Like many of our readers, I was shocked by the outcome of last Tuesday’s election. In the following days, I, like many others, was at a loss for words and struggled to think of a productive way to move forward. This is a difficult time, not just for Democrats, but also for many others who believe a Donald Trump presidency will fail to protect and possibly infringe upon their constitutional rights. While President Obama and Hillary Clinton have called for unity, such calls are utterly impractical following an election fraught with fear and bigotry. Having been the primary source of such vitriol, any expectation of national reconciliation and unity should be placed on the president-elect, not the public.
Since Tuesday, many who opposed Trump’s presidency continue to express outrage over the election’s outcome. At the time of this writing, anti-Trump protests continue to occur in Los Angeles, New York and other major cities. On the right, many have already come to terms with the prospect of a Trump presidency and called on others to follow suit. David French dismisses accusations that Trump’s upset is attributable to lingering racist attitudes and “whitelash,” going so far as to say that Trump won because “minority voters let him win,” while Kevin Williamson criticizes anti-Trump protests as petulant and hypocritical.
Surely, after every election there are many on the losing side who feel dejected and alienated by the final outcome, yet Trump’s victory is different from those of years prior. Perhaps it is true that Trump’s rise was fueled by a growing sense of disenchantment among predominantly white working class voters, convinced that globalization and mechanization threaten their ability to earn a living. Our government could certainly do a better job of helping these communities prosper in an increasingly globalized economy. However, it is difficult to simply move on while knowing our future president has emboldened white supremacists to such a degree that many are planning public demonstrations to celebrate his victory.
I am ashamed that 47 percent of voters who participated in last Tuesday’s election were willing to overlook Trump’s obvious character flaws — ranging from his bragging about committing sexual assault to calling Mexican immigrants “rapists” and expressing a willingness to create a Muslim tracking database once in office — and support him nonetheless. While David Brooks suggests such an inclination is appealing to individuals undergoing economic hardships, one’s individual circumstances do not excuse electing a bigot. Perhaps Brooks forgot that many of the communities Trump attacked throughout his campaign endure similar hardships as well.
Still, there are some who claim that fear of a Trump presidency is unwarranted, suggesting that the president-elect will embrace a more pragmatic agenda once in office. Perhaps Trump will embrace policies that are more in line with traditional Republican values. Perhaps he will not. Doing so would be an improvement over the rhetoric he employed during the campaign, though it is worth noting the policies House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) advocates for fail to acknowledge critical social issues, namely police brutality and discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community. In a year in which police shootings and discrimination have further polarized society, such an omission is unacceptable. Announcing a plan to address these issues, however unpopular among Trump supporters, could be a first step toward mending the current partisan divide. Unfortunately, Trump has yet to show any inclination to engage in such statesmanship.
While the outcome of last Tuesday’s election should be respected, it is not unreasonable for many to be mad about the results. Indeed, they should stay mad. Such anger is a natural response to the outcome of an election in which the winning candidate regularly relied on racial fear-mongering to appeal to voters. As president-elect, it is incumbent upon Trump to reach out to these disaffected groups and begin the slow process of re-uniting the country. However, such an outcome would require Trump to set aside the persona he displayed while campaigning and develop a more professional demeanor, a task that I do not believe he possesses the mental wherewithal to accomplish. For those who share my suspicions, it is all the more important to begin organizing in anticipation for the next round of elections.
Brandon Brooks is an Opinion Columnist at The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at b.brooks@cavalierdaily.com.
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