We Have to Stop.

America lost this election before it began.

As long as the rigid, binary thinking on political parties continued to prevail, there was no way for America to “win” this election. Each party presented a candidate that was unpalatable to a huge segment of the country — not just a candidate that the other side didn’t like, but a candidate that many felt they couldn’t accept (hence #NotMyPresident). A government’s power comes from the consent of the governed. If we push too hard, eventually the governed will no longer consent. Did we push too hard this election? I hope not. But if we don’t stop this, eventually we will.

The “lesser of two evils” philosophy is driving us farther and farther apart. What bothers many about this election is that they are convinced now, more than ever, that half the country are rabidly bigoted. This isn’t true, but in terms of people getting along, perception matters more than reality. I don’t mean to keep harping on this and I realize there are many ways of looking at voting, but if more of America had said “no” to both bad choices, I think a lot of people would feel better about their fellow countrymen right now.