It happened. He won. She lost. We despair.
I was hopeful. The polls and the math and the logic pointed to an historic election of the first female president. Our best political scientists overwhelmingly believed that the country was with her. And we were, with more individual votes than him. But the Electoral College! As Florida became increasingly red throughout the night and North Carolina began to lean, I became nervous. When Michigan and Wisconsin turned into battlegrounds, I went to bed. It was obvious where this was headed and salvaging what I could of sleep took priority over sinking into a county-by-county abyss of sorrow.
I have been through every stage of grief in the past three days and have brokenheartedly accepted it. I am incredibly sad that we as a country would choose this, and angry that millions of individuals wanted this man to lead us. I am scared of the potential wrath of destruction he could pursue in every aspect of policy, and appalled that a mean, lying, racist, sexist, xenophobic con man will make crucial decisions that impact everyone in the world. It just doesn’t even seem possible that this could be reality!
And yet, it is.
So what next? I am doing my best to not imagine potential scenarios that could play out; it’s too overwhelming, terrifying and depressing. I will stick to daily intelligence and take action accordingly. I will do everything I can to oppose anything that infringes on people’s freedom, at home or abroad. I will engage in and encourage a rebound of progressive politics and will defend this country from itself. We have the potential to be so Good! This is a setback, but we will rise again and restore dignity to our incredible nation. Love still trumps hate.