November 8th, 2016 was a big, big day, for everyone in the country and really, around the world. Regardless of which side of this incredibly heated election you fall upon, I think it's save to say that most people are still trying to get their bearings and find their center. If you're like me, with each day that passes, you get a little more anxious, a little more uncertain.
And if you ask me why, you won't have to go far to find an example that illustrates what is making more and more Americans so nervous. It's not just the fact that Trump has all but openly admitted to lying on the campaign trail. It's not solely due to the intelligence we've received that suggests (depending on where you read it, possibly confirms) that Russia potentially manipulated one of our country's most prized practices - one that supports our long standing Democracy - and did so in favor of the new President-Elect.
It's not just that the President-Elect himself refuses intelligence briefings and claims that's acceptable because he's "smart." And it's not only because nearly 3 million more people voted for the candidate who lost than the candidate who won. And surely it's not because literally every single cabinet choice Trump has made is a complete and utter joke and so far from qualified it isn't even funny.
It's a combination of all of those things.
As December 19th rapidly approaches, more eyes have been drawn to the potentially defecting electors who are determined to at least try and keep Trump from getting into the White House. And even though it's unlikely that enough will jump ship, the fact that electors are opting to openly declare their defiance is, in of itself, historic in it's own sense. Now, this is only the third election that I've ever participated in, but never once had I ever heard of such uproar against an elected nominee, more or less the party nomination. For the longest time, many GOP leaders and other right-wing figures have flip-flopped on and off the Trump-supporting bandwagon. And for electors to candidly oppose voting in Trump, it is a bold and brazen move, given Trump's dislike of any negative perception or criticism.
But seeing Trump's most recent picks for the highly coveted cabinet positions should seriously concern everyone. His incredibly questionable approach to his business conflicts should concern everyone. This is no longer about liberal vs. conservative, that is where we as a country have failed. We stopped collaborating and left in place too many practices that just do not make sense in the modern world; like not having term limits on more than just things like, oh I don't know, the Presidency. Or maybe getting rid of the electoral college, which you know, basically makes it feel like some votes really do count more than others. As we have progressed as a society, we have failed to look at the bigger picture and the result of that divisiveness is the asinine narcissist who will soon reside in the Oval Office. We let our differences consume us and it opened the door for literally anyone to become our leader.
But his choices for cabinet look like he randomly chose from his MySpace top 32 friends list. Billionaires and executives. People who openly oppose the agencies they're intended to run. Scarier still is that the candidates Trump has selected are just not qualified to do their jobs. Like Ben Carson, a surgeon, for the HUD cabinet position. Ben Carson openly said that he did not have any experience with urban development, so what was his qualification? Having, at one point, lived in an urban setting as a young child. That rationale makes no sense - and it's an invalid argument, because that would make a good portion of black America qualified for that position.
It's the same critical flaw as thinking a billionaire could do the job of President.
And here's the thing, I'm not making a plea to all Americans because I'm pushing a liberal agenda. As an American, I'm concerned about having a leader who uses his words so carelessly; who threatens the rights of so many, including those that voice opposing opinions; who aims to destroy what other have worked so hard to build - a better society and nation for the generations to come. I agree that Washington needs a shakeup. We should have drained the swamp months, years, decades ago. But we have let greed and corruption govern us up to now, most of it swept under the proverbial rug and out of sight to the average American. But now, the ugliness has spilled over, bare and raw, for everyone to see. And Trump's cabinet choices tell me this: he is at least keeping his promise of draining the swamp. But the problem is that he drained it right into his own cabinet.
