As I mentioned in a tweet this past week, I’ve gone through the 5 stages of grief at least twice since Election Day. I still wake up most days in denial. But, I’m aware that I must move to permanent acceptance (at least for 4 yrs, possibly 8) at some point. Maybe that will happen on Inauguration Day in January, or sooner on December 19th when the Electoral College voters confirm Donald Trump’s win.
I’ve ranted in my head, on Twitter. I’ve lost my usual cool. I even told a Trump supporter who tweeted me to get informed, to get a brain. I’ve since deleted that tweet in shame and repentance. I simply cannot be as vicious as too many of Trump supporters, nor do I want to be.
I’m quickly realizing that the time is coming for me to stop the ranting and take action. So, this is how I’m planning for a Trump presidency so far:
- It has been very clear to me for many years now that the Democratic Party is incompetent when it comes to political communication. I will do everything that I can to help it. I will do this on Twitter, maybe on Facebook. I’m still debating whether or not to cancel my account following what I’ve read about Facebook’s problem with fake news, targetted news, and how this influenced the elections.
- I will relentlessly tweet about the issues that I feel need to be urgently addressed: GOP abuses including voter suppression and extreme gerrymandering, money in politics, money in media, climate change….Furthermore, I will only tweet and retweet news stories that come from reliable mainstream sources. I do not want to add to the fake news phenomenon that currently pollutes our discourse.
- I will not make fun of Trump on Twitter (or any other social media). This is not only because I’m becoming increasingly paranoid about the course of action that he will take, once he’s sworn in, against anyone and everyone who makes him look bad. It’s mainly because, after reading a few articles about Italy’s Berlusconi, I believe that the most effective way to fight him is to attack his policies. Most importantly, I refuse to act like him.
- I will fight the GOP tooth and nail. I believe in a two-party system, but I no longer recognize today’s GOP. Republicans in Congress have refused to do their job for 8 years. They are, for the most part, a bunch of cynical opportunists who will do anything for power, regardless of the impact on everyday Americans. I hold them responsible for giving rise to the Tea Party and now to Donald Trump. I have said it many times, what they have done is political malpractice and they deserved to be voted out of office. The fact that they have remained in power in both chambers of Congress after their unforgivable behavior since President Obama took office drives me insane.
- I will try to find the good sides to this very dark, threatening election result and the years ahead. Here are some of my thoughts:
- As much as I dislike what Trump has said and how he continues to behave, I’m relieved that Ted Cruz will not be our 45th President.
- Maybe Trump will turn our to be an ok president. His unpredictability and his need for revenge against Republicans who opposed him might lead him to pursue policies more in line with the Democrats. Isn’t unpredictability better than dogged ideology? Ok, I realize that I might currently be in the third stage of grief (bargaining). But, can you blame me?
- The upside to all of Trump’s tweets and rhetoric is that we know what he’s thinking. Yes, it’s horrifying. But, it’s also refreshing. At least we’re not dealing with usual GOP oppositespeak (my term), where catchy slogans hide the fact that country is definitely not first, and that in America too many children are left behind, for example.
In closing, I’d like to clarify how I feel about the recount efforts by Jill Stein. I’m glad we’re doing recounts. I don’t think that they will show that there were thousands of anomalies that gave the election to Trump. I have no hope that Hillary will be our next President. But, enough doubt has been sown into the electorate (by Trump himself), that I think it will be reassuring to many voters to have the votes verified.
Personally, I’m glad we are doing recounts because I need confirmation that people who listened to Trump for over a year, who heard his racism and sexism, who saw his lack of respect for women and his contempt for a disabled journalist still voted for him. Yep, I’m back to denial.