Yesterday was Election Day in the US. American's voted, and Donald Trump is our 45th president.
Talking heads, political pundits, and Pol-Sci professors will exam this election for years, about how the media got the polls wrong, and how the demographics of the voters favored Trump, and so on and so on. I have my own opinions on why an individual with no political experience was elected - and it will not come as a shock to anyone who works for a living.
First, the thought of Hillary Clinton continuing Barack Obama's Liberal-Progressive agenda was unacceptable, where many of us are much worse of than we were under George W. Bush due to higher taxes, healthcare costs, and general governmental impositions.
Secondly, Hillary Clinton was a strongly disliked career politician, and her failure to separate herself from Obama's policies was a mistake. Her continuing private email scandal (and, let's face it - if it were you or I who mishandled secret information the way she did, we would be in jail - just ask Chelsea Manning), and the WikiLeaks dump of the Podesta emails confirmed the belief that she was untrustworthy or criminal.
Lastly, I think people were just pissed off. I personally voted predominantly Republican, although I did support Libertarian candidates (including Gary Johnson) where possible. Through a corrupted primary process, the candidates were not really the choice of the people, and these certainly were NOT the best people for the highest office in the land. But, between those choices, the people voted for change, rather than more of the same. A tip for future candidates - when you are courting undecided voters, calling the Americans who disagree with you "Deplorables" is probably not going to win you any votes.
Now, as a conservative, I am not really thrilled with The Donald. I don't see him as a true Republican, and I can see continued gridlock in Washington as he deals with a truly conservative House and Senate. I suspect he will be petty in seeking revenge for slights, and he just seems un-Presidential. But, leaning Libertarian, I can't say I would be upset to see very few laws passed.
I'd like to comfort those Liberal friends of mine - and I think I still have a few. Trump will not be as bad as you think. He can't be any less transparent than Barack Obama (who pretended to be the most transparent president, while increasing government surveillance of citizens, and embraced the Patriot Act powers that so many hate), and he may actually restore a bit power to the states (rather than trying to consolidate all power at the Federal level).
My advice to everyone - breath. Unless your name is Donald Trump, you didn't win anything last night. Your family still needs to be protected, your community needs to heal, and the country is still in need of change (although we may disagree in which direction it should go). Be gracious in victory, kind in defeat, and begin working towards a better America in your own family, community, and state.
America has survived Civil War, scandals, and terrorism. Surely we can find a way to survive each other.
Peace and Love to you all.
Talking heads, political pundits, and Pol-Sci professors will exam this election for years, about how the media got the polls wrong, and how the demographics of the voters favored Trump, and so on and so on. I have my own opinions on why an individual with no political experience was elected - and it will not come as a shock to anyone who works for a living.
First, the thought of Hillary Clinton continuing Barack Obama's Liberal-Progressive agenda was unacceptable, where many of us are much worse of than we were under George W. Bush due to higher taxes, healthcare costs, and general governmental impositions.
Secondly, Hillary Clinton was a strongly disliked career politician, and her failure to separate herself from Obama's policies was a mistake. Her continuing private email scandal (and, let's face it - if it were you or I who mishandled secret information the way she did, we would be in jail - just ask Chelsea Manning), and the WikiLeaks dump of the Podesta emails confirmed the belief that she was untrustworthy or criminal.
Lastly, I think people were just pissed off. I personally voted predominantly Republican, although I did support Libertarian candidates (including Gary Johnson) where possible. Through a corrupted primary process, the candidates were not really the choice of the people, and these certainly were NOT the best people for the highest office in the land. But, between those choices, the people voted for change, rather than more of the same. A tip for future candidates - when you are courting undecided voters, calling the Americans who disagree with you "Deplorables" is probably not going to win you any votes.
Now, as a conservative, I am not really thrilled with The Donald. I don't see him as a true Republican, and I can see continued gridlock in Washington as he deals with a truly conservative House and Senate. I suspect he will be petty in seeking revenge for slights, and he just seems un-Presidential. But, leaning Libertarian, I can't say I would be upset to see very few laws passed.
I'd like to comfort those Liberal friends of mine - and I think I still have a few. Trump will not be as bad as you think. He can't be any less transparent than Barack Obama (who pretended to be the most transparent president, while increasing government surveillance of citizens, and embraced the Patriot Act powers that so many hate), and he may actually restore a bit power to the states (rather than trying to consolidate all power at the Federal level).
My advice to everyone - breath. Unless your name is Donald Trump, you didn't win anything last night. Your family still needs to be protected, your community needs to heal, and the country is still in need of change (although we may disagree in which direction it should go). Be gracious in victory, kind in defeat, and begin working towards a better America in your own family, community, and state.
America has survived Civil War, scandals, and terrorism. Surely we can find a way to survive each other.
Peace and Love to you all.
