Like many people today, I’m frustrated, angry, upset and frightened right now. I’m frustrated because I didn’t see this coming in the slightest. I’m angry because I see the worst of our society celebrating today rather than the best of us. I’m upset because I see the pain of those who have fought so hard to be treated as equals only to see a man who belittles their struggle be elevated. And I’m frightened because I don’t know what’s going to happen in the next few years. When my wife and I decide we’re ready to have children, I don’t know what sort of world we’re going to bring them into. And as a Jewish-American, I’m acutely aware of just how dangerous things can get.
But more than anything else today, I’m determined. I’m determined to stand up for the next four years and fight for what I know this country can be. I’m determined to fight for those who need someone to help fight for them. I’m determined to fight to protect all of our progress from the past eight years. I’m determined to fight for our children’s future.
Already, we’re hearing people dissect what went wrong, whether someone like Bernie Sanders would have succeeded, who might be able to lead the Democratic Party forward. Frankly, I’m not interested in any of that right now. We need to learn from what happened and grow from it, but we don’t need to waste time finger-pointing and laying the blame at someone else’s feet. Someone will emerge over the next few years who will hopefully unite the party and lead the fight in 2020, but we can’t sit back and wait for that person to arrive. We need to be able to start the fight now, because we don’t have the luxury of waiting for the next presidential election.
“Never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it.” Those were the words Hillary Clinton spoke today, and those are the words I will remember going forward. So take the time you need. Be frustrated. Be angry. Be upset. Be frightened.
But above all, be determined. And let’s fight together.
