Thursday, November 10, 2016

Thoughts on the 2016 election and a Trump presidency

I have gone through many emotions in quick succession throughout the Presidential election night the days following: disbelief, fear, bewilderment, disappointment, anger. I felt as many of my friends and fellow citizens felt when it was clear that Donald Trump was the President-Elect of the United States of America: anger and disgust that this great nation can see fit to put someone so disgusting and intolerable in the position of the most powerful person in the world. I blamed the blind Republicans, the right-wing neo-conservatives, the tea-partiers, the under-educated illiberal rednecks, the racist and prejudiced selfish white folk for getting duped by a lying, bigoted, intolerant orange buffoon. I was angry and saddened by the state that our nation had come to. And while I did not seriously consider moving out of the United States, I did do a quick run-through in my head of family I have in Canada. I was grateful that I lived in a state like New York and that I will likely be protected from the worst of the acts of hatred that will be faced by women, minorities, immigrants, and members of the LGBTQ community in much of the country in the coming days, weeks, and years. And I was glad that, as an immigration attorney, I will be playing a vital role in combating whatever ill-conceived policies that will come out of the White House in the next four years.

But I have also had the next few days to think and reflect on how we got here in the first place. Why did more than half country choose someone like Trump over someone like Hillary Clinton, who not only had the experience and the resume for the position of President, she was also compassionate and broad-minded, neither of which describes Donald Trump? Where did we go wrong? I have read many articles and I have watched many videos about the election, and I have come to realize that people like me have been willfully blind to the direction the country has been moving in. While the face of the country has been becoming increasingly more liberal and progressive, there has been a growing tension in the forgotten places of the U.S.

We talk about climate change, the evils of fossil fuels, human rights, LGBTQ rights, women’s rights, the rights of immigrants, Black Lives Matter, &etc., while underneath all of this is the growing tension of the people who have felt left behind and forgotten — the people in places that have lost manufacturing jobs and jobs that have been diminishing because of the growth of the clean energy industry; the people who feel threatened because their more conservative values are scorned by what they view as the liberal elite whose agendas have been championed above their own; the people who are shamed and denigrated for being “uneducated” because of their beliefs and values and who live in areas of the country that have not seen much help from the establishment despite the platitudes and promises of their representatives. These are people who saw in Trump someone who was anti-establishment, non-incumbent, someone who will turn the country on its head and perhaps force change that may make their lives a little bit better.

Half the country has been feeling disenfranchised, marginalized, ignored, and denigrated. They have felt that their voices and their needs have been suppressed and that we liberals have been pushing our beliefs, ideals, and agendas to the detriment of the millions of them. It has become a we versus them, them versus us, and the election of Donald Trump is the end result of that perceived struggle. They have felt pushed into a corner of fear and anxiety. When people feel safe and secure, they become more liberal; when they feel threatened, they become more conservative.

I think that many of us hinged our hopes on the belief that, in the end, Trump would not, could not, win the Presidency, despite the mounting disbelief that he had made it this far against all odds and predictions. We believed that there was no way he could ultimately win. If we believed that Trump could not win, we didn’t need to think about why Trump was able to get this far in the first place. We didn’t need to ask the difficult questions about why people supported him once we brushed over the superficial beliefs that Trump’s supporters were merely the biggest bigots, misogynists, and haters in the country. We didn’t have to consider the voices of the people trying to get us to hear them and to pay attention to their needs and their problems. We just had to believe that everything will be just as we wanted them to be, in the status quo, and that is what Hillary represented, despite all arguments to the contrary. Hillary represented to half the country the epitome of incumbent-ship and nepotism, with her long and involved history in politics. It didn’t matter that she had the experience and the knowledge, in fact that is what made her undesirable, because electing her would have meant more of the same unfulfilled promises and more of the same platitudes and excuses.

By electing Trump, half the country was saying to the other half, HERE WE ARE. WE WILL NO LONGER BE IGNORED. WE ARE CITIZENS TOO AND DESERVE YOUR RESPECT. And now we must pay attention and realize that we have been as ignorant and bigoted as we had been damning the other half for being. We must now come together and try to find common ground again. We will never agree on everything, but we can try to come as close as possible. Right now we are at extremes. Let us try to meet somewhere in the middle. I am willing to try, are you?

I’m not saying that everything is going to be okay. I’m not saying that we will not face daunting problems in the next four years. And I’m certainly not saying that things will go back to normal. What I’m saying is that we must pay attention and try to understand where half the country is coming from. We must try to understand why some of us feel trampled on, and we must reach out a hand and help them up, dust off their shoulders and tell them that we are listening, that we will move forward together. There will be hard times ahead of us, and there will be bigoted and hateful people who take Trump’s election as a mandate to show their colors and to act violent towards those they deem inferior. These things are already happening. But these are not the majority of the Trump supporters, most of whom share same values about humanity and community that we do. We will not tolerate the racists, misogynists, xenophobes, homophobes, white supremacists, angry religious fundamentalists, and white terrorists in our midst, but we will tolerate and work with those who are willing to put aside the differences to create a better tomorrow for all of us, for our children and our children's children. Our job now is to take to each other’s hands and move forward together to build a better understanding and a better future. Together.

Here is what we can do now: 

Protest, get angry, just don’t get violent. Show your dismay and disappointment, let your representatives know that you are angry and upset. Let it all out. Shout and pump your fists, march in a protest and solidarity, congregate, but don’t get violent. Violence doesn’t solve the problems. 

Protect and support the vulnerable groups: minorities, immigrants, women, LGBTQ — there will be many hateful things coming out in the coming weeks by people who will take Trump’s election as permission to act violently and to spew hatred. So step up and don’t let the bullies get away with their hateful acts. 

Donate your time and/or money to organizations that fight for and protect the rights of the most vulnerable members of our society. These organizations will need our support more than ever in the wake of a Trump Presidency and Republican-controlled government that has made it a priority to pull back support for affordable healthcare, LGBTQ rights and protections, environmental controls, and support for sexual assault victims. You want to make a difference in a Trump America? Volunteer.

Get involved in local government. Learn who your elected officials are and put pressure on them to get your interests and your values heard and protected. Vote in every single election, local, state and federal. Educate yourself about the issues and the candidates’ platforms and views. Check your incumbent representative’s history in government, see what promises s/he has made and check that they have followed through; make sure they represent your values. Join a group of activists and fight for your values and beliefs. GO OUT AND VOTE IN EVERY ELECTION. 

Review Trump's first 100 days plan. Some of the things he proposes will greatly impact and/or damage our government, our freedom, our livelihood, the country and the world. Write/call your local officials, representatives, senators. Get involved in a local activist group. Vote in the next few elections. 

Reach out to a conservative or Republican and start a conversation. Exchange views and ideas. Start a dialogue. You'll find that we're not so different after all. And the differences that are there, we can live with (mostly). 



Links to all the articles and videos I referenced above and/or read and watched (in no particular order): 


- Area Liberal No Longer Recognizes Fanciful, Wildly Inaccurate Mental Picture of Country He Lives In, THE ONION;
http://www.theonion.com/article/area-liberal-no-longer-recognizes-fanciful-wildly--54670 

- What I learned after 100,000 miles on the road talking to Trump supporters; Chris Arnade, The Guardian;
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/nov/03/trump-supporters-us-elections?utm_source=nextdraft&utm_medium=email 

- Trump: Tribune of Poor, White People; Rod Dreher, The American Conservative;
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/trump-us-politics-poor-whites/ 


- We just saw what voters do when they feel screwed. Here’s the economic theory of why they do it; James Allworth, Quartz;
http://qz.com/832522/election-2016-we-just-saw-what-voters-do-when-they-feel-screwed-heres-the-economic-theory-of-why-they-do-it/?utm_source=qzfb 

- Unconscious Reactions Separate Liberals and Conservatives; Emily Laber-Warren, Scientific American Mind;
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/calling-truce-political-wars/ 

- Messy Truth: Van Jones visits Trump voters in their homes for an honest conversation;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJPTod08oCk 

- It's Going to Be Okay; Tim Urban, Wait But Why;
http://waitbutwhy.com/2016/11/its-going-to-be-okay.html 

- ‘Go back to Asia!’: Trump supporter grabs woman–police arrive and handcuff the victim; Nathan Wellman; 
http://usuncut.com/news/go-back-asia-trump-supporter-grabs-woman-police-arrive-handcuff-victim/

- Students at Fresh Meadows high school condemned for alleged Trump-inspired harassment on city bus; Suzanne Monteverdi, QNS;
http://qns.com/story/2016/11/10/students-fresh-meadows-high-school-condemned-alleged-trump-inspired-harassment-city-bus/ 

- Day 1 in Trump's America; Sean O'Kane, Medium;
https://medium.com/@seanokane/day-1-in-trumps-america-9e4d58381001#.de8i0mk82 

- VIDEO: Royal Oak school kids chant "Build the wall" while Latino classmates cry; Alysa Offman, Detroit Metro Times;
http://www.metrotimes.com/Blogs/archives/2016/11/09/video-royal-oak-school-kids-chant-build-the-wall-while-latino-classmates-cry 

- Police Investigate Attacks on Muslim Students at Two Universities; Niraj Chokshi, The New York Times;
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/11/11/us/police-investigate-attacks-on-muslim-students-at-universities.html?_r=0&referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F 

- Artist Marie-Shirine Yener made a comic for bystanders who witness anti-Muslim harassment; Sarah Harvard;
https://mic.com/articles/153212/artist-marie-shirine-yener-made-a-comic-for-bystanders-who-witness-anti-muslim-harassment#.hKyYAfMtz 

 - A List of Pro-Women, Pro-Immigrant, Pro-Earth, Anti-Bigotry Organizations That Need Your Support; Joanna Rothkopf; Jezebel; 
http://jezebel.com/a-list-of-pro-women-pro-immigrant-pro-earth-anti-big-1788752078 

 - Progressive Organizations That Need Your Support, Now More Than Ever, in Trump's America; Emilia Petrarca; W Magazine; 
http://www.wmagazine.com/story/progressive-organizations-that-need-your-support-now-more-than-ever-in-trumps-america 


- How to Contact Your Elected Officials; USA.gov;
https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials 

 - State Election Dates & Deadlines; U.S. Vote Foundation; 
https://www.usvotefoundation.org/vote/state-elections/state-election-dates-deadlines.htm

 - My Time to Vote; http://elections.mytimetovote.com/dates/default.html 

- Here Is What Donald Trump Wants To Do In His First 100 Days; Amita Kelly, Barbara Sprunt;
http://www.npr.org/2016/11/09/501451368/here-is-what-donald-trump-wants-to-do-in-his-first-100-days 

 - Donald Trump’s Victory Could Mean Disaster for the Planet; Justin Worland; Time; 
http://time.com/4564224/donald-trump-climate-change/?xid=newsletter-brief

- In the Heart of Trump Country; Larissa MacFarquhar; The New Yorker;
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/10/10/in-the-heart-of-trump-country 

- An American Tragedy; David Remnick; The New Yorker;
http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/an-american-tragedy-donald-trump 

- Vigils and protests swell across U.S. in wake of Trump victory; Matea Gold, Kari Lydersen and Fenit Nirappil; The Washington Post;
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-white-house-win-promises-to-reshape-us-political-landscape/2016/11/09/62baa5e4-a66a-11e6-ba59-a7d93165c6d4_story.html 

- Why are so many first-generation Chinese immigrants supporting Donald Trump?; Kaiser Kuo; SupChina;
http://supchina.com/2016/11/03/many-first-generation-chinese-immigrants-supporting-donald-trump/ 

 - Stephen Colbert Signs Off on the 2016 Presidential Election; 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXhFGO8R7aU&sns=fb

- Seth Meyers Shares Remarks on Donald Trump's Presidency; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEskg0Z-NAQ 
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