Taking Obama’s America For Granted
I was naive and entitled for thinking Trump couldn’t happen
As the darkness of that Tuesday evening began to ominously sweep through, the dawn of a new America became clear. Donald Trump was not only on the verge of becoming the 45th President of the United States, but it was a red tsunami that washed over the electoral college and progressive hopes. It wasn’t supposed to work this way, how did this fucking happen?
I drove home in complete silence, still trying to process the situation. I wasn’t even angry or sad at that point, more so in a state of shock. I’ve heard it always hurts more when you don’t see it coming, so this was definitely a sucker punch to the psyche — bigly.
I didn’t sleep that night. It wasn’t a choice, I just couldn’t physically sleep. I was too disappointed. I was also eager to see what I had missed and failed to understand about the state of my country. I stayed up until four in the morning reading exit polls, interviews, articles, tweets from reporters — whatever I could find to piece together a shattered view of the world.
I had to.
“Is everything I believed about my country wrong?”
I grew up witnessing history, which had me fooled. I had just turned 15 when we elected Barack Obama in 2008. I remember being excited even though I hadn’t voted for obvious reasons. A young, charismatic black man was president of the United States — holy shit. This was a huge boost to the pride and confidence I had in my country. So many generations had fought and died for this moment, by chance I just happened to be alive to witness the culmination.
It was not our destiny to reach this point; it was the sacrifice of activism and the work of democracy. Those abolitionists, those who fought in court, those who marched on the streets, those who boycotted and those who walked into newly integrated schools protected by the national guard.
So for a teenager whose parents were immigrants from Central America, the symbolism of Obama was powerful. “I have a shot, it doesn’t matter if I come from nothing, Obama came from nothing too.” They left their home country of El Salvador to escape poverty and violence, coming to the United States in pursuit of hope. In hopes that their kids would have more opportunities than they did. In hopes that even if they didn’t speak the language or understand the culture, they would find a way to make a better life. It wasn’t his politics so much as the message he sent to the nation. The tone he struck was uplifting, “the audacity of hope.”
Eight years later, this seems like a distant memory. All I have heard for over a year is what a horrible person Trump is and yet...he won the electoral college decisively. The dust has somewhat settled along with some of the emotions. The results aren’t as simple as ‘the silent majority’ coming out for Trump. Many people who voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012 voted for Trump in 2016. They just gave into resentment and cynicism this time around. It’s just one of the realities about the current situation that is frustrating.
I have learned that assuming our country will always be okay was misinformed and ignorant. Thinking Obama’s election mean’t we wouldn’t revert to the past was my biggest mistake, however. There’s no way we go from the first black president — preaching hope — to an angry demagogue spreading hate and bigotry, I thought. What an idiot I was for thinking this, an entitled and naive idiot at that. Progress is never linear, it is jagged and filled with backlash.
Watching Obama shake Trump’s hand in the White House — the man who has repeatedly claimed that Obama was born in Kenya and was secretly a Muslim — disgusted and angered me. Don’t shake his hand, don’t show that motherfucker any respect. Karma was nowhere to be found, but maturity and perspective was. I for one can say I lacked it in the aftermath of the election.
Watching how Obama handled himself in front of someone who attacked his legitimacy as an American and president struck me. I could not imagine doing that myself. I could not shake my enemy’s hand — the man who derided me and is trying to destroy my legacy. I could not display that grace. This quality is why Obama has been able to keep his cool in the face of disrespect by political opponents and turn the other cheek.
After giving it more thought, I realized that this was Obama’s signature poise and optimism. It’s what got him elected and overcome great odds — from having a unique heritage to his parents separating when he was a child. It’s what helped him maintain a level head during a contentious eight years in office. If Obama is holding his head up high and moving forward, then what’s my excuse?
“Hope in the face of uncertainty; the audacity of hope! America, you have vindicated that hope these past eight years. And now I’m ready to pass the baton and do my part as a private citizen.” — Obama at the 2016 DNC Convention
I won’t soon forget how I felt on election night — whether in 2008 or 2016. This is my country and I’ll be damned if someone tries to tell me otherwise. Trump is on pace to lose the popular vote by almost three million votes, so one could say that the silent majority were those who voted against him and his ignorance. Let’s make sure that our dissenting voices get louder going forward.
There is much to be troubled by at the moment, yes, but that wasn’t the case even a couple of years ago. This isn’t permanent. Our country didn’t fall off a cliff; it went over a pot hole. We shouldn’t give up and feel like the bad guys won. Life is rarely that black and white. Every American who voted for Trump isn’t bad and the moral arc of the universe is long.
Instead of going back into your corner and political bubble, fight for what you want to see from your country. Fight on behalf of Muslims being threatened with unconstitutional registry. Show support for immigrant families being ostracized, even the members who are citizens. Defend women and their reproductive rights in the face of misogyny. Listen to black people when they say their lives matter. Don’t neglect the LGBTQ community as they face abuse and intolerance.
Despair is not the only choice. Learning from disappointment and failure is how to overcome adversity. Now is not the time to give up on your country; America needs engaged patriots now more than ever. Trump’s accession illustrates the destructive nature of a polarized and negative nation.
