Donald Trump won the presidential election. He won the popular vote. Despite his obvious senility, incoherence, malignant narcissism, racism, cruelty and pathological dishonesty, the American people made their voices heard at the ballot box and said, “THAT’S OUR GUY!”
I don’t know where to start with this.
I don’t recognize this country. I can’t fathom how the majority of American voters could side with someone so obviously incompetent, corrupt, vindictive and dangerous. I thought character mattered. I thought facts would carry the day. But after this election, it seems that good character is a political liability, lies work, and hate sells. Bigly.
The anger over Trump’s win has me feeling heavy and depressed. Dark thoughts about Trump are interrupted only by shocked disgust when I think about what he’ll bring with him: a clown car of oligarchs, misanthropes, and frauds like JD Vance, Elon Musk, RFK Jr., Stephen Miller, et al. Everywhere I turn in my mind, it’s more terrible.
I am profoundly sad. And disgusted. And bewildered. And disillusioned. I know my friends are too. We are grieving over the collective loss of what we were raised to believe was the American promise: a meritocratic society that respects individual liberties, demands honesty of its leaders, and is built on the rule of law.
I am especially sad for the environment. Global warming is going to get a lot worse, real fast. Our natural world will pay a high price for American selfishness and anti-immigrant xenophobia.
I can’t possibly console my daughters with any degree of intellectual honesty, since they have now been told – twice – that they don’t matter. Their freedoms and safety extend only as far as some toxic white men and religious zealots deem them worth the trouble. I wanted better for them. I feel guilt over bringing them into this sorry excuse for a country.
The big losers on election night were the environment, women, the rule of law, the Ukrainian people, Palestinian women and children, and truth.
The winners: Putin, oil companies, and bigotry. It was also a great night for mass shooters and rapists.
Silver linings?
I did wake up on Wednesday feeling closer to my loved ones. We’re clinging together on a life raft, it seems. They matter in ways that elections don’t, and I find my feelings centering on them, and on love. So there’s that.
And I feel energized to make music, exercise, and work hard in my law practice. I feel motivated to disconnect from the media and social media that’s centered on politics. Since I am freshly disassociated from a body politic that feels so foreign, I can just focus on the activities that matter most to me as a human being.
Ken Fitzgerald is a trial lawyer, trumpet player and writer living in Coronado.
