The emotions are still so raw; it's hard to organize my thoughts. I am not exaggerating when I say that our worst nightmare has come to fruition. An inexperienced, unprepared, hotheaded, racist, xenophobic, misogynist, lying, serial groper is now the President-elect of the United States. In a few short months he will take over the White House, and with a Republican-led Congress in his pocket, as well as a yet unnamed new conservative Supreme Court justice, he will begin systematically unraveling all of the social and economic gains that the Obama Administration worked so diligently to achieve, as well as safeguards that have been in place for decades to protect the health and welfare of our most vulnerable populations - women, minorities, the LGBT community, people with disabilities, veterans, and immigrants. Even if President Trump is only elected for one four year term, the laws and regulations that he will have the power to put into place during that time will have repercussions for decades. Our children and possibly our children's children will have to live in a society without the Affordable Care Act, Roe V Wade, gay marriage, possibly Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare. With his finger on the nuclear button, though, none of us may have to worry about every day stresses like health insurance and making sure we have a place to live and food on the table.
A Trump Presidency paints a picture of a doomsday scenario that unfortunately is completely probable and realistic. And if you don't believe that, then you are delusional, which apparently about half of the country suffers from.
As I go through the stages of grief, coming to terms with living a life based on an higher level of fear than I usually experience, I find myself more often in the stage of anger, where I want to determine who is to blame for this situation the entire country now faces. I believe there are several groups that will share the burden of this potential disaster. Number one, poor white people, who somehow believe that a egomaniac businessman who hasn't paid federal income tax in decades and has declared bankruptcy multiple times will somehow have the magic solution to lift them out of poverty. Number two, angry Bernie Sanders Democrats who believe the primary was rigged against their candidate and either refused to vote, or voted for a third party candidate. Number three, Democrats who were so confidant that Hillary would win, possibly in a landslide as some pundits were projecting, that they didn't feel the need to do their civic duty. Number four, Wikileaks and FBI Director Comey, who along with the media made such a scandal over Hillary's e-mails, when Trump's university lawsuits, refusal to release his tax returns, gleeful admittance that he has dodged paying income tax for decades, multiple reports of alleged sexual assault, and constant episodes of outright lying in debates, tweets, and speeches have all been documented but somehow haven't convinced the American public that he is the absolute worst presidential candidate in modern times. And now he is the President-elect.
So where do we go from here? How does the nation recover from this deep division? I don't see it happening, unfortunately. I think we could have recovered from a McCain presidency. We even could have recovered from a Romney presidency. At least those two men have political experience and would know how to lead, even if I wouldn't agree with their policies. And let's say we get lucky, and Trump is removed from office by impeachment. Our fears and concerns have been alleviated, right? Hardly. Because if we lose President Trump, the only thing we gain is President Pence. Which if you are a woman, or a member of the LGBT community, the term President Pence will make your blood run just as cold as hearing President Trump. Pence may be calmer and less hotheaded, but he is no less dangerous than Trump.
The only saving grace in all of this for me, and I feel I have to end this post with some kind of light and hope, is the knowledge that there are millions of people in this country who are grieving with me, and even more importantly, are ready and willing to fight any law that goes against our civil liberties and the values that we hold dear as Americans. It will not be easy, but when you are fighting for that which is so meaningful to you, which is the fabric that binds you together in solidarity with like-minded individuals, then you carry on the fight with all that you have within you.
librarianintx
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