Like half of America, I’m still stunned by last night’s election results. That feeling won’t fade quickly.
The shock has worn off. The five stages of grief have passed relatively quickly. Or I’m in denial still, not sure.
But, Donald Trump is the president-elect. The system was not rigged. He won fair and pretty square, although Hillary Clinton likely will win the popular vote.
My first thoughts? I never thought he’d do all the things he said. Some he can’t. Some a majority of his followers never even believed he’d do. Many I don’t think he even believes. He just knew that those positions were winning him blocks of votes. And, he obviously was right. Cynical as that may have been. Machiavellian as that may be.
The “political establishment” didn’t read the tea leaves. There are a lot of angry people out there. Not racist people. Not misogynists. Though there are a fair share of those, too. But the really angry people are mad about being left behind. Are looking for answers. Are fed up with government not working for them. And while Trump hasn’t really given any answers, Hillary was giving the same old answers. And they didn’t play.
Trump scares me, as anyone who’s read this blog knows. But what scares me even more are the people he likely will bring with him. Steve Bannon, Roger Stone, Newt Gingrich, Omarosa whatever her name is who already is filled with a need for revenge against the never-Trumpers.
Grace goes both ways. Hillary is about to show it. Obama will show it. And Omarosa should follow their lead. More importantly, Trump should. His acceptance speech last night was a beginning.
My guess (hope) is that when he won, or shortly thereafter, Donald Trump looked in the mirror and, after saying “holy crap,” began to fill with the fear and responsibility and challenge this job brings. It’s real. And I think he’ll get that. He sure will after he gets his first fill classified national security briefing today.
I’m not as sure about the others, or Rudy Giuliani or Chris Christie, both of whom can be filled with vengeance. Just remember the bridge shutdown.
Plus, the president-elect has some legal stuff to get through: the trial on Trump University’s fraud will be here soon and the president-elect likely will be testifying or being deposed or something. Not to mention the women who have alleged sexual violence against him. That doesn’t just disappear. And now it’s too late to say he’s sorry or admit it. So the lying will continue (I think he’s lying about that anyway). And when will we see his tax returns? He’s soon to be the president, and the people deserve to see it. Especially since he got a pass on it during the campaign.
On the positive side, I hope one of Trump’s first initiatives in office is something like an infrastructure bill. Something that will improve things and provide jobs. That would be a good first step. He won’t be banning Muslims, he won’t be immediately deporting illegals. Can’t do those things quickly and, the more time that goes by, the less he will feel the need to do that. He can start legislation to build a wall, but it won’t go anywhere and Mexico won’t pay for it. So that likely won’t happen.
He can’t eliminate same sex marriage. That genie is out of the bottle. Hell, several states legalized marijuana yesterday. And he’ll realize those things once he fully accepts his new job.
Firing people won’t get the job done. Hiring the right people will. Working with Paul Ryan will. Making sure he doesn’t appoint totally nuts-o judges and Supreme Court justices, he’ll learn, is better for the country, and thus him, in the long run. That’s not to say that liberal judges will be appointed. They won’t.
The misogyny, the racism. Those things will increase not necessarily by the president-elect but because of the president-elect. The David Dukes of the world will feel empowered. The American Nazi Party may see its membership increase marginally. And Trump will need to figure out how to handle likely increases in such violence.
But he also will be busier, I think, trying to find a way to create jobs because that is the quickest way to show he’s real and not simply a reality-star-got lucky.
That’s my hope.
The shock has worn off. The five stages of grief have passed relatively quickly. Or I’m in denial still, not sure.
But, Donald Trump is the president-elect. The system was not rigged. He won fair and pretty square, although Hillary Clinton likely will win the popular vote.
My first thoughts? I never thought he’d do all the things he said. Some he can’t. Some a majority of his followers never even believed he’d do. Many I don’t think he even believes. He just knew that those positions were winning him blocks of votes. And, he obviously was right. Cynical as that may have been. Machiavellian as that may be.
The “political establishment” didn’t read the tea leaves. There are a lot of angry people out there. Not racist people. Not misogynists. Though there are a fair share of those, too. But the really angry people are mad about being left behind. Are looking for answers. Are fed up with government not working for them. And while Trump hasn’t really given any answers, Hillary was giving the same old answers. And they didn’t play.
Trump scares me, as anyone who’s read this blog knows. But what scares me even more are the people he likely will bring with him. Steve Bannon, Roger Stone, Newt Gingrich, Omarosa whatever her name is who already is filled with a need for revenge against the never-Trumpers.
Grace goes both ways. Hillary is about to show it. Obama will show it. And Omarosa should follow their lead. More importantly, Trump should. His acceptance speech last night was a beginning.
My guess (hope) is that when he won, or shortly thereafter, Donald Trump looked in the mirror and, after saying “holy crap,” began to fill with the fear and responsibility and challenge this job brings. It’s real. And I think he’ll get that. He sure will after he gets his first fill classified national security briefing today.
I’m not as sure about the others, or Rudy Giuliani or Chris Christie, both of whom can be filled with vengeance. Just remember the bridge shutdown.
Plus, the president-elect has some legal stuff to get through: the trial on Trump University’s fraud will be here soon and the president-elect likely will be testifying or being deposed or something. Not to mention the women who have alleged sexual violence against him. That doesn’t just disappear. And now it’s too late to say he’s sorry or admit it. So the lying will continue (I think he’s lying about that anyway). And when will we see his tax returns? He’s soon to be the president, and the people deserve to see it. Especially since he got a pass on it during the campaign.
On the positive side, I hope one of Trump’s first initiatives in office is something like an infrastructure bill. Something that will improve things and provide jobs. That would be a good first step. He won’t be banning Muslims, he won’t be immediately deporting illegals. Can’t do those things quickly and, the more time that goes by, the less he will feel the need to do that. He can start legislation to build a wall, but it won’t go anywhere and Mexico won’t pay for it. So that likely won’t happen.
He can’t eliminate same sex marriage. That genie is out of the bottle. Hell, several states legalized marijuana yesterday. And he’ll realize those things once he fully accepts his new job.
Firing people won’t get the job done. Hiring the right people will. Working with Paul Ryan will. Making sure he doesn’t appoint totally nuts-o judges and Supreme Court justices, he’ll learn, is better for the country, and thus him, in the long run. That’s not to say that liberal judges will be appointed. They won’t.
The misogyny, the racism. Those things will increase not necessarily by the president-elect but because of the president-elect. The David Dukes of the world will feel empowered. The American Nazi Party may see its membership increase marginally. And Trump will need to figure out how to handle likely increases in such violence.
But he also will be busier, I think, trying to find a way to create jobs because that is the quickest way to show he’s real and not simply a reality-star-got lucky.
That’s my hope.
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