Saturday, November 19, 2016

Election 2016

Whether you like it or not, Donald Trump is our President elect. As I woke up this morning to a barrage of posts all nervously stating that the world is over today, I couldn't help but wonder whether we actually believe our own nonsense and, more importantly, whether we will be able to unite around common principles once again.
The first time I was able to vote for President of the United States was the 2000 election of Bush vs. Gore, and what an introduction it was. I was attending UC Santa Barbara, and like all good University students, I voted for Al Gore. Although I am ashamed by this fact, I am also grateful for it because it has provided me with fantastic insight. In 2000, loud whispers permeated campus and described how the world would end if George W. Bush was elected President. Celebrities and activists alike threatened to move to Canada if Bush was elected. Sadly, I remember joining in on this, thinking I was so clever. I fancy myself a smart, independent woman so the fact that I fell hook, line and sinker for the progressive agenda really woke me up. When you consider, however, the fact that mass media is controlled by a few voices all pushing the same agenda, it is not that surprising.
Fast forward to the 2004 election of Bush vs. Kerry. I was now on the campus of a private Catholic university, but that made no difference. Not only were professors becoming more and more comfortable exposing their radical views, but the tradition of the university as a place where diverse opinion is championed had begun to crumble. The mood on campus was like a funeral after Kerry's defeat. Professors were dressed in all black and the mood was incredibly somber. Again, word on the street was that we could not survive another four years of Bush. But again, somehow we survived and lived to fight another day.
Then there was the historic election of Barack Obama in 2008. The right was screaming that we could not survive an Obama presidency. Sadly, I almost believed that to be true myself. Although he has pushed us far down the Marxist path, here we are. We made it once again.
Now we come to the worst election, maybe in American history, Clinton vs. Trump. Side note, if we were all as critical of the person we vote FOR as we are the people we are against, we would not have ended up with these two nominees. Anyhow, I heard both sides say we would not be able to survive if the other side was elected. Today, with Trump the winner, every other post on social media is a liberal crying that the world is over. Take BRAVOTV exec Andy Cohen's tweet this morning that "the whole world is different today." There is nothing new to see here folks, it is really the same 'ole, same 'ole crying wolf about the end of the world.
Chances are, we will survive this too. We just need to realize what we can do, if we do it together. What we should focus on is the fact that we need to find ways to unite around common principles of freedom. I will stand with any man who stands with freedom, to loosely quote Lincoln. Let us remember that the federal government is one of limited powers and must bend to the will of the states and people in most areas. One person cannot take down the idea that is America. We must be complicit in it. Most Americans can unite on the principle that we all have the right to our own conscience and choices. We must stop looking to government to give us rights or take away the rights of others. Let's wake up, work together and promote freedom. America, we will survive this too, as long as we stop hating and start listening.

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