Like everybody, I have many thoughts and feelings about the 2024 presidential election. Spurred on by an old high school friend’s Facebook comments, I wrote a way too long response. The following is an adaptation of that response, along with some added thoughts on the state of the country and my fears for the next four years.
It all began with the following comments high school friend made regarding the election -
“If someone has a different view than your own, it doesn’t make them a bad person. A lot of moderates voted for Trump because Harris’s campaign ran on hatred, hatred of Donald Trump.”
I couldn’t not respond.
When someone has a different view from my own - say they like apples and I prefer oranges, you’re right, that doesn’t make them a bad person. Or say they love Jesus and I love my right to be an agnostic, you’re totally right, that doesn’t make them a bad person. Personally, I think religion throughout history has caused more problems than it has solved. Just look at the middle east. But I could honestly give two shits about what an individual person believes, as long as they do not try to push their beliefs on me or others.
However, if a person supports and votes for a candidate for president as vile and destructive as Donald Trump, it makes them a bad person. Period. I don’t care how they reason voting for him - a vote for Trump is a vote against democracy, freedom and everything our country once stood for. Their morals and values do not align with my morals and values, thus I get to use my opinion, call them out and yes, even go so far as to judge them as a bad person. I still have that right, the right to voice my opinion. At least for now.
That said, getting into Trump 2.0 and what it may portend for the country, I foresee a ton of really, really scary things - and not just for us bleeding heart liberals, but for democracy as a whole and for freedom.
Trump without guardrails, a man who wants to be a dictator on day one, and not just any kind of dictator, one who has shown signs of mental decline, is frankly the stuff of nightmares. I am incredibly frightened, like can’t sleep at night frightened. He is set to rule over America in a cruel and evil manner surrounded by loyalists who will let him do as he sees fit. His cronies have agendas of their own to push - Steven Miller, the white supremist architect of mass deportation who wants us to be “America for Americans only” is scary as all hell. Elon Musk, oh my jebus, is looking to line his pockets with even more money at the expense of the middle class and poor people, while he rakes in millions in government contracts. RFK, Jr., a man who does not believe in vaccines, is going to be heading up public health. Be ready for more mass corruption at the expense of the American people.
The only equality Trump has ever cared about is spreading his hate equally to ALL the various marginalized groups in this country, whether it be women, people of color, trans people, immigrants, etc. He equally hates us all and his campaign has always been about fear and hate.
In comparison, to say Harris’s campaign was run on hatred is laughable. Sure, disdain of Donald Trump, there was plenty of that - but at least she was very specific and directed it at a single individual and one who was very deserving of it, as he’s proven himself to be the epitome of a terrible, terrible person who is unfit to run the country. Our first convicted felon, rapist president - lucky us.
Harris ran a campaign that spoke of uniting people and welcoming people of all backgrounds and being a president for every American. She is a very smart and accomplished woman. Trump, meanwhile, ran on deporting immigrants and the hatred of those different from you. He is an expert in one thing, and one thing only - lying his ass off and caring about one person, himself.
I am convinced two major factors lead to Trump winning the election - social media and misogyny. I have a hard time believing anyone who read news outlets that actually employ trained journalists would ever vote for Trump. Social media has done no favors for democracy and I realize what I see in my social media feeds is drastically different from what the other side sees. And realizing how much of what they’re seeing is driven by right-wing media disinformation campaigns is disturbing to say the least. Unfortunately, so many of the reputable fact-based news sources are behind a paywall, making them inaccessible to many Americans who do not or cannot spend the money to access them or who just don’t give a damn.
As for misogyny - not once, but twice now - America just could not bring itself to vote for a woman, two very qualified to be president women. To add insult to injury, both of these women lost to Donald Trump - the least qualified presidential candidate in the history of our country. It’d be one thing if they lost to an average candidate who wasn’t so terrible - but to lose to Trump. Well, America, your message is crystal fucking clear - you hate women. You’re scared of vaginas. And sadly, it’s not just the men who hate women. Women hate women, too.
It’s 2024 and it’s hard to believe we are going back. But really, it’s not so much that we’re going back - we are going forward into uncharted territory - we are going forward into the fascist regime of Trump 2.0. It may be uncharted territory for America, but we can look to history and Germany to prepare ourselves. I hope it goes better for the marginalized people of America than it did for the Germans.
What’s amazing to me is Trump did nothing to hide who he is. He wore his misogyny, racism and hate proudly. The felon even raised millions of dollars selling merchandise featuring his mug shot. Obviously, he is no wolf in sheep's clothing. He is the big bad fucking cruel ass out in the open racist wolf, and you knew it and voted for him anyway. He’s now set to huff and puff and blow democracy down. The only question remaining is if our democracy is made of straw, sticks or brick? I’m not looking forward to finding out, since this time around the wolf has sharper teeth at his disposal. This time around he has the Supreme Court, he has plans to appoint more conservative federal judges. He has Project 2025, with plans to fire career civil servants and replace them with loyalists pledging allegiance to Donald Trump. These career civil servants are the nonpartisan workers who make our government run. Sure, our institutions are far from perfect, but replacing these people with unqualified cronies who are motivated by pleasing Trump is a recipe for disaster. During the last Trump administration, the wolf was on a leash, he had handlers that could reign him in on many of his more extreme policies. This time around, he will be running free with a whole pack of other wolves looking to exploit this country at the expense of our most vulnerable people. What can we do to stop it?
If you’re an empathetic person who cares about people other than yourself, please pay attention. Please watch out for your neighbors. I’m not sure what else we can do. Focus on your community, local government and state government. It may get us through.
As for anyone who voted for Trump - remember, you were warned. You know exactly who you were voting for. This is what you wanted and what you asked for. You were warned. America gets the America it deserves. Thanks.
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