The Blame Game....

To continue on yesterday's theme...

For those of you who are blaming the Democratic party for giving us a less that desirable candidate... or that it is corrupt... burned Bernie... etc...

Let me ask you this:

What did we gain from your protesting and tantrum against Hillary? Do all her flaws add up to being more dangerous than the Monster we just elected?

And before you start in with your "she's a lousy candidate"... you are a lousy voter... remember even Bernie said vote for Hillary because we can not afford 4 years of dismantling the progress we have made... and for all your love of him you could not get over selves and be adult and vote to support the Democrat because you dislike her for (insert what ever your lame excuse is here).

42% of all white voters voted for Trump....
53% of white women voted for Trump
62% of white males for for Trump

I'm inclined to believe these numbers reflect those who will be least negatively affected by this election... those who are not connected in any meaningful way to to the communities who will be damaged by Trump's presidency. It easy to weigh the risks based on your privilege and  status in society. It's easy if your not profiled... or harassed by your boss... or denied a promotion for your sex... or ostresized by society... it's easy to look the other way and pretend you care.

 So.... before post another hair-splitting-mash-up- Monday-morning-quarterbacking-dem-bashing opinion-piece.... Or.... this is why the Democratic party sucks post... We had one  job as voters and that was to not let this guy near the presidency. We failed.... let that sink in....

As The Dust Settles...

I'm hoping to share with you some of my more burning thoughts about this election... I don't expect everyone to agree...

I can make the general statement today that Trump winning this election is a painful and surprising... Jolting... revelation for many of us. Yes, this man won... he won with his hate, misogyny, xenophobia, ignorance... and utter detachment to the real needs of America. 

Trump's method was simple....Getting a rise out people... calling for expressions of rage toward different people...  these are not points of connection. This is poking a festering wound (employment, health care, marginalization, immigration, ignorance...)with an ice pick and asking does that hurt?  Of course it does.... and now the candidate says anything to justify that pain... lie... distract... blame... and the people... in the throws of that pain are feeling... left out and cheated... suffering...  they will be believe what ever it takes for it to stop. Sounds like a kind of torture... and it is... a kind of brain washing... it worked... He bent reality to feed his ego and to get a response that has lead us here. and yet the wound he poked was never given medicine only more to fester on...

For those of you who voted for the 3rd party choices or wrote in some random name because you felt you need to vote your conscious... Let me ask you this:

When you voted your conscience did you think of the next seven generations? 

I know a lot of you will drop this concept at the drop of a hat. Proudly stating your convictions to people, all beings, the planet..... yet... really... Were you conscious?  How about the next seven generations of African Americans? Muslims? Hispanics? LGBTQ?  or any other group that might be the victims of violence, rage and deportation?  Was it Conscious to not see them as important or possible victims of a Trump presidency? Or is that necessary collateral damage as long as we get our 5% for the Green party?  Our protest vote?  

For me it feels unconscious and selfish... being right should never over ride the need to do the right thing. Can you look into the eyes of anyone in these groups and say I voted my conscious  because I knew it was best in the long run even if you live in terror for the next 4 years?

I'm not delusional I know suffering exists... but to justify this president for any reason seems to also say we can afford to accept that their are certain people, places and things who are on some level expendable... I find this appalling...  

Like everyone else I'm running the full gamut of emotions and responses... Between feeling and functioning and figuring out a plan... I also know in order to hold it together and create the least amount of damage to the most vulnerable people in this country... the environment... with this result  we need to look inside ourselves and ask these questions.

This election has shown all the fractures between us... all the ways we justify our ego and actions to feel better about something so awful... REALLY AWFUL. It's as bad as it gets for now and WE all need to get that and really work together so it does not get worst. And to be clear that is not about holding up the "establishment"... or inhibiting change... This is protecting the democracy that states we are all equal... that we all have rights... 

We might have to get honest... real honest... and remember what we see in him could be is in us too reflected outward in a different manner.