The Devastating Post-Election America with a Trump Victory
America in shock, Democrats in tears, and minorities in danger
By Adi Sai and Romi Azulay
The Progressive Teen Staff Writers
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump elected president of the United States.
THE HEADLINE I HAVE LAUGHED AT, BEEN SLIGHTLY UNCOMFORTABLE WITH, GRADUALLY FEARED AND AM NOW NAUSEATED BY HAS OFFICIALLY BECOME A REALITY.
With the very high odds of a victory for Hillary Clinton, last night’s election results were devastating for Democrats, Hillary supporters, and average citizens. Not only did Donald Trump win the presidency, but he won big with his “rustbelt” strategy. The margin by which he won and the number of reliably blue states he flipped red came as a tremendous shock to Clinton supporters. Many are still in stock of the fact that Donald Trump persevered from the near-impossible odds and won the 270 delegates needed to become president. Hillary Clinton’s loss comes as a result of multiple oversights and failures of her campaign that occurred simultaneously, which all contributed to the “slippery slope” on election night. These included inaccurate polling data, poor decisions on what states to campaign in and when (especially Wisconsin, where Clinton did not campaign once after she accepted her nomination), and the various miscalculations on what states Donald could actually win, though Hillary was projected to win them. All of these mistakes occurring in conjunction with James Comey’s untimely announcement about Clinton’s email server investigation being reopened caused Trump to be victorious.
Under Donald Trump’s America, any person who does not fit his profile of a straight, white, cisgender male will be under attack and subject to discrimination by our 45th president. All of these people now live in fear and pray that his earlier promises do not become law. In addition, due to the multiple other wins of the Republicans (the House, Senate, and choice of Supreme Court justices), the US government now has a Republican majority. This will allow for the government to pass reasonably conservative legislation with ease. In his victory speech, Trump used a much more formal tone and calm rhetoric. Not once did he mention his extreme policies in an effort to promote unity and rebuild after a self-destructive campaign. When Trump is sworn into office, we may realize that many of his vows were simply words in order to gain traction; just hype, not concrete plans. The frightening alternative? He could immediately begin working on enacting the radical change he promised in the primaries, leaving many people to lose their faith in the government and to live in fear of deportation, discrimination, and bullying.
Barack Obama, the first black president of the United States of America, reminds us that the sun will still rise in the morning. No matter how dark, how xenophobic, how misogynistic that world will be, the sun will still rise in the morning. As the initial shock wears off and the eerie numbness sets in, I would like to think that there is a silver lining to this rollercoaster ride of an election cycle that we, with progressive values, have experienced.
“Barack Obama, the first black president of the United States of America, reminds us that the sun will still rise in the morning. No matter how dark, how xenophobic, how misogynistic that world will be, the sun will still rise in the morning..”
President Donald Trump proves a giant step backward for mankind. However, this does not mean that we cannot rebound with a step forward. There are young people in this country who understand that politics matter. There’s no doubt in my mind that we have the right mentality to make a difference because we care. Even though, somehow, this monster of a man is going to be the most powerful man in the world, there are people like us that understand basic human decency and know that it has a place in politics. I’m ashamed that I didn’t do more to get Hillary in the White House. I could have taken a bus to Pennsylvania to canvass and contribute to swinging the state blue. I didn’t, and that just makes me more sick to my stomach. Most of us may not pursue a political career, which is perfectly fine; what’s important, however, is that we keep the dialogue open about our beliefs about what is right. Because of us, I still believe our generation is the one that will turn beautiful progressive dreams into realities, after this 4-year nightmare is over. Because of us, I am still convinced that good can come out of this country. Because of us, I still believe that love trumps hate.
On top of a call for action, I hope to remind us all that the sun will still rise tomorrow, and one day it will rise into a tomorrow that is made great for us all.
