Loosers and Huuge Winners: The American People

Prior to Election Day:

But here’s what Trump actually says will happen if he loses to Hillary Clinton on Nov. 8.

First, he has said the nation could face a messy fight around the election results themselves. Trump declined to promise at the final presidential debate that he would accept the election results regardless of outcome. “I’ll keep you in suspense,” he said. The following day at a rally in Ohio, he elaborated: “I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election — if I win,” he said.

I wonder how Trump would have handled an election defeat. How would some of his supporters have responded? I’m glad we did not find out, this time around.

In 2008, I do not recall demonstrations and protests and destruction of property after the presidential election. I do not remember it happening in 2012. I do remember feeling dejected like I had my guts kicked out. I felt relief in 2004. Disappointed in 2006. Relief in 2010 and 2014. So I do have empathy for election losses when you are fighting for what you are passionate about; and to lose feels like a rejection of your values and your ideals by your majority countrymen.

When I woke up Election Day morning and checked into Facebook, I saw so many FB friends who were Hillary supporters, taking selfies, posting photos of their “I voted” stickers, and expressing patriotic fervor and gratitude over living in a country where they can exercise their constitutional right and a citizen’s privilege of voting for their next presidential leader. “I love my country”, they were saying.

Then Election night, as I came home in the evening and logged back onto FB from sundown into midnight- concern, disbelief, shock, horror, depression, anger; embarrassment of being American. I rolled my eyes at one photo of a friend who had a picture taken of her curled up in the fetal position. Good….grief!

Morning after? It’s like the Gestapo is going to come after everyone. Parents saying how they have to comfort their children. “Not my president”. On the news? Demonstrations and protests. Of what?! Election outcome results?! I see:

So it was great to be an American until you didn’t get your way. I even heard one protester interviewed saying, “This is not what our military fought and died for!” Um….excuse me? They provided you the safe space to be able to exercise your right to vote and to protest. You’ve done both of those.

There’s screams about the popular vote and denouncement of the Electoral College system. Oh, I see: Where was this protest prior to Tuesday evening, when the shape of the Electoral map favored Democrats?

It’s like the end of days all over again. Didn’t liberals believe a Reagan presidency would take us into nuclear Armageddon? And before Trump was Hitler, there was Bushitler.

I’m not so sure most conservatives would have behaved the way the left does when outcomes don’t turn out their way.

2000 was certainly close and contentious. Still:

Salon:

Not since Richard Nixon paraded down Pennsylvania Avenue in 1973 has a presidential Inauguration drawn so many protesters — and last time, people were out to protest the Vietnam War.

Demonstrators turned out in droves on Saturday — a miserably gray and drizzly day, with temperatures hovering in the mid-30s — to protest the Inauguration of President George W. Bush, whose election was contested all the way to the Supreme Court. Police would not estimate the size of the crowd, but many thousands of protesters were in evidence.

“The level of people on the streets shows that people are really upset about lack of democratic process,” says Liz Butler of the Justice Action Movement, the umbrella organizing committee responsible for the protest. “They took it to the streets. We saw tens of thousands. We saw far more protesting Bush than supporting him.”

They came out in scores, co-existing on the parade route with supporters of the new president and lining Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House. Interspersed between Bush-Cheney signs and Texas flags were thousands of protest placards, bearing inscriptions such as “Bush Cheated,” “Hail to the Thief,” “Selected not elected,” “Bushwhacked by the Supremes” and “Golly Jeb, we pulled it off!” There were also plenty of R-rated signs, like “Dick and Bush” and “George Wanker Bush.” One poster included a caricature of a metaphorically toothless Bush in the image of Alfred E. Neuman.

The protesters were a who’s-who of lefty causes — from feminism and the pro-choice movement to anti-death penalty protesters (identifiable by their ubiquitous “Free Mumia” garb), gay rights activists and environmentalists. There were also dozens of youth wearing the vinegar-soaked, tear gas- and pepper spray-resistant bandanas that have become a symbol of the protest movement’s anarchist elements.

What do you suppose Trump’s inaugural will be like?

Right now, hate trumps love from the hate-filled, intolerant, sour-grapes, fear-mongering left:

This is what leadership looks like:

“Now, it is no secret that the president-elect and I have some pretty significant differences. But remember, eight years ago President Bush and I had some pretty significant differences. But President Bush’s team could not have been more professional or more gracious in making sure we had a smooth transition so that we could hit the ground running.

And one thing you realize quickly in this job is that the presidency and the vice presidency is bigger than any of us. So I have instructed my team to follow the example that President Bush’s team set eight years ago, and work as hard as we can to make sure that this is a successful transition for the president-elect.

Because we are now all rooting for his success in uniting and leading the country. The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy. And over the next few months, we are going to show that to the world.

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Now, everybody is sad when their side loses an election, but the day after we have to remember that we’re actually all on one team. This is an intramural scrimmage. We’re not Democrats first. We’re not Republicans first. We are Americans first. We’re patriots first.

We all want what’s best for this country. That’s what I heard in Mr. Trump’s remarks last night. That’s what I heard when I spoke to him directly. And I was heartened by that. That’s what the country needs — a sense of unity, a sense of inclusion, a respect for our institutions, our way of life, rule of law, and respect for each other.

I hope that he maintains that spirit throughout this transition. And I certainly hope that’s how his presidency has a chance to begin.

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A lot of our fellow Americans are exalted today, a lot of Americans are less so, but that’s the nature of campaigns, that’s the nature of democracy. It is hard and sometimes contentious and noisy and it’s not always inspiring.

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The point though is that we all go forward with a presumption of good faith in our fellow citizens, because that presumption of good faith is essential to a vibrant and functioning democracy. That’s how this country has moved forward for 240 years. It’s how we’ve pushed boundaries and promoted freedom around the world. That’s how we’ve expanded the rights of our founding to reach all of our citizens. It’s how we have come this far.
And that’s why I’m confident that this incredible journey that we’re on, as Americans, will go on. And I’m looking forward to doing everything that I can to make sure that the next president is successful in that.”
-President Obama, November 9, 2016

“We have seen that our nation is more deeply divided than we thought. But I still believe in America, and I always will. And if you do, then we must accept this result and then look to the future. Donald Trump is going to be our president. We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead.

Our constitutional democracy enshrines the peaceful transfer of power, and we don’t just respect that, we cherish it.

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Now, I — I know — I know we have still not shattered that highest and hardest glass ceiling, but some day someone will and hopefully sooner than we might think right now.

And — and to all the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams.”
-Hillary Clinton, November 9, 2016

“Now it’s time for America to bind the wounds of division. We have to get together. To all Republicans and Democrats and Independents across this nation, I say it is time for us to come together as one united people. It’s time.

I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all Americans. And this is so important to me.
For those who have chosen not to support me in the past, of which there were a few people, I’m reaching out to you for your guidance and your help so we can work together and unify our great country.”
-president elect, Donald Trump, November 9, 2016

I still do not think much of Trump’s character. But he’s the man who will lead our country and whom my countrymen elected. So I hope he does have it in him to unite the country and be a president to both left and right and prove his critics wrong. Self included.