As I wait for Hillary Clinton to emerge from the dreariness of her hotel room to give her concession speech, I am hungover from a night of tension, anxiety, and cheap beer. My mind is somewhere that I cannot define. Deconstructed gray matter floating amidst a hazy ether of disbelief and relief. What now?
There are a few things that I would like to say. Before this election, I could not stand to watch the Democratic party that I belong to be so beholden to corporate campaign donors and in the primaries, I voted for a candidate that I felt exemplified the ideals of the Democratic party that I wished to be a part of. That candidate was thrown under the bus, run over, and buried by the shady career politicians that hijacked the Democratic National Committee.
I could not cast a vote for either of the candidates that ran in this election. My intuition was screaming at me loud and clear, my conscience would not allow it. Accuse me of being “part of the problem” of Clinton not getting elected but remember this: the state I live in went completely blue, with Clinton winning the popular vote and the electoral vote. I stand by my decision to write in my candidate. It was my small act of protest against a party that has failed all of us.
I do not know what is ahead of us now, but a sense of relief has overcome me at the fact that this campaign is over. The commercials from every angle have been atrocious. Shame on these candidates. Shame on their rabid power grabs that produce vile adverts which my children got barraged with while watching cartoons. FUCKING. CARTOONS. I often have to fumble around to mute the channel or not let them put the T.V. on at all.
My daughter saw the headline on the news this morning and began crying. She’s afraid that a friend of hers at school who’s family is Mexican is going to be sent away. I never wanted this to be an issue for them at this age and I have refrained from overt political talk around them. The cat has jumped from the bag and the genie has smashed the bottle.
On the drive to school, all I could bring myself to tell them was this: No matter who gets elected to be the president, as long as we focus on our family, our friends, and our neighbors, and remember to be kind and take care of those who are in need, it does not matter who lives in the White House. We need to be good people. I explained to the kids that this is not the first time and it will not be the last, that the country has elected someone that you may not like very much. To which my daughter replied, “I don’t like him at all!” and we all expelled a cathartic laugh.
I am distraught. However, the people that have been leading us for the last 30 years have failed us on both sides of the aisle. I am happy to watch them all squirm.
Hold each other close, people; things are going to get weird. Love yourselves and do right by your neighbor. Get out there and run for office to inspire change. Vote for third party candidates on every level of government. Buckle up and let’s get active.
