clinton didn’t care). Bernie was a bonafide progressive and Clinton was a moderate at best, a Republican at worst. The DNC sandbagged Bernie during the primaries and the rest is history.
Somewhere along the way, the Democratic leadership lost sight of why generations of Americans voted for the party. It went from launching a war against poverty, fighting for civil rights, fighting for the middle class and blue collar workers, backing labor unions — issues that resonate with their base. Yes, the Democratic party is still the champion of progressive issues; but when it comes to trade deals, criminal justice, poverty, and the finance/corporate connections, they have let their base down one too many times.
An important thing to remember is that Clinton won the popular vote by more than a million votes (still rising as of the writing of this article). There still is hope for the country. This is something that should encourage Democrats. Also, I don’t want to hear “Let’s support our new President,” “Turn the other cheek” bullshit. That is one of the reasons why Democrats keep losing. We have to show backbone in the face of bullies. Sure, for the good of the country I hope he brings prosperity and gains for the middle class and lifts people up from poverty. But not at the expense of others.
Joe Biden had the right idea when he threatened to beat up Trump. I don’t condone violence and protests that destroy property and assault, but standing up to racism and abuse of civil rights are serious issues that have the potential to flare up beyond control of the new administration if they don’t handle them the right way.
One of the ways to fight against any infringement of civil rights is to donate to organizations like the ACLU and get more involved by calling your congressperson. Now more than ever, civic action is vital to thwarting any attempt by this administration to reach their goals by stepping on others. With the Executive branch, Congress, Senate and soon the Supreme Court under the control of the right, all we have is the will of the people to stand up to a potentially discriminatory government.
With that being said, time for quotes from movies that I feel capture my feelings at the moment.
Blow (2001)
“Sometimes you’re flush and sometimes you’re bust, and when you’re up, it’s never as good as it seems, and when you’re down, you never think you’ll be up again. But life goes on, remember that.”
Independence Day (1996)
“We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We’re gonna live on! We’re gonna survive!”
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