November 2016 and November 2020

On November 9, 2016 this is what I wrote in my journal:

"Donald Trump was elected President of the United States last night. To say that I was and am heartsick understates considerably my state of mind, heart, and soul. This was an election upon which the Russians intruded by hacking into Democratic emails, in which Julian Assange and Wikileaks intruded by dumping those emails onto the internet, in which the FBI intruded. This election is a triumph of antisemitism, racism, xenophobia, sexism, and misogyny. It is an election that says who you are as a candidate can be defined by the lies that you tell, the people who mock and insult and humiliate, and the women you assault. It's an election in which patriotism and duty mean nothing. It's an election in which experience as a global leader means nothing. It's an election in which you can call candidates any names you want, you can lie about them, you can lie about their families, you can study nothing and know nothing...and be elected President of the United States and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. What Americans did in this election was to hand the Presidency, the House of Representatives, and the Senate over to the Republicans.

"No one was prepared for this. Not a single pollster had Trump ahead. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Russia had a hand in this, so badly did they want Trump to win."

And here we are, nearly four years later, living through the result of the decision many people made on November 8, 2016.

Pre- and post-election, I heard disturbing things from people such as:

"I wouldn't vote for that money-grubbing woman if my life depended on it."
"I would never vote for someone so unfeminine."
"Hillary would be just as bad as Trump."
"My husband only votes for the anti-abortion candidate."
"My husband won't turn off Fox News."
"I like your essays but I don't actually know anyone who is going to vote for Trump."

And here we are, nearly four years later, living through the result of the decision those people and many others made.

Michele Obama once said "The Presidency doesn't build character. It reveals character."

And here we are, nearly four years after the 2016 election, with Donald Trump's character fully revealed. What I would like to say is that there is no middle ground in the coming election, there is no "protest vote," there is no "I'm going to send a message by voting for____." There is simply a choice.

We are in a fight to save the country, and if you do not understand that yet, you are asleep behind the wheel. Elizabeth Warren was my candidate. I'm disappointed she did not prevail. But I will vote proudly for Joe Biden because I believe he is our only hope of saving the country. He won't be able to do it in one term. He won't be able to do it alone. We must help him or live with the consequences of Donald Trump being given a second term. And I believe this: If Trump is given a second term and if the Republicans hold onto the Senate, we are lost.

Sound dramatic? Turn on your television and watch anything but Fox. Read the newspaper. Listen to Podcasts. America is in a very dark and very sad place.


Elizabeth George