Our natural reaction is despair, but out next actions should be resolute.
I’m writing this at 4 AM, November 9th, 2016, having slept only a few hours knowing what happened just hours ago was real. What was supposed to be the inevitable shattering of the glass ceiling turned out to be a high-speed crash into a metal wall. America has just elected Donald J. Trump, the iconoclastic media and business mogul, to be President of the United States. The reaction coming from my friends online demonstrates a strong sense of loss, fear, shock, or anger.
But we all must remember to focus on what matters, and what our next act will be.
Focus.
We can wallow in the fact that all the polls and punditry missed the angry wave of white, uneducated men (and to a lesser extent, white uneducated women). It was this wave that lead to the shocking results in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, and beyond. We can turn our noses away from the fact that nearly every swing state fell for the siren’s song of reckless populism.
But we need to focus.
We can analyze the impact of choosing Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders, pondering “what if” scenarios that ultimately serves no real useful purpose. At the end of the day, more people voted for Hillary in the primaries, and she is likely to earn almost as many (if not more) votes as Trump. The GOP leadership had plenty of opportunities to rally behind a principled conservative who would at the very least lead the country with some dignity.
But we need to focus.
We can worry about what will happen to the country, physically and metaphorically, in the coming days. The markets are sure to tank with the uncertainty that Trump brings, and even though most Republicans (and Democrats) are allies of Wall Street, I see few leaders having the courage to stop what Trump will do. Our allies will certainly distance themselves from the United States, fearing any association with an impulsive and xenophobic demagogue. We will enter strange alliances and forge friends and enemies that we will later regret.
But we need to focus.
Focus on what matters. Focus on electing tolerant, open-minded leaders in BOTH parties, creating a counter-wave of resolute action against the exploitation of the majority. Focus on your local leaders, and hold them accountable for the promises they make. Focus on rebuilding the Democratic Party from the ground up, with a strong progressive backbone backed by sensible polices. Focus on training and fostering and grooming the next generation of leaders who can “make America great” in a different sense.
Focus on supporting our LGBTQ friends, who will be harassed by Trump’s more enthusiastic fans. Focus on defending Mexican and Muslim Americans, who are just as much a part of this country as those who trace their ancestry to the American Revolution. Focus on standing up for women, who have seen their dignities degraded by the putrid remarks of Trump and his supporters. Focus on keeping the ideals of progress fostered under President Obama and other leaders alive and strong.
Focus on learning the struggles of those who supported Trump, and understand that their struggles are based on some truth. Understand that rural and former manufacturing areas of the country have been left behind by the growth we’ve seen since the Great recession. Focus on bringing the innovations and wealth gained from Silicon Valley and Wall Street to the streets of Middle America.
Focus on rebuilding the trust that is lost on institutions. Focus on making friends, not enemies, with the people who believe that Trump could do no harm. Focus on bursting the bubble of the terrible modern media landscape, where spectacle is rewarded over substance. Focus on rewarding businesses and organizations that speak up for the oppressed and harbor the marginalized.
We will never surrender our country’s principles for Trump. We will fight him whenever he threatens to take our country down the wrong path. We must be present wherever he makes his mark, as it’s the only way to prevent the presidency from turning into a dictatorship. Even the 22nd Amendment of the Constitution, which limits Trump to a maximum of two terms, can be reversed.
Focus. Our fight did not end overnight. It has only begun.
Evan Baumel is a writer living in Arlington, VA. His latest book, "Broken Mast: Changing Course for the Capitalist Ship", is available on Amazon, Kindle, and iTunes.