The Election

So Donald Trump is our President-Elect. Hillary seems to have won the popular vote by a narrow margin, but he won the Electoral vote. So, whether good or bad, Donald Trump is our President for at least the next four years. I have already seen many posts on Facebook bemoaning this fact. People wanting to move to a new country. Celebrities who threatened to leave if he became President being told “Bye, Felicia! Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!” with gleeful sarcasm. People saying they are scared, angry, deeply disappointed. People saying how hurt they are that the racism, fear of LGBT+, etc. runs so deeply, as evidenced by the fact that Donald Trump was elected President. Posts saying, “Hey, thanks a lot for voting for that third party candidate, idiot! You are part of the reason we’re in this mess now!” And on and on…

I did not get to vote in this election. I recently relocated to Texas from Colorado, and did not get my driver’s license and voter registration changed in time to be able to participate in this election. The only person who is responsible for that not happening in time is me. I am not happy or sad that he has been elected, though. Whether it was him or Hillary, my life would not have changed on a personal level. There will be change on a national level because of this election that will eventually affect me, but my personal, day-to-day circumstances are not going to change based on the fact that Donald Trump is the President-Elect. My day-to-day circumstances will only change as I act to change them.

I don’t especially like Donald Trump. To be honest, I think he’s an arrogant, self-centered blowhard who just spews whatever controversial words will get him attention. I can’t stand that behavior. I also don’t like Hillary. Forget the flap about her emails; yes, that was a 3 ring circus, and I don’t think she was truthful, but that doesn’t bother me as much as Benghazi does. Her behavior regarding Benghazi, and the four military men who she seemingly left on their own to die, strikes at the core of my being. It is the main reason I do not want her to be my President. There is much criticism of both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton for various things they have been accused of; this criticism should be considered along with the reasons for it. With that said, I was not physically there to see the bad behaviors exhibited by either one of them, so I really cannot judge either one.

Donald Trump is the next President, regardless of what I think. I am hoping that he does not act as he has said in his campaign. I sincerely hope that so many of his words were just meant to inflame public opinion and garner attention, and not actually reflections of what he will do in office. We will see. If Hillary had won, I would wait and see how she behaved in office, as well.

No matter who is in office, though, I am proud to be an American. There is a lot that needs to be changed, certainly, and it is my responsibility just as much as anyone else’s to work to make that happen, but there is also a lot of good in my country, and I am happy that I get to be a part of it.