Last Wednesday as I drove to work heartbroken over Trump’s victory, John Lennon’s song Imagine came on the radio.
It didn’t improve my mood any. Because I was already imagining plenty.
Earlier today while waiting for a doctor’s appointment, I read a blog from my hometown that posted the Democratic Town Committee’s commitment to not permit bullying, acts of hate or discrimination in town.
Expecting to see universal support for this stance, I was shocked to see the first commenters take a stand, not exactly against, the DTC, but pooh-poohing the need for such a stand.
Naturally, I commented that those commenters obviously hadn’t been paying attention during the campaign. The result was a fairly brief round and round with the commenter, named Dan. As it turned out, Dan was a troll; his comments were removed from the blog along with several damn good ones of mine, I will add.
But he made me think.
When George W. Bush was elected, I worried. I didn’t think he had the brain capacity to be president, and didn’t think he could handle the job. Obviously, I didn’t predict 9/11 or the Iraq war, but I did see in him a bully and a person too easily goaded. I was right. His policies led us into a stupid, unnecessary war. His economic policies led us into a severe, catastrophic economic crisis that only the end of his presidency and Obama’s election prevented from becoming a full-blown economic Depression.
I also thought that Dick Cheney would be a good, calming, fatherly influence. My bad. And his, actually.
With Trump, I am afraid on a deeper level. I’ve expressed those fears many times, so I’ll just say that nothing he has said since his election, and nothing he has done since his election, and nobody he has appointed/is considering appointing has allayed any of my fears. He is an ignorant, hate-filled bully with small fingers who will have access to the nuclear codes in two months.
But you know what? This is where this morning’s troll comes in.
I would love to be wrong.
I would love for each and every Trump voter to work towards proving me that I was crazy to worry.
- Prevent bullying/hate crimes/discrimination. Step in at your own risk when necessary. If you say Trump will not increase these things, show me I’m wrong in thinking he will.
- Protect social programs. Write to Congress. Let them know that programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security are programs Americans have relied upon for decades. Show me that I’m wrong in thinking that these programs will all be gutted to my and the middle and lower class populations’ detriment.
- Protest against any new military actions. If there’s time, that is. If Trump acts in a huff, then, you have my permission to bend over and kiss your own ass goodbye.
- Pay attention. Be knowledgeable about current events. Remember who is doing what.
- Assess the economic impacts by something other than your own tax returns. What is happening in the housing market, the jobs market. Have their been improvements in infrastructure;
- Evaluate the importance of the industries that are succeeding in Trump’s America. Did Trump deliver his promises to restore the coal industry. Manufacturing?
- Remember your history. If you believe, as my troll does, that comparisons of Trump’s America to Hitler’s Germany, watch what they do and prevent them from repeating history. (That’s why we study history, isn’t it?)
- Show me that the Federal judges appointed at all levels are interested in justice and not in advocating from the bench a la Scalia. Make sure they protect the rights of the folks who can’t stand up for themselves.
- Vary your news sources — none of them provide the full story or an unbiased story
- Consider the other side’s position — and I will try to do the same
The list of things that concern me, of course, goes on and on.
Make it so that in 4 years, I will look back at the fears I (and so many others) had about Donald Trump’s election and laugh at myself for my foolish fears.
Make me eat crow
I will gladly eat crow. If there are any left given Trump’s plan to gut all sorts of environmental programs and the climate change pact.
Photo Credit: https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1127/1009248999_385551a5f6.jpg. But you know I got it from Google Images.
The problems of victory are more agreeable than those of defeat, but they are no less difficult.
Winston Churchill, statesman and prime minister
FiftyFourandAHalf 
A fine post and commentary, Elyse. Particularly interesting was the list of Obama economic accomplishments you posted.
One lesson from this debacle is now clear to me: even in the age of science, the broad electorate is more easily swayed by chutzpah and empty promises than by facts and logic. This is the information age, but there’s too much crap mixed in with truth, and too little capacity for discernment. All that gives me hope is that the election was very close, despite the electoral college factor. As mentioned, but for the third parties we could easily be celebrating rather than contemplating a meal of crow.
One other fact is clear to me now, clarified by your good post. Trump is an empty vessel, likely to act according to the last person who whispered in his ear, or on pure impulse. He has no sense of history or moral core, nor even any grasp of basic economics. If we can survive the next 4 years, a big if, perhaps the pendulum will swing back.
Hang in there, Elyse. You are not alone.
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Thanks, Jim. Hopefully we will all get through it, and the world with us. Blogging will really help with that, I’m sure.!
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I, too, would love to be wrong about this presidency. Please, God.
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Yes! Exactly! Please please please.
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Excellent points, Elyse, especially the last 2. We need to look at all points of view – not just a steady diet of Fox, nor exclusively MSNBC. We also need to respect diversity in ideas, not just diversity of race or sexual preference.
And I don’t want you to eat crow – only the finest pheasant for you, my friend! 🙂
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Well, I think the fact that you and I agreed on two political posts — this one and the one on your site — that there is hope.
But I’d rather be completely wrong and eat crow. Because in reality, Peg, the people he is putting in charge of important parts of the government scare me as much/more than he does.
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With all that stuff you’re asking a Trump voter to care about, wouldn’t it have made this guy a Clinton voter? 🙂
Also, if think that if we’re right about Trump, those who voted for Trump should eat crow themselves, and a lot of it, shouldn’t they?
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Not “if think”, “I think”.
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Perhaps. But a girl’s gotta have hope. Sarcasm alone just isn’t going to get me through he next 4 years.
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Yeah, I figured! No worries.
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I’m not the hoping kind, so I’ll be relying mostly on sarcasm.
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Oh it’s gonna be a long 4 years. We may all end up hoping he DOES put those little fingers on the button to put us all out of our misery.
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Same here, Elyse. I will gladly eat crow. Lots and lots of crow. But based on his actions and alliances so far, it appears we’ll go hungry.
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I know. But I have to not just smack every Trump voter I meet. And I have to stop wanting to. It will get me nowhere.
I think we really need to educate people — starting in junior high about how the government works. Civics, personal responsibility for our government. (I’ll get off my soap box now).
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I agree. We don’t educate our youth very well in these matters.
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I’m happy to see that you’ll make an effort to see the other side’s position. We all need to do that. The lack of empathy is how we wound up in this mess. Not all of Trump’s supporters are hateful racists. Many, many of them are just scared and desperate. Not all Hillary supporters are entitlement grubs.
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Ditto. How about if we assume the other guy wants what’s best for all, but has different ideas on what that is?
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My comments are wandering a bit — I see that the one to Mark (Exile) ended up below your response.
So this is for Peg.
I think what we have to do is accept that people really want what’s best for themselves, first and foremost. And then we have to make it so that what is indeed best for everyone is understood to be best for the individual. That is the fundamental challenge, I think, for the democrats.
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I’m really going to try. Although at the same time, I will not abdicate my right to post anti-Trump stuff here. It’s my only platform as the loyal opposition.
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Someone’s got to keep the torch lit.
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And while you are at it… make me eat cow… go ahead, I dare you!
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Yummmmm
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We’ll all be eating crow, or at last the ones of us who are fast enough to catch them. We won’t be able to afford anything else.
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Perhaps he offered to let blacks go to Trump University, too. Democrats have let people down. Of all colors. They are out of touch. But anybody who believes anything this snake oil salesman says deserves him. I DON’T.
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I’m leery in my own way … thus will continue my wait-and-see approach. But why do I doubt you are willing to eat crow?
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Look at the horrible people he is surrounding himself with. You won’t have long to wait.
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Possibly … but I’m patient. Besides … I like to give enough rope.
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Meat is meat… Crow is not any different than any other wild bird one might be willing to eat. 🙂
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Something I viewed a few days AFTER the November 8th, 2016 election, and it makes one wonder/think…..why this video was NEVER all over the news or in the media, like all the OTHER Trump campaign stops, rallies, appearances? I take a bit different view of Trump, whom I didn’t vote for. I voted Stein/Baraka, but I always wondered about the media forcing people to become Trump haters based on what THE MEDIA showed America about Trump.
Watch this, I’ll bet you never saw this until right now.
Why Black People Voted Donald Trump President Elect – DID Barack ever pledge this???
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I wrote a lengthy response to you last night, but it vanished.
And then today’s news that Trump has nominated Jeff Sessions, who was turned down for a federal judgeship because he was determined to be a racist, for Attorney General.
I think that the people who voted for him will find themselves in the position of Trump University students, who are shocked, shocked, that they didn’t get what they expected/wanted.
Obama did this while swimming upstream against united GOP determination that he would not succeed. And he did anyway.
I am not black, I am not a minority of any kind. I am a white woman with a multi-racial family. And I am quite fearful of what lies ahead of us with Trump.
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The only two things I can see from him that’s positive is that he’ll want to fund infrastructure fixes (bridges, roads, airports) and probably push back against GOP resistance against it. He will also most likely be against any GOP attempts to privatize Medicare and Social Security. He’ll need Democratic support in both of these areas, and I suspect he’ll get them.
But in nearly every other area (re: SCOTUS nominations, health care, civil rights, foreign policy) I am convinced he’ll be dangerous. I’m not prepared to eat any future crow. George Bush actually read books, for God sakes.
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And he’s kept quiet in retirement.
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Unfortunately, Trump doesn’t seem to have real principles other than the advancement of Donald Trump, so I’m not really expecting him to stand up to the Republican Congress.
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Just saw this (at Father Kane’s)
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?
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You have to look at the post, it’s a picture. You can’t see it in the bubbles.
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Ah, sorry. I see it now. lol.
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I was really confused the first few time, too. Those bubbles are helpful but lead to confusion frequently!
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Yes.
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I will eat a big plate of crow with you, if you are proven wrong. The Trump University trial will be taking place in my city… it should be interesting.
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Interesting is an understatement.
If we are wrong in our fears about Trump, there should be a national holiday to celebrate, I think.
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A national holiday would be great. I have a feeling though, more likely, a lot of crows will be looking for cover.
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Or killed by nuclear radiation …
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Nothing I’ve seen or heard is making me feel better. I want someone to make me feel better.
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I wish I could. Sorry.
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I agree with you. I’m afraid of the people who are surrounding DT now and seem to be influencing him. Yes, I hope I’m totally wrong.
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We can have a feast of thanksgiving if we are.
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Though I voted for Hillary, I will say this in Trump’s defense. He doesn’t seem committed to keeping promises. Consider Trump University. A con game that bilked people from their life savings. He made promises to these people and he didn’t keep them.
I believe the promises he made on the campaign trail are the same. Part of a big con. He will only be keep the promises that are convenient for him to keep.
So don’t expect what you’re expecting. Expect the unexpected. Trump himself brags about being unpredictable. I think he will be. I think that’s the only thing about him we can accurately predict.
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Perhaps. But the folks he’s putting into office are pretty predictable. And they aren’t going to implement policies I favor, that’s for sure.
But I think you’re right about Trump himself. He will be unpredictable. That’s why I am really hoping they hide the nuclear codes from him. Because that really is my biggest fear — that he’ll get us into another clusterfuck of a war only he’ll use nucs. Then if I survive, I will be glad to have crow. Or anything else.
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That’s kind of scary, the thought of Trump keeping his promises. I guess like you, I hope you’re wrong.
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I’ve never hoped so more than I do now.
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Unfortunately, I am now persuaded that it’s going to be even worse than I feared. I think the Republicans are cozying up to Trump because they know he’s going to screw up — and quickly. The conflicts of interest alone should hang him.
I think they are going to let the Dems impeach him — and vote along with them. Then, we will have President Pence. Honestly, this scenario scares me more than Trump because he WILL keep his promises.
I will eat crow if, four years from now, we are not running against Pence.
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Actually it gets worse as you go down the line of succession Paul “let’s kill ALL social programs” is next in line after Pence. Nothing good will come of these clowns. Personally, I’m rooting for a natural disaster.
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Maybe that will happen. Or, maybe that’s why he picked Pence. As a safeguard against being impeached.
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Considering that the majority of the Republican leadership probably would prefer Pence over Trump, Pence isn’t a safeguard against impeachment, he’s more like impeachment bait.
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Well that’s true too. I guess I have to agree with both sides of this issue.
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I vow to do the same if proven wrong.
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Ah but you are cheating — you voted 3rd party, didn’t you?
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Please! I’d still eat crow if it turned out Donald Trump was the answer to our nations problems. Happily! Without salt and pepper!
My 3rd party vote in every election has been a message directed at the Democratic party. My 3rd party vote said you are not doing enough to alleviate the concerns of the people, you are not doing enough to protect the environment for generations to come. The Democratic party chose not to listen to the voices that were telling them what they needed to hear. That’s on them. It was a deep and disappointing failure to witness.
I also didn’t vote for Obama. And while I liked him very much as a president and a leader, he didn’t do enough either. I know there was a lot of obstacles in his path. And the job is a big one. Unfortunately enough people were dissatisfied enough for the pendulum to swing the other way this time.
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Third party votes made the difference in 2000 and in this election, I think (although they are still counting).
A viable third party would be great. Until then, though, it amounts to a vote for Bush or Trump. I know. I indirectly voted for Ronald Reagan in 1980.
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Or like me, you sent a message to the opposition party that was ignored to their detriment.
Agree to disagree? 😉
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Yes. We have to!
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I think that if you want to send messages to the Democratic party, you do it in the primary. At the general election, all such messages go to a mailbox that’s not being monitored, except for one guy who gets upset that he has to delete all of these messages instead of doing actual work.
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If that were the case, people wouldn’t go on ad infinitum blaming 3rd party voters for a Democratic loss as if the Democrats have inherently earned those votes. They haven’t and those votes are a clear message where the priorities of the voters lie.
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I know what your message was – but when 3 million people vote for the third parties, there’s no way to tell if those were mostly from Republicans sending a message to the Republican party, or Democrats to the Dem party, or maybe Libertarians sending a message to the Green party.
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And the result is STILL Donald F’ing Trump.
Oops. I forgot I agreed to disagree. I will shut up now. Again.
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The point is those people can declare what issues are priorities to them by voting for the party that is most closely aligned. That is pretty simple. And then the Dems and Reps can go after those votes or not by shifting party platforms.
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I agree with X — the time for that, especially in this election, was during the primaries. And given the major changes made as a result of Bernie Sanders’ campaign, Clinton moved quite a bit to the left. In fact, that made me more enthusiastic.
I keep forgetting to shut up. Sorry. I will never get over my guilt for giving the world Ronald Reagan.
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Well, then it’s too bad that the third party voters aren’t filling out a questionnaire to tell the two major parties on which issues they agree with either party, and on which they don’t. 🙂
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Tasty post, my friend.
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Not yet. Not for 4 years …
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