It’s been almost a week since the election. I’ll admit that I had assumed Hillary was going to win. Seemed to have been what most people were expecting as well. Certainly, the mainstream media is calling Trump’s victory “shocking” and “disheartening”.
Most of you know that I’ve given up on voting for a political official.
Forever.
Now, there may be referendums and bond initiatives that will come along for which I might cast a vote someday. But I will always vote against any increased government spending, power, and jurisdiction.
(Every once in a while, my wife tells me I should run for our HOA board. My platform would be simple: I will work to disband the HOA and return power and money to the people. Probably not a very popular platform on which to run.)
(SIDE UPDATE: In between the time when I had started drafting this post and publishing it online, I received a notice from the HOA lords that we’ve violated some standard of “reasonable noise” and that we’re “disrupting [our] neighbors”. More on this drama as it unfolds.)
Looking back at the last year or so, there have been so many aspects about this election to consider. I wrote about my initial thoughts back in February, challenging would-be voters – “How Far Are You Willing to Compromise Your Integrity and Values?” Re-reading this, it’s interesting to me given the state of the country 1 week into Trumps victory.
I think our human nature and selective memory makes everything seem unique and circumstances to be new. But as we know, there’s nothing new under the sun. In fact, I will make my 2020 election prediction here and now:
- There will be Trump. His platform will be ‘I have only begun to make America great. It would have been greater except for the obstructionist Democrats in Congress and liberal Supreme Court justices. We need to stay the course and protect our country from liberals and their agenda.‘
- There will be a Democrat. His/her platform will be ‘end the terrible reign of Trump and his cronies. Tax the rich. Power to the 98%!‘
- There will be at least one Third Party Candidate. His/her platform will be ‘I offer you a little from column A and a little from column B. Vote for me because I’m kind of different.‘
To recap how we got here, think back to the early primaries. For the Democrats, Clinton was the heir apparent. But low and behold, Bernie Sanders was actually making waves among the young and naïve. Preaching Socialism, free everything that mattered to the young, and BAD! rich guys. BAD!, the naïve and hopeful actually thought Bernie stood a chance.
And then came the Super Delegates — those political insiders whose votes counted so much more than yours and were accountable to no one. The truth started to unfold before our eyes that this charade was predetermined from the start. Clinton would be the Democratic nominee. Go back and look at her demeanor and interaction with the press during the primaries. Half the time, she didn’t even bother to address the press. The other half, she really didn’t have the appearance of someone fighting to earn her party’s top spot. She was calm, confident, and even arrogant. There were others in the race early on, but I’d bet most people could not name a single Democratic candidate other than Clinton and Sanders.
And what happened to Sanders? Just when the hopeful were calling on him to break off for a 3rd party run, contest the Convention results, or even continue to challenge Clinton as a Democrat all the way to November? HE SOLD THEM OUT! After months of calling Clinton a crook unfit for the office of President, a political insider, and a whore for special interests, Bernie turns around and tells his supporters to fully embrace Hillary and to campaign for her. And . . . then a few months later, he buys a $600,000 waterfront vacation home in Vermont. But never mind that.
Then there were the Republicans — Cruz, Jeb, Carson, Rubio, Christie, Fiorina, Paul, Huckabee, Santorum, Kasich. For many Republicans, Trump seemed like a joke early on. Wasn’t this guy a Democrat a few years ago? Didn’t he campaign for BILL Clinton? To their detriment, some of the early Republican candidates probably didn’t even factor Trump into their strategy. They focused on the Cruz, Rubio, and Carson campaigns.
These men and woman fought tooth and nail against each other, jockeying for the Republican ticket. They called each other liars, cheats, adulterers, insider hacks, and many other names. The Republican Party was buzzing with hopeful anticipation that their candidate would stand for Conservative, Christian, Values. There was talk of overturning Roe vs. Wade (yet again). There were promises made to overturn Obamacare. They were going to crack down on illegals, build walls, round up all the terrorists and send them back to the Middle East. Republicans were going to end this unfair trade agreement with China and Mexico.
And then? You settled on Trump. Because you were told to.
The weeks running up to the 8th of November were filled with negative campaign ads. Even the World Series was not immune to both parties conjuring up bogeymen coming to ruin the country if we didn’t get out and vote for the right candidate. Days before the 8th, the FBI suddenly had a renewed interest at looking into Hillary’s email scandal. Republicans were shouting “hallelujah!!! She’s going to jail!!!”, only to find out just as quickly that the FBI gave her another free pass.
Finally, election day had arrived. Early voting results had indicated Trump was gaining speed. Media pundits were painting the electoral college map into a sea of red. One by one, Trump was picking up key ‘battleground’ states. Iowa. Ohio. Florida.
And to everyone’s amazement, Hillary was done.
The days that followed were are entertaining, to say the least. Social media went hog wild with reaction. Republicans felt vindicated and celebrated the end of Obama.
Democrats wept.
And wept.
And wept.
And then, they took to the streets.
At the time of this post, protesters are still out and about. Some peaceful. Many not so much. The genuine panic in their voices would have you believe Trump is the next FDR, coming to send all the homosexuals, minorities, and women into internment camps in Guantanamo Bay.
And then, there’s folks like me. There aren’t many of us out there. But our numbers are growing. Some figures suggest that eligible voter turnout is at a 20 year low. 3rd Party Candidates have become part of the mainstream dialogue, not just among the college kids and foil-hat wearing conspiracy theorists. If you’re a fan of political / social memes like me, there’s been a wellspring of great material out there since the results.
As much as I love to sit back and laugh at all the hysterics, poking fun at those that take the election of the POTUS so seriously, my mission is clear. Like Neo freeing trapped minds connected to the Matrix, I find myself having meaningful conversations every day, online and in person. People are starting to awaken and see the futility of the so-called “choice” they are told to make. They see that the system is rigged. They see that there’s little difference between the DNC and the RNC. It’s finally starting to get bad enough that friends from all age groups, geography, races, economic classes, and religions are open to hearing the message of Liberty.
Many, however, are still skeptical. They can’t let go of the safety of having a terrible, yet predictable, path ahead of them in favor of the unknown potential. You might recall my earlier post when some have asked me “What is your plan and how do we get there?” But I am encouraged that when we get past the one liners and hilarious memes meant to stir up reaction, I find that many more than I had thought possible are considering not Republican vs. Democrat but Liberty vs. Coercion.
txfatherofseven 