In this day and age of instant and high turnover information, peoples' attention spans are very short. Most modern news cycles are on the order of days, sometimes hours. So that said, this post will be coming eons late, since we're over a month post-election. But, I figured it'd be fun just to jot down some thoughts about the election and its aftermath.
I've watched with amusement as both political parties have been scrambling to figure out what happened and what they should do going forward. However, it's very clear that officials in both parties totally missed the boat this election, which resulted in Trump winning the Republican nomination and eventually the Presidency and Hillary losing what most thought was an election that should've been "in the bag." Both parties missed critical signs that should have told them they needed to get out of their bubbles and make some serious changes. Alas, it was not to be and we ended up with one of the strangest election outcomes.
The Republican party, although happy about the fact they now control the Presidency and both houses of Congress, nevertheless have much to contend with. First and foremost is the fact that their President-elect isn't a true Republican, nor is he a true conservative. I still haven't figured out what he is, other than someone who will do or say anything to make himself look good, someone with an extremely narrow world view, and someone who has unbelievably thin skin; not good characteristics for a President. Second is the fact that the party itself is fractured into these factions that don't seem to get along with each other, which is likely to make legislative maneuvering very challenging. It'll be interesting to see if they can forge the alliances they need to move desired legislation forward. Third, is the perception that there's a growing faction of racists within the Republican party that is becoming ever more vocal. This started during the Obama years, but with the no holds barred, free-wheeling Trump campaign, these individuals have become emboldened, much like the fringe groups that have come out of the shadows (see my other post: Out of the Shadows...). Finally, the Trump campaign is the first in modern history to essentially do and say whatever they thought necessary to win the election. I laugh when I hear discussions about "fake news" permeating Facebook....I'm sorry, fake news is permeating everything. I don't know how many times I saw and heard a Trump campaign official or supporter basically say the most outrageous lie as if it were fact. In fact, it seemed the attitude of the Trump campaign was if we say it, it must be true. I'm not talking about the nuanced BS that both political parties typically throw out there in the media. I'm talking about bold-faced, fact-less, totally fantasy-based lies. What was even more disconcerting about this was that Americans sucked it all up as fact. This kind of stuff makes me very worried about the future of our country. Really....are we THAT stupid? This also raises the important issue of fact-checking. While some will argue there are no facts and that fact-checking in and of itself is biased, there are situations where there are clear-cut facts that should be properly noted. Given that the majority of Americans don't have the sufficient attention span to do their due diligence and seem to only respond to sound bites, there is an argument for the media to do a better job of fact-checking and making sure Americans get the information they need to make an informed decision.
On the flip side, I've been laughing as Democrats point to Russian hacking, the Comey letters, and other events to explain their loss. Too bad nobody within the party has the huevos to admit that Hillary was a very flawed candidate who ran a very flawed campaign. This election was essentially hers to win and also hers to lose....much like the election of 2008. She essentially chose to lose. No doubt the events cited all played some role in the election, but at the end of the day, Hillary ran a campaign that ignored the average American, was forged within a bubble, misunderstood the electoral map, and lacked a core message. In my opinion, there were two pivotal points in the election where the Hillary campaign should have taken notice and made drastic changes to adjust course. The first was when Bernie Sanders out fund-raised Hillary. What was amazing about Sanders' fund raising was not so much that he beat Hillary, it was the fact that he beat her without large donors. The bulk of the funds Sanders raised came from small donations from the little guy. This should've been a huge warning flag for the Hillary campaign. It was, in some sense, the same warning Republicans should've paid attention to when Trump kept winning during the primaries. There were clear signs of the grassroots, small guy, vibe in both parties, but the mainstream party officials either totally ignored it or totally missed it. The second was when the Access Hollywood tape was leaked that led to the accusations of Trump sexually harassing women. Hillary should have gotten a major bump in the polls, but there was only a blip. This was a sign of two things. First, it demonstrated how unpopular Hillary was in the eyes of independents and disaffected Democrats. They weren't going to vote for her regardless of the accusations made against Trump. The Hillary campaign should have been in a panic at that point. Second, it showed that a large segment of Americans really didn't care much about Trump's behavior; they were going to vote for him despite the things he said and did. This should've been a huge sign to the Hillary campaign.
So, come January 20, 2017, we will have President Donald Trump. He will have a Republican House and Senate to move his agenda forward. I really hope the Democrats don't do like the Republicans and basically attempt to block everything brought before them simply to be obstructionist. I frankly felt what the Republicans did was overt racism veiled in differences in political ideology. The Democrats should oppose when they need to, but everyone in the Congress needs to be doing the work they're supposed to be doing and reaching across the aisle to do it. Compromise should not be a dirty word. Finally, both parties need to take a real close look at themselves and make changes to address the concerns of America...show some political leadership for a change. As I have been telling people, middle America just gave the big middle finger to the rest of America. Not only is it time to address their concerns, but to also weave them back into the fabric of America to make this country what it should be. Our political leaders need to provide that government of the people, by the people, for the people that Abraham Lincoln described in his Gettysburg Address.
#LetsMakeAmericaBuenoAgain
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