Perspective

I confess, I’ve struggled for it this week.

In the literally hundreds of posts, articles and comments I’ve read on social media since Tuesday, I think I’ve seen every explanation for why a person voted the way he did, and every love-infused statement of encouragement from the winning side to the losing side on how important it is to get past our differences and band together behind this president.

Well I won’t.

The best result from this election: Never, ever, ever again will we have to suffer Sanhedrinistic diatribes from arrogant, superior loudmouths about someone being morally unfit for public office.  The worst: People who claim to love me and members of my family voted for Trump, thereby voting against members of my family who are gay, members who are of Hispanic descent (like, oh, two of my grandchildren), a member who is engaged to a Hispanic woman, members who have benefited greatly from Planned Parenthood, and members who have read the science and fear for the health of our planet due to greenhouse gas, which our president-elect calls a…well, read it for yourself.

I will get past this, I suppose. I’ll have to, or the only one suffering will be me. But I don’t suffer because HRC is not president (I wanted Bernie, as many of you know). I suffer because I am overcome with disappointment and sadness that people who absolutely vilified the current president for eight years (although there was not a single scandal for all of those eight) for being a downright terrible person — not even a real US citizen — are now calling on me to support this new person.

Well I won’t.

If he approaches me personally, I will be respectful, because I respect the office. I’ve had a lot of practice at that lately. But if you voted for him, you voted against all the people I’ve listed above (including me, being a woman). Telling me otherwise will leave my opinion unchanged. There are just some things you can’t gloss over with doubletalk about how “he speaks his mind” and “he’s not a politician” and “experienced people will help him not screw it up” and “the country needed change.” I could address each of these specifically, but I am getting ready to go visit my longtime RtB pal Rae this morning. So fun! Haven’t seen her in over a year.

Anyway, I’ve refrained from saying much on social media, but this place is more private; just me and my 100 readers worldwide. ;-) Besides, my political opinions aren’t radical or anarchist. Rather, I’m a proponent of the kind of government that welcomes and takes care of all people: the kind of government that will be conspicuously and unsurprisingly absent in the White House come January. And Ben Carson as Secretary of Education? Don’t get me started…

It’s the weekend before more craziness at school (aka The Push to 20 December), and I have some fun activities planned. How about you?

9 thoughts on “Perspective

  1. David

    Ms Finkster my dear Friend…hard to know how to respond, many of us have reasons to be disappointed and fearful because of these election results! Mine are on several levels.
    I did not vote for The Donald! From the beginning he proved himself to be a narcissistic buffoon with the emotional temperament of a four year old. I said I could never vote for HRC because of her handling of Benghazi and her treatment of the surviving family members of the fallen. Unless you have been on a battle field waiting for help that never comes it is unlikely that anyone would understand how that impacted my opinion of her. Hoped for the Bern which did not happen.
    So, with a lesbian sister, Hispanic and Black nephews and nieces, many multi-racial grand nephews and nieces I did not want them growing up in a World that considers them less worthy of basic human rights. Wept with my sister for hours trying to calm her fears. Despite my misgivings, and they were not insignificant I voted for the only candidate with a skill set of governing this Country I love, HRC !
    Here are some of my takes and fears, briefly:
    – Voter apathy makes me sick
    – I fear the VP elect more than The Donald, he actually thought electro shock therapy would “ungay” people. effing moron!
    – The divide in this Country just got enormous
    – The piety of the Evangelicals endorsing The Donald was appalling ( James Dobson & the Grahams et al) made me embarrassed to say I once thought they were intelligent
    – The pro-life, anti Planned Patenthood folks are some of the most myopic hypocrites I have ever known…did you know the infant mortality rate of inner city Detroit is the same as several 3rd World countries in Africa! Where are all those pro-lifers? Have any of them been on a Reservation? Hell no!
    Better stop…
    – Finally…time to stop calling it “news reporting”

    I love this Country, fought and left blood on the field for the principles of Freedom and Democracy! Still believe in that and pray we become a more gracious and loving a Country. Peace!

    Reply
    1. Rat Fink Post author

      Love your comments, as usual! I agree with all. I, too, have spoken to frightened family members. If Pence is turned loose…

      Recently, I read a rambling treatise by an Evangelical on how maybe it was “time to elect a godless leader,” because desperate times call for desperate measures, etc. I thought, what a pathetic rationalization. Hope that eases your conscience and allows you a free pass from your convictions, which were oh-so-strong when you were calling Obama a Muslim. Ugh… Anyway.

      I’m going to get over it. It’s just going to take time. Hugs to your sis and to you!

      Reply
      1. David

        Peace my Friend!
        And…if someone like The Donald can be the POTUS then the Browns will win The Super Bowl! Woof woof ?

        Reply
  2. Suzanne

    Hi doll! Love your post. I went to bed Tuesday night before any election results were in and when I woke up I was astonished to see that Trump was leading. I sat and stared at the TV not wanting to believe it was true.

    Lots of people are saying ” OK calm down we just need to move on now”. Uhhhm no way. To calm down is to possibly come complacent and stop paying attention to what’s going on. Although with the media making sure we know Every Little Detail these days I don’t see how we can become complacent.

    I somehow feel that the Republicans that were running during the primaries are astonished and thinking “How can HE be the President-Elect!” Not to mention how HRC feels.

    And then to see Trump in the Oval Office sitting in front of a bust of Martin Luther King, conversing with Obama while the KKK is planning some sort of triumph parade!

    NOOOOOOO this can’t be true! I also saw some of the people he is planning on putting in his cabinet. I just….I just don’t know what to say.

    That spare room is still here for you and The Thriller!

    Hugs to you!

    Reply
    1. Rat Fink Post author

      It’s just 15 kinds of wrong, and people know it.

      In fact, there’s a petition going around to get the electorate to force a choice of another REPUBLICAN candidate to be president by way of sending the vote to the House, where each state would have one vote. That won’t help the Dems, but at least it puts someone else in the White House other than DJT.

      Hold on to that spare room!! <3

      Reply
  3. Mary Sims

    I feel your pain. I am not sure how anyone could have voted for him, there go the rights of so many. Many of my colleagues voted for him which means they voted against their own jobs. Ridiculous. I hope Congress stops him in his track and yes I realize that it is a Republican Congress but I think this guy is even too crazy for them.

    I fear for our country, I fear for all the things I believe in and all the people I love. Not sure what we can do about all of this but we can’t take it lying down.

    I will certainly miss the Obama’s in the Whitehouse.

    This guy makes Bush look like a Saint and I think that guy should have been charged with war crimes.

    Reply
    1. Rat Fink Post author

      Why *anyone* in the public sector voted for this man, I’ll never be able to figure out. They’re on the “not important” list as much as the working poor who voted for him.

      I know many otherwise intelligent, savvy people who voted for this guy, and for the life of me I can’t come to grips with their weak narrative as to why.

      Reply
  4. Mavis

    I agree with all the comments here in Finkville. I did not vote for Trump, either. I will admit, though, that my husband and I are terrified of the future with Trump in charge. He will cut so many programs (or at least try) that we depend on for our survival. I also fear for my son. He’s gay. I’m so proud of who he is, but I fear what he will have to go through with Trump in office. The future is so uncertain for so many people. All I can do is pray, I guess.

    Reply
    1. Rat Fink Post author

      Pray and don’t give up hope, Mave. We have to stick together. We’ve outlasted monsters before; we’re conscripted to do it again, apparently.

      Reply

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