Election 2016 - The Aftermath

It’s the day after the election, and my spirit is crushed. As I watched the results last night, first in disbelief but still hoping, then in complete horror, I couldn’t wrap my head around a country that elected a reality TV star who is a bully, a bigot, a xenophobe, a homophobe, an Islamophobe, and a sexual predator to be our next president. A man whose scorecard on Politifact had more lies than all the other candidates combined. A man whose grasp of foreign policy is on par with a 4th grader. A man who is in the pocket of a Russian dictator. A man who doesn’t see why we can’t just nuke our enemies.

I know that a lot of people voted for him because he claims to be pro-life (as in anti-abortion.) That remains to be seen, but regardless of his actions in this area, if you voted for Trump - for whatever reason - you voted in favor of racism, in favor of sexism, in favor of religious hatred. You can’t compartmentalize your support. Your vote elected a man who wants to, at the very minimum, force all Muslim CITIZENS to register with the government, and who may very well round them up and incarcerate them as we did to the Japanese during WWII - or even deport them! Your vote elected a man whose vice president signed a law that would make it a crime for homosexuals to even apply for a marriage license, and who believes homosexuality can be “cured” by electro-shock therapy. You voted for gay and trans kids to once again be bullied and abused and reviled. You voted to enable the KKK and American Nazi party to be legitimized and spurred to action, knowing the government will look away as they burn black churches and beat and kill people of color. You voted to take away the marriages of my gay friends. You voted for people who, on election night, chanted, “We hate Muslims, we hate blacks, we are taking our country back.” You voted for pollution, because Trump wants to enable all pipelines and ALL drilling and mining (including in our National Parks.) You voted to deny medical care to millions of people. You can’t say, “I’m not in favor of those things!” because whether you like it or not, your candidate and his supporters ARE. And you enabled all of it. 

I am so angry right now, that I can’t even comprehend how to move forward. I know that we will have to come together and fight for what is right, and even reach out to Trump supporters to understand what drives them. But right now I can’t. I am so angry at those who voted for Trump, because they have unleashed a monster. Because the GOP also controls Congress, there will be no “checks and balances” on Trump. He can run roughshod over the Constitution and get away with it.

I’m terrified. Terrified for my black friends, my Latino friends, my Muslim friends, my gay friends, my sick and disabled friends. I’m terrified for myself, as a person with disabilities. 

And I’m dismayed. Dismayed that so many people - some of whom I called friends - chose to elect a hateful, bigoted sex predator because he was the “lesser” evil. I have unfriended people on Facebook, finally, because seeing their posts made me sick, knowing that they don’t care about my gay friends, my black friends, my Muslim friends, my Latino friends. This is not a political difference - this is a fundamental moral and ethical divide. How can I call someone a friend who wants to deny the civil rights of my other friends? Because - let me make this clear again - a vote for Trump was a vote for all those things: bigotry, racism, homophobia, Islamophobia. 

As a Christian, I know I should have hope, that I should trust that “God is in control.” But right now I’m struggling even with that. I’m too angry and hurt and dismayed to hope. I fear for our nation and the world. God help us all.

Election 2016

It’s November 7, 2016 - one day before the US elections. And I am fighting tears. My heart breaks for our country, for people so blinded by ideology that they are supporting a self-confessed sexual predator.  This man, who constantly demeans and belittles women, who brags about grabbing them “by the pussy,” who judges women by the size of their breasts, is the presidential candidate for the Republican Party - the party that defines itself as the party of “family values.” But this man not only demeans women, he has cheated on his wives (and bragged about it) and has been married three times.

This man has also publicly mocked a person with disabilities: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX9reO3QnUA

He wants to institute a program requiring all Muslim American citizens to register with the government. Does no one see the parallel with Hitler and the Jews? Or the heinous part of our own past when we rounded up and incarcerated Japanese-American citizens during WWII? Can you imagine the outrage if he had suggested requiring Christians to register? If you think it would be wrong to do that to Christians, then it’s wrong to do so for Muslims - or any other religious group. He wants to require this registration because he thinks all Muslims are terrorists, or at least support terrorism. Does he not know that it was the Muslim community that alerted the FBI to the Pusle Club shooter (whom they decided not to track further)? Does he not know it was a Muslim who led to the capture of the NYC bomber?

He wants to build a wall to keep out Mexicans, whom he describes as rapists and murderers. Does he not know that there are actually more people returning to Mexico than entering the US?

He wants to revoke marriage equality for homosexuals.

He thinks MORE countries should have nuclear weapons.

He doesn’t see why we don’t just use nuclear weapons on our enemies.

He wants to INCREASE the torture of suspected terrorists.

He wants to KILL the innocent families of terrorists.

He mocked the parents of a US soldier who died serving his country.

He is endorsed by the KKK and the American Nazi Party.

He is endorsed by the leaders of the Alt-Right (white supremacist) movement.

He wants to revoke the Constitutionally guaranteed rights of a free press. And his supporters want to lynch reporters.

His supporters regularly use the N-word, and yell “Hang the bitch!” in reference to Hillary Clinton. (Video here and here.)

He has encouraged his supporters to intimidate voters at the polls.

He slyly hinted that his gun-loving supporters should “take care of” Hillary Clinton.

The only world leaders who endorse him are Vladimir Putin, Russia’s dictator, and North Korea’s dictator, Kim Jong-Un. All of the living US presidents (including the Bushes) have come out in favor of Clinton. Many prominent Republican leaders (including Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell) have come out publicly in support of Clinton.

Numerous women have publicly come forward accusing him of sexual assault. In December, he is facing a trial for CHILD RAPE.

I could go on and on and on, with examples of his completely outrageous behavior and words. Not to mention his pathetic lack of self-control, and his ignorance regarding foreign policy. 

Any ONE of the previous items should make any reasonable person disqualify Trump as a presidential candidate. The fact that people are willing to overlook these disturbing and damning FACTS just completely boggles my mind. I truly do not understand how anyone thinks that a presidential candidate who brags about grabbing women by the “pussy” is ok!! NONE of this stuff is OK!! How can you just sweep it all under the rug??

Look, I get that Hillary Clinton is a flawed candidate. She wasn’t my first choice. But in comparing her faults (and Benghazi and emails are not counted against here because SHE HAS BEEN EXONERATED EVERY SINGLE TIME SHE WAS INVESTIGATED) with Trump’s faults, there is no comparison. Trump is a bigoted, homophobic, Islamophobic, misogynistic, xenophobic narcissist. Hilary is just a politician, with the usual baggage. The fact that there is even any debate about the qualifications (or disqualifications) of these candidates is ridiculous!! The KKK and the American Nazi Party??? Really? REALLY? You’re ok with that? You’re ok with that whole list of disqualifications, above? Then I really have no idea how you sleep at night, how you tell yourself you care about people. Seriously, I beg you - take a LONG, HARD look at that list, and look in your heart, and vote against hate. Vote against fear.