The Election and The Aftermath

Three weeks ago, the American people decided the future of our country. The entire public was torn between the two options for president: Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. Literally. Those against Clinton deemed her untrustworthy and crooked. And when it comes to the Donald, well there are several negative adjectives used to describe him. But the best way to put it is that he is a pompous racist and misogynist. Yet somehow the most unlikeable and controversial presidential candidate in history ended up winning the election, and stunning a majority of the American people.

According to CNN, Clinton won the popular vote by over two million votes, yet Trump won the Electoral College. Which in the end is all that really matters in the election. Watching these results come in on Election Night was similar to witnessing a terrible accident that you could not look away from. In that moment, the world was on fire and there was nothing we could do about it.

To be perfectly honest, when it finally hit me that Donald Trump was going to become President of the United States, I was shocked and appalled. I could not fathom it one bit. I asked myself, do people really hate Hillary Clinton that much? Is she so untrustworthy that you would rather have a man who bragged about sexually assaulting women and threaten minorities be the leader of our country? A woman with over thirty years of experience in the field lost to a man with zero experience and his claim to fame is a reality tv show he hosts with a bunch of D List celebrities.

Coming to terms with the results was difficult, it took me at least a week to get out of that funk. I had to go through the Five Stages of Grief just to get over those results.

1. Denial: Throughout the entire results, the only thought that came to mind was this could not be happening. I went to bed thinking maybe this is all just a really bad dream...
2. Anger: But when I woke up the next day and realized everything was not a dream, to say I was mad was an understatement. Full blown pissed, is a better way to describe it. Did I go out and protest? No, I kept my anger to myself and tried to act rationally. All I could do to control my anger was try to figure out what went wrong.
3. Bargaining: I'm not going to lie, I thought about retreating to Canada or some other country. Apparently I was not the only one, because the Canadian Visa website crashed due to a large amount of traffic. But I realized, fleeing the country won't solve anything. You can't run away from your problems and hope to return one day and they'll be resolved.
4. Depression: This stage was the longest one for me. Eating, sleeping, and normal every day tasks were difficult to do. It was hard to focus and be motivated to do anything. I was sick to my stomach and all I wanted to do is lay in bed and watch CNN. If I had to go anywhere, I'd listen to CNN in my car. There were also times when I would cry and sulk. But I couldn't take feeling that dread anymore. I stopped watching CNN obsessively and chose to move forward. Which leads me to our last step.
5. Acceptance: Personally, I don't think I will ever accept these results. BUT, I do acknowledge that Donald Trump won the presidency. Those are the facts, he will be leading our country. We may not like it, but it's something we have to live with for the next four years, unless some sort of miracle happens. We don't know what will happen, but we have to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

For most Americans, it has been hard to cope with these results. Even SNL had an solemn Cold Open after the results of the Election. Kate McKinnon, as Hillary Clinton, performed Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. It was emotional and let's just say there was not a dry eye in the house. So how do we cope with this? Do we flee the country? Do we sit back and let time take its course? No. If we want there to be a change, we have to be the ones who make it.

So what do those of us who are disappointed with the results do now? Do we sit back, watch and hope for the best? Do we go out and protest like manics? No. There's so much we can do in a civilized manner. If you are still mad about these election results, here are some of things you can do to make a difference:

• Sign this petition to ask the Electoral College to pledge their votes for Hillary Clinton.
  What most people do not know is that the electors in the Electoral College are actually real people who will cast their vote for President on December 19. This system was designed by Alexander Hamilton as a back up method just in case the people elect someone who is not qualified to President. Those who change their votes would be a faithless elector. Of course this is a long shot, since nothing like this has ever happened before. But, who's to say it could not happen today? Especially when this election was the most unpredictable and craziest election to date.
• Sign this petition to ask President Obama to appoint Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court.
  When Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia unexpectedly died, a seat in the Supreme Court was left for President Obama to fill. He appointed Merrick Garland back in March, but the Senate refused to consider his nomination. So since the Senate waived its constitutional right to advise and consent on Obama's nomination, there is a petition floating around asking Obama to exercise his independent constitutional right to appoint Garland. Since the Presidency and Congress can't be saved, we might as well try to save the Supreme Court.
• Reach out to your Senators and Representatives!
  What most people don't realize is that our Senators and Representatives in Congress are really the ones who make any change. They represent you and your city and state! If you do not know who they are, find out your Senator here and find out your Representative here! Write a letter, call them, or even schedule a meeting with them to address your concerns. Make your voice heard! Also don't forget the Presidential election is not the only important election. Find out when your Senators and Representatives are up for re-election! That way if they're not doing a good job representing you, you have the power to choose someone who will!
• Support and volunteer for organizations that support the causes you care about!
  Organizations with special causes that could possibly be affected with the outcome of this election will need help. Whether you want to donate money or donate your time, any little thing can and will help.

These next four years will be a difficult and challenging time, if there was a time to not give up and persevere it would be now. What we need to remember is that we DO have say. It is vital, that we always remember to exercise our rights. So when it is time to vote, we must go out there and make our voices heard. Don't feel down, or think that you don't have a say because you do.

Until next time.