November 09, 2016

The Resiliency of America

Elections mean everything.

But not because our favored candidate wins or loses. I'm old enough now to have experienced the highs and lows of many, many elections. Elections for Presidents, Senators, Representatives, Governors, legislators, and even city council members. Won some. Lost some. Cried in jubilation. Cried in despair.

But here's the thing. America has been the greatest nation on Earth for going on nearly a quarter of a millenium. Our nation is the first and greatest experiment in Democracy, the idea that the will of the People will govern the People. We've had great leaders. We've had terrible leaders. And yet, here we are. Still Number One on the Charts, Number One in Their Hearts. The rest of the world still looks to America as the great beacon of Hope, of Freedom, of Opportunity.

Last May, I was in Las Vegas with a diverse group of friends to run a half marathon and share some good fellowship. We talked some politics. One member of our group is a hard-core conservative. When others in our group expressed fear of a Trump presidency, I noted that Trump would be constrained by the American power structure—Congress, the Executive bureaucracy, the courts. In an age of expansive Presidential power, these constraints may not mean as much as they did in prior ages. But they are there, and they are real.

At this moment, the election hasn't been officially called, but it looks like Donald Trump—yes, the Celebrity Apprentice "You're fired!" Donald Trump—will most likely be our next President. I'm on record thinking Trump will be a disaster as President. I would have voted for Jeb! Bush, John Kasich, or Marco Rubio over Hillary Clinton, and basically any Joe or Jane Schmoe over Donald Trump. Yet, here we are. A majority of Americans (or close enough as to make no difference) prefer Donald Trump.

That's the beauty of democracy. The will of the People prevails. And it seems America wants to go a direction I think is folly. But who am I to say I know better than the People? Maybe the People as a whole are smarter than I am, Wisdom of the Crowd and all. In two years there will be another Congressional election, and in four years there will be another Presidential election. And if Trump is a disaster, if our country has lurched into a ravine, then my side will presumably win a victory or two, and maybe even claim a mandate. And if Trump is successful? Well, then America as a whole presumably is doing well and my fears were misplaced.

I know my Democratic friends will run through the list of unfair disadvantages Clinton faced. Gerrymandering. Voter suppression. Media fawning over Trump. FBI Director Comey's absurd injecting of himself into the last two weeks of a presidential race. Third-party candidacies by Libertarian Gary Johnson and Green Jill Stein. Irrational and even rabid investigations by a Republican House. And yes, still in 2016, residual sexism.

It's all bullshit.

Trump was the weakest potential candidate in a large Republican field. President Obama is as popular as President Reagan was at the end of his second term. The economy is doing well, and unemployment is under 5%. This loss is squarely on Hillary Clinton. Clinton, who already faced skepticism and distrust, chose to use a personal email server while Secretary of State, feeding into a narrative of dishonesty and lawlessness, creating a scandal that was both meritless and defining. She chose to give speeches to Wall Street companies for large fees. She chose to limit her campaign efforts in the Upper Midwest, taking the traditional support of blue-collar union workers for granted. Clinton had the most amazing possible opposition research to turn into anti-Trump ads, focusing on Trump's sexist, racist, and generally unsavory actions and attitudes. Even Trump's greatest strength—his self-acclaimed business acumen—turned out to be as much a fraud as the candidate himself.

Clinton's failure to capitalize on all of these inherent advantages is a testament to her weakness as a candidate. She failed to connect to ordinary Americans who have been left out of the economic recovery. She failed to explain how she would change the status quo, how she would represent those who aren't part of the social and economic elite. She failed to make a case why her Presidency would move America forward in a significant way other than being "not Trump". She simply failed to connect with We the People.

So, here we are. The American People have spoken. The People want change. The People want not-Clinton. The People want Donald Trump to look President Obama in the eye and say "You're Fired!" And in a democracy, the will of the People prevails.

So to all of my friends who are anti-Trump: Do not despair. Trump and the Republicans now have full and unfettered power. Everything is on them. If they let Obamacare fail without a safety net, it's on them. If Russia hacks our government computers, it's on them. If there is a terrorist attack or if the Middle East falls into chaos, it's on them. If the economy tanks, it's on them. If they repeal civil rights legislation, it's on them. And if the Republicans do any of these things, well there is always the next election. And today begins the next election. Today is the first day to start to make the case for change. Today is the day to begin recruiting candidates for city councils, state legislatures, and Congress. Today is the day to start the opposition to Donald Trump.

But remember, millions of people around the world don't have the ability to participate in an election. Many people around the word have no say in their governance. They have no say in who runs their country, no say in who speaks for them on the local or international stage, no say in who makes policies that affect their lives.

Elections mean everything. And that's a beautiful thing.

9 comments:

  1. well said, my friend. Thanks for the thoughtful and hopeful perspective. It is helpful today

    ReplyDelete
  2. Brilliant. May I repost this on my little corner of the Eff Bee?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Crafty,

      Thanks for stopping by! Please feel free to share as you wish.

      Grange

      Delete
  3. wow... reading this belatedly. well done my friend

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is often don when there is a sudden loss of confidence in the original proposition. Say you make a on a team and then before the game it becomes known that the top player for the team you bet on won't play due to illness. In this case it is tempting to place an opposing bet at whatever odds are available to limit your loss.

    cricket betting india

    ReplyDelete
  5. KABAR GEMBIRA BAGI PECINTA JUDI KARTU ONLINE se-INDONESIA


    Dengan ini kami(DEWADOMINOQQ) menyediakan permainan
    judi kartu online dengan promo yang menarik dan total jackpot mencapai ratusan juta rupiah

    Dan selain itu untuk bermain bersama kami,tidak perlu
    keluarkan uang dalam jumlah yang cukup besar,
    anda cukup mengeluarkan uang nominal sebesar Rp.15.000.-saja
    anda sudah bisa memainkan semua permainan yang kami sediakan.


    Permainan yang kami sediakan adalah sebagai berikut:
    *POKER
    *BANDARQ
    *BANDAR POKER
    *Aduq
    *Capsa susun
    *BANDAR 66
    *DOMINOQQ
    *BANDAR SAKONG


    SUPPORT BANK yang disediakan oleh kami(DEWADOMINOQQ) sebagai berikut:
    -BANK BRI
    -BANK MANDIRI
    -BANK BNI
    -BANK BCA
    -BANK DANAMON

    Bukan cuma itu saja kami juga menyediakan customer service yang standby selama 24 jam untuk melayani anda dimana ada permainan yang kurang dimengerti dan semua keluhan tentang judi kartu online seindonesia.


    Anda juga bisa langsung mengunjungi situs resmi kami(DEWADOMINOQQ) link (Agen judi BandarQ Domino99 Poker Online Terpercaya)

    Bila anda memiliki pertanyaan bisa hubungi kami:
    Live chat:klik disini
    BBM:2B5E9CDB
    Twitter:dewadominoqq
    PHONE :+85593827759
    FACEBOOK :dewadominoqq

    jangan lupa like fanpage kami(DEWADOMINOQQ) fanpage

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your website is very beautiful or Articles. I love it thank you for sharing for everyone
    Joker888 slot, ahlibet88. Joker 888. ahli bet slot

    ReplyDelete