So, it's been a couple of days since the election.
Yesterday it was unfathomable to picture myself back in my normal routine. Every day preceding the 8th, I partook in a packed diet of political news and podcasts. Yesterday that just didn't seem possible. I woke up with tears as the one thing that seemed like a nightmare scenario turned out to be true.
Today, I listened to my podcasts, spent time on Twitter, and commiserated with others who never believed that this could happen. That Donald Trump could be president.
Now that I am looking at this two days out, I can finally put my thoughts into words.
- Firstly, the idea that Hillary Clinton was a "bad candidate" is a myth. She was not. She is a woman with incredible experience in both the public and private sector. She has spent decades in public service as FLOTUS, Senator, and Secretary of State. Flawed candidate? Sure. Bad candidate? Absolutely not.
- This idea that a woman must be likeable at all times is in direct opposition to what we expect of male leaders. People don't like Hillary Clinton. Fine. But to lament that she wasn't likeable and that's why she lost just means your misogyny is showing. We don't require male leaders to be likeable. We normally require them to be effective, intelligent, and experienced. Hillary is all of those things.
- If you fell for the myth that Hillary Clinton is a criminal, congratulations, you allowed yourself to be used and manipulated by foreign powers who would like the US to retreat from NATO and lose its footing as a super power. Those wikileaks dumps were a joke and if you supported them and what they did to Hillary's campaign, your thinking is ugly and short sighted. Most of what the Russians and wikileaks dumped was beyond the comprehension of your average Trump voter anyway.
- Bernie would not have won and I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Trump's core "stans" are anti-Semites as much as they are misogynists and uneducated bigots. "Economic anxiety" is a myth.
- James Comey should resign.
- The Democratic National Committee need to win back the Senate. They are far too lax, far too complacent, far too accommodating and have almost NO political capital save for an outgoing president. There are two years in which the DNC can make real plans to win gains in Senate. This is so crucial if there is any hope of counter punching Trump's plans for America.
- You need to talk to everyone you know about midterm elections, AND you need to talk to people about gerrymandering. Gerrymandering has allowed the GOP to systemically redistrict CRUCIAL constituencies, which could have massive effects on national and local politics for decades.
"To all the little girls watching...never doubt that you are valuable and powerful & deserving of every chance & opportunity in the world."— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) November 9, 2016
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