I Remember This Feeling

Suddenly the Obama years feel like a dream — a distant tableau of American promise, frozen in the past. But we are awake now, and things are very different.

I remember this feeling. Most of my life has been spent in conflict with the leadership of my country. Nixon, Johnson, Reagan, both Bushes, and now Trump. I remember how it feels to be the loyal opposition — the thorn in the side of government. Now that the shock of Donald Trump’s election is beginning to wear off, it feels like coming home, and I’m ready for it.

American democracy is majority rule, but its true beauty is in its protections for the minority. The right to speak, to protest, to organize in opposition. Its system of laws and its free press.

Hillary Clinton’s supporters are not really a minority at all—they are the majority—but they are now quite decidedly out of power. So be it. The election is over. Time to move on. And those of us who find Donald Trump’s policies abhorrent know exactly what our role must be.

Yes, I know this feeling. It is fueled by a belief that the United States is better than its leadership, and that to be a passive member of society is unacceptable. I was hoping for a different outcome, but I know how this works.

I’m fired up and ready to go.