One misogynistic man. One nation. Four candidates on the ballet. One choice. Our choice. America failed.
It was an extremely long night last night and early morning today. I watched all news coverages of the election, flipping from channel to channel to hear different perspectives. It was the first election that I could vote in. I waited in line to vote at 8:00 a.m. and even posted a photo, proud to be an American fulfilling her civil duty. But, as I sat in front of the television last night, my mood went from proud and hopeful to disgusted and hopeless. I won’t reiterate the rhetoric this man has spoken as all forms of social media probably have done so already, at least to some extent. However, I will tell you who you have elected to become the next President of the United States of America based on his proposed actions and desires. Here is the new President:
- Plans to use “conversion tactics” to turn homosexuals into heterosexuals
- Plans to build a wall. In fact, the majority of his campaign was centralized around this desire.
- Plans to ban Muslims from entering the U.S.
- Plans to overturn Roe v. Wade and defund Planned Parenthood
- Plans to dismantle Obamacare, leaving many individuals under the age of 26 without coverage on parents’ insurance plans
- Believes climate change is fake
- Dehumanizes minorities
- Supported by KKK
Is this really who you voted for? Are you realistically saying that you believe this man will improve America? Everyone has the right to their own political opinion and in the end, we all want America to succeed and prosper, but how we achieve that prosperity is where the dividing line is drawn between half of the country. We can’t unite as a nation, not with this man as President. We can’t unite if all Trump thrives on is hatred. I am not of color. I am not a member of the LGBTQ community. Yet, I can tell you that as a straight, Caucasian woman that I fear for the future of this nation. As a woman in Trump world, I am subjected to the misogynistic views that he possesses. I cannot even imagine what people of color are feeling and thinking at this moment, what members of the LGBTQ community are feeling and thinking, what Muslims are feeling and thinking. Rather than uniting us, he is dividing us.
Donald Trump as President does not bring hope to our futures. It’s not JUST four years. Many changes can be made within those four years. We are talking about a man whose proposed action against Muslims is one that follows the path one takes to execute genocide. Let that sink in...
A demographic of uneducated, white males is who Donald Trump was targeting the most while campaigning. That is where a 40%+ gap was between voters of Clinton and voters of Trump. He didn't target minorities or women or LGBTQ members because he knew he wouldn't be getting their votes. Why? Because he has shown nothing but hatred towards them.
Many people were fed up with this election and chose to vote third party or didn't vote at all. While the frustration brought about by this election is understandable, casting a vote for a third party candidate makes an impact on the result of the election. For example, Florida was a tight state. Trump got 4,605,515 votes while Clinton got 4,485,745 votes, meaning Trump won that state by 119,770 votes. While this number may seem large, it really isn’t in the relative context of the total votes counted. Third party candidate Gary Johnson got 206, 007 votes in Florida. I’ll leave it up to you to make the conclusion given those numbers.
Harambe, a deceased Gorilla, received over 15,000 write-in votes from Americans across the nation. Was it supposed to be funny? Because if so, I don’t understand the joke. Those 15,000 votes could have gone to either candidate, having a slight impact, but nonetheless, an impact. Where have we come as a nation?
When Trump was choosing a VP, Trump originally wanted John Kasich to be by his side. Trump wanted to put Kasich in charge of all domestic and foreign policy. But wait… Isn't that your job, Mr. Trump? Kasich declined the offer. But, what about Pence? Was he given the same offer of controlling all affairs, both domestic and foreign? Wake up America, you may have voted for Trump, but you’re getting more of Pence than you might have thought. In my opinion, Trump intends to be more of a figurehead than the man actually running the country. When you think President of the United States, you will think Trump. That’s what he wants. However, behind the curtains (drum roll please) comes Creationist Mike Pence with his skewed mentality and blinded perspective.
People I have talked to today have had one general thought: we’re screwed. I’ve heard people talk of ways to try and impeach Trump. Impeaching Trump does nothing except grant Mike Pence a title in which he will already be fulfilling the responsibilities of. Pence is worse than Trump.
Speaking to the millennials, this election is one that our children will be reading about in their history books. They will come home one day and ask us who we voted for in the 2016 Presidential Election. I can be proud to say who I voted for, and I can be even more proud to say that I DIDN’T vote for Trump. My children will read about this election and learn from it, and I will make sure they are educated to prevent history from repeating itself. I wish I could end my article saying to hope for the best or that everything will turn out alright in the end but I can’t. I know that I can speak for many people when I say this. I don't have the slightest of hope for any positive changes in the future with these two men leading the country. Again, everyone is entitled to their own political opinion and it’s not just that I don’t like Trump, it’s that I don’t think he will positively contribute to the prosperity of America in his time in office. I think he will do the opposite.
He won’t Make America Great Again…
