As my all-time favorite song goes: “Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?”
The resounding voice of voters across the country was heard on Election Day and it will usher in a new wave of politics in this country. For better or worse.
Like many others, I figured the numerous polls conducted prior to the historic day were accurate and would lead to what many throughout this country thought would be a foregone conclusion: the election of Hillary Clinton.
However, as the results started coming in on election night, there was a strong trend in nearly every state pointing to the reality star turned politician becoming the next president of the United States. Like other bleeding heart liberals, I was a bit surprised by the outcome — maybe even threw around some colorful metaphors.
The lesson: like everything in life — you shouldn’t count your chickens before they hatch.
Since then, I’ve heard folks say they voted for Donald Trump but didn’t want him as president. Then again, I’ve heard others who voted for Clinton, say they didn’t want her to be president.
In the end, I did what I figure was the best course of action: serve myself a slice of humble pie on Wednesday and carry on with life. There were other things happening — stories had to be written, events had to be covered and, quite frankly, the world didn’t come to an end ... so we had that going for us.
Apparently, that wasn’t how I was supposed to act.
According to what I’ve seen on the internet and the news, I should have taken to the streets and protested the democratic election of the next president. I can only imagine how that would have turned out walking up and down Upton Avenue in Reed City. According to some folks, I should have spent the last week defying the president-elect’s anticipated policies by smuggling illegal immigrants into the country, signing up for Obamacare and beginning the immigration process to move to Canada. That would show them, right?
My Facebook posts should have been less about self-deprecation and funny memes, and more about trolling any Trump supporter on my friends list celebrating their victory vote, announcing the business mogul was “not my president” and condemning anyone who disagreed with me about how he’s more criminal than Hillary ever (cough ... cough) could be.
However, I distinctly remember the same sentiment from the left when George W. Bush was reelected in 2004. There were many folks who claimed they would move to Canada because of the outcome. There were even some protests. The world didn’t end, so we had that going for us.
While some Democrats are still yelling, the right really shouldn’t point fingers.
We’ve seen the sentiment of the same nature from the right toward President Obama, from the tiring, ongoing eight-year quest about his birth certificate, the legislative numbers game to force through the Affordable Care Act and the unending executive orders he’s issued. It’s the same game plan for any disheartened election loser, I guess.
It may be naiveté, wishful thinking or just radical liberal drivel, but I think we spend more time focusing on our differences than we do our similarities. Regardless of ideological beliefs, we all want what’s best for our family and loved ones. The difference is the manner in which we attain that blanket of security — whether folks want to believe the government should help them achieve, want to achieve it on their own, or just want a fair and equal chance to achieve it.
Let’s be honest, I’m certainly not looking forward to see how the ultra far-right fringe influence Trump and the policies he will bring to the table.
However, I know an opinion writer who is not going to spend the next 217 weeks complaining about this election. Instead, I’ll be watching closely to see if the president-elect can keep his campaign promise to make America great again.
“Any way the wind blows.”
