Not a fan of Hillary but never did I think Trump would win. I was quite stunned watching the election counts last night on CNN. Having said that, both were shitty candidates and USA and its people are the losers here either way.
You're the same person you were yesterday. An american concerned about your country and deeply worried about your future. That makes you essentially the same as me. Don't fret too much. America has survived the worst of times and presidents in the past and always come out stronger and better in the end. As for your specific concerns about Trump, let me try to alleviate some of them. 1. I don't think Trump is scared of brown people. Check out a video entitled "The Comeback". Its just a 5 minute video but it might make you feel better about Trump. 2. Of ALL the candidates running on the right for President, Trump was the one most open to gays. Remember Trumps comments at the convention and the speech openly gay Peter Thiel made there? Lets see what happens. 3. Trannies in bathrooms is a stupid issue. I don't remember Trump making that an issue and I THINK he actually said it was a mistake...but I could be wrong. Today, we know the direction we are taking. There will be plenty of time for recriminations or anger if Trump fails. He will make his mistakes as all presidents do. But at the end of the day, lets pray for his success in guiding this country to a better future. It can only help us in the end. Blessings to you and your family.
The OP summed up my thoughts. Never thought we could elect someone who, as a person, was THAT bad. Hillary isn't much better, but Trump is worse. At least Hillary has a heart or something that may resemble one. Where someone else may have a heart, Trump just has a calloused lump of hatred-filled imbalance. It's not that Hillary was a good candidate. I don't think she was. I didn't vote for either party. Just couldn't do it. It's that Hillary in office, with a Republican Congress meant that we would stay status quo. Unlike most of my fellow Americans, I was willing to wait four or eight more years for a more structured, directed, well-qualified change. I was wrong. I hope I'm even more wrong in the sense that the Trump presidency unites our country, trims the debt, and results in no major wars or conflicts.
I was wrong. Now let's hope that history's trends are wrong too. Because if not, we're queued for a new war, a slumping economy, and the return of consistent job losses.
I would like for you to know that I very much appreciate your thoughtful tone. And what better time to bring up Jesus? The man surrounded himself and worked with all kinds of sinners. He wasn't that judgey with them.
A few observations (as someone who used to look at election data for a living). 1. While turnout was up across the board, turnout didn't get the same boost evenly. Clinton's growth all happened in states that weren't in play. In Wisconsin for example, turnout was actually much lower than projected. Clinton got the popular vote on the strength of turning out voters who in reality weren't a factor in the electoral map. 2. Trump did what he said. He flipped Democrats. A lot has been made of the "independents" who are really Republicans but there's an inverse of that. Rust belt Democrats (many of whom identify as Republicans) still exist and they were a key part of the Obama electoral coalition. No they aren't as large a group as they used to be but they do still exist and they voted Republican this time. I pointed this out earlier but here in Minnesota our union heavy and rural district that normally votes Democratic at the presidential level went for Trump by 15 points (and somehow, the Democratic congressman that represents the area survived). In Western Minnesota, he outperformed Romney as well. That's not an accident. His messaging worked quite effectively. And as I've also pointed out, he's the first Republican candidate to not openly attack organized labor which made it easier on union households to vote for him. n Ohio, Trump split union households which is unprecedented. Obama won that group by 20 points four years ago. 3. There was a reason why 538 had some slack built into their projections. Everything was in the margin of error and everything had been trending towards Trump in the last few days. 4. Democrats can't bank on minority growth as some solution to their current electoral woes. That growth is uneven (as demonstrated in this election). There is a broader coalition that is required and Democrats have to remind themselves that working class communities in the Midwest are still a key part of their strategy. To his credit, Bernie Sanders really exposed that rift early on and I dont think Hillary's campaign ever quite grasped that. 5. The math still isn't great for Republicans. Hillary still won the popular vote and Trump won white rust belt Democrats by margins that will be really hard to replicate. All in all I'm sad. Hillary Clinton would have been an excellent president and if there was a woman who was going to break the glass ceiling I wanted it to be her. But everyone needs to take a deep breath and move on. Republicans will now have to actually try and govern instead of relying on gridlock to save themselves from their rhetoric. So we'll see what happens. Democrats have lessons to learn as do Republicans.
It looks like the opposite. This was the lowest turnout since 2000. (coincidentally when another underqualified boob who didn't win the popular vote got into office)
Even most Trump supporters thought it was impossible for him to win. It just shows that the average American is tired of the status quo and for many, a vote for trump was a vote against the system. The third party aspect can't be underappreciated either. The third party won this election for Trump, like Perot did for Clinton in '92.
Correct. Turnout percentage (raw number was up but that's not really important given population growth) was down but it was up in several states. Either way, yes the electorate wasn't excited and it showed. But that doesnt' change the fact that the Trump coalition was in fact different from the usual Republican voting coalition and that is to his credit.
I ate a loss financially. I still have a hard time believing got the Republican nomination, that he could get even further than that and win the damn presidency is a testament to the terribleness of his opponent. If Democrats want better voter turnout they need more Barack's and less Hillary's.
I hope you are right, but honestly I am pretty concerned about the next 4 years. If Trump didn't mean all the rhetoric and pandering that he did, then what does he really stand for? I honestly don't know what Trump is for other than himself.
I'd like to get some real clarity on this turnout issue. The effect of the Comey surprise would be to suck the enthusiasm out of the election and persuade people on the margins of the Clinton base to just stay home rather than throw in their lot with a potential criminal. Comey may have literally costed her the election if she lost due to lack of turnout. If its lack of African-American turnout as the link suggests though, I don't know what to say. You've got a guy running who was guilty of systematic housing discrimination and insulted you and your entire community and you can't come out to vote?
In some ways the fact that he doesn't stand for anything is a good thing just as it was IMO a good thing that Hillary doesn't stand for anything. The days of having an Ideologue in Chief are going to be over and things will start to move again in the government.
Well, historically black people don't turn out to vote in presidential elections in significant numbers unless there is a black man running for president. That didn't change as those on the left hoped it would.
All true. But the post is woefully self serving and insincere. The op created it and I'm simply giving a bit of feedback. Again, whatever. It's your choice to stew and embrace such negative energy.
Not to mention that Trump's VP is quite possibly the most anti-woman, anti-gay man in Washington now.
Anyone who wants to be like Jesus the least thing he would do was to accept Trump's rhetoric and vote for him.
Personally I wouldn't judge someone who thought Hillary was worse than Trump or vice versa. They are both deplorable. Hillary supporters keep acting like their is some massive gap in character between trump and Hillary. their isn't.
