Election 2016: What Really Happened

My heart sank when I woke up today and looked at my phone. I cried softly in my bed when I looked at the results of the election. Not the Presidential election. The House and Senate. I got on Facebook dreading what my feed was going to look like. The comments were fitting, knowing my friends…

OH FUCK.

Oh. Oh my fuck.

The Stock Market is Crashing. 

I might just turn over and go back to sleep. Forever.

 

Luckily, Broke-Ass Stuart posted too:

How are you doing?

Also, I love you and I’m sorry we are here.

I started typing:

I’m not worried about that dummy. I’m more concerned about the Senate and House now being Republican. Let’s all sing a song called “We’re screwed”.

“Oh my God. OH. MY. GOD. What have people done?” We basically just elected this guy…

Courtesy Huffington Post

The thoughts that rushed over my body were terrifying, because I don’t think anyone understands what just happened to America. We played right into the hands of staunch Republican lawmakers in this country. Everyone was so focused on the lesser of two evils and watching this historical Presidential election – that we lost sight of the one thing that really matters: how laws are passed.

The Donald might not know how a bill is passed, but the people who psychologically tricked us into thinking they didn’t want him in office sure know what just happened. Takes me back to the Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing fable. For the love of God – what just happened?

The Republicans have control of both House & Senate. I payed attention to Kids In The House:

Courtesy of How Did We Get Into This Mess

 

If a bill has passed in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and has been approved by the President, or if a presidential veto has been overridden, the bill becomes a law and is enforced by the government.

Goodbye, legal abortions. Goodbye, healthcare reform. Adios, gay rights. Think we’re still going to allow immigration – our borders are closed for business. Goodbye civil rights, equal pay, and everything else we’ve fought for in this great country. The things that make this country great. You know, democracy and shit.

Then I read something a dear friend posted:

Friends…

We are going to need each other more than ever, now.

Hold each other close.

Grieve as you must, and do not be ashamed of your grief.

And then, when you can, STAND.

STAND for those you love, who tonight are feeling unloved, alone, betrayed, and deeply scared.
STAND for the rights that you’ve fought for and earned that others may try to strip away.
STAND for your friends and loved ones who are the most vulnerable.
STAND for love, compassion, equality, and human decency.

I will stand with you.

Please stand with me.

 

I started to feel a bit empowered as an American reading that. I started thinking that maybe this will make us stronger – as a community, as American citizens as a whole. That maybe we will come together.

Then I started reading the Jack Wagon comments about how this is the best people have felt in the last 8 years, and it made me feel bad again. Thank God for my sister and her quote of the day:

“Who’s going to build the wall? Don’t all raise your hands at once!”

Which I totally tweeted with #CanadaCarpool

 

Courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes

 

I hope to God I am wrong. I will pray every day for the next four years that I am wrong.

For every woman. For every LGBT person. For every African American, Latino, Hispanic, Syrian – every red, green, blue and white guy and gal. For our children. For our men and women fighting wars overseas. For our country. For every person that doesn’t understand just what in God’s name they did to our justice system. You wanted change. You certainly got it.

In the words of my very dear friend in England:

Hold on to your hat folks, shits about to get a little bumpy.

 

Courtesy The Toast