Here’s a clip from an email I sent to a friend today:
One question. Did you vote for him?
If so, please own it. Admit it. Don’t be ashamed. I won’t think less of you. Don’t stand in the shadows. Speak up. Be honest. Get a hat, get a bumper sticker or a t-shirt. When times are tough, times are bad, stand up for him. Follow the examples of people everywhere, who stood by President Obama for 8 years.
I was in Chicago, I stood there in Grant Park in 08 when Obama was elected. I’ll never forget the looks when I wear my Obama swag. I’ve stood by President Obama for 8 years and I’m proud to have done so.
I hope people who voted for Trump understand that they voted for a person who was endorsed by the KKK, white nationalists, and hundreds of hate groups. They voted for thrice married man, an admitted philanderer. They voted for a man who mocked persons with disabilities. They voted for a man who’s promised to repeal and replace The Affordable Care Act, to build a wall, to round up and deport 14 millions illegal immigrants, to tear up the nuclear deal with Iran, to increase military spending, to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, to withdraw from NATO, and who’s convinced that China is manipulating our currency. They voted for a man who’s promised to create millions of jobs, who’s said over and over that climate change is a hoax. Trump supporters need to hold him to what he ran on.
Right now I don’t have anything polite to say. But I’ll get there. Because to stand in anger is what they’ve done, since the day Obama took office. I refuse to go there.
My 10 year old son went to bed scared last night, crying. This morning he got up and cried. He was worried about going to school, he was worried about “gun control”. Renee cried, I cried. I been through a lot of elections. I’ve never, worried for our Republic like my son did last night and this morning. I’m so proud of him.
But we don’t live in fear. When he gets home from school today we’ll have him watch Hillary’s and President Obama’s speeches today. Both were emblematic of great leaders. We’ll console each other with their words.
The Internet convinced me to be critical of her. I should have known better, then to fall into the group think trap so prevalent in our society. Time will tell the truth about her.
I’ll continue to read books. But the answers to why Hillary lost are right there on my blog, here:
https://www.heyheyrenee.com/2016/05/01/local-bookstore-update/
Nobody was talking about Thomas Frank’s brilliant book, but I knew he was right. It just never occurred to me that Trump could win. It’s my sincere hope that President Elect Trump is not the man he appears to be and that he won’t do what he’s said, for the past 18 months.
Elections are hard. For the past 8 years my family pretty much adored President Obama. No matter what, we felt safe. Right now we don’t feel safe, we feel homeless in America. However soon, we’ll have “open minds for President Elect Trump”, as Hillary said.
No matter what we remain steadfast in our convictions. Because as Hillary said today, “fighting for what’s right is worth it”.
Americans voted for Trump, now it’s time to let them have him. Because the only way they’ll “understand his policies is to experience them”, as Catherine Rampell wrote today.
I like what Garrison Keillor wrote today:
“We liberal elitists are now completely in the clear. The government is in Republican hands. Let them deal with him. Democrats can spend four years raising heirloom tomatoes, meditating, reading Jane Austen, traveling around the country, tasting artisan beers, and let the Republicans build the wall and carry on the trade war with China and deport the undocumented and deal with opioids, and we Democrats can go for a long, brisk walk and smell the roses.
“Don’t be cruel. Elvis said it, and it’s true. We all experienced cruelty back in our playground days — boys who beat up on the timid, girls who made fun of the homely and naive — and most of us, to our shame, went along with it, afraid to defend the victims lest we become one of them. But by your 20s, you should be done with cruelty. Mr. Trump was the cruelest candidate since George Wallace. How he won on fear and bile is for political pathologists to study. The country is already tired of his noise, even his own voters. He is likely to become the most intensely disliked president since Hoover. His children will carry the burden of his name. He will never be happy in his own skin. But the damage he will do to our country — who knows? His supporters voted for change, and boy, are they going to get it”.
And that’s that.
– PK
You don’t know how many times almost called you last night I am in a state of total shock my daughter is scared she wants us to move out of the country as soon as possible but I keep remembering your words that I need to stay here and I’ll pick up the pieces of what’s left when he’s done if he does the things he says he’s going to do the repair but he’s in for a big surprise because as nasty and vile is he is he has no idea who you thrown his card and a hat with with the Republicans that he surrounding himself with they will chew him up and spit him out alive should be interesting if nothing else take care yourself keep in touch I’m going to be OK no matter what or survivors take care your family