It’s election night and my technological consumerism is at a maximum. On my computer, is the Google generated electoral college map that updates every 30 seconds. The TV is constantly flickering between multiple news channels, each one with a different map and projection. My phone has not been this busy since the last time I dated; it buzzes every minute with texts and social media notifications from uneasy Californians watching the election go sour.
Each hour, I watch the election with a growing sense of trepidation. Twitter has turned into a relentless stream of chaos, college campuses all over California have already begun to riot, and I am compelled to send the suicide hotline prevention number to all my friends and acquaintances. You are valid and important, you have a voice that should be protected, I try to remind them.
Just like my peers, I am left questioning how the election came to this. However the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this was inevitable.
We the people, Democrat, Republican, and everyone else set the stage for a Donald Trump victory.
1). Thinking back to 2015, I realize why Trump was so wildly popular to Americans. In a pack of more than 15 presidential hopefuls, he stood out. His persona was already infamous and sinfully delightful to many voters. Unlike Jeb, or Cruz, or Rubio, Trump was not associated with the inherent corruption of a useless politicians. The right was unhappy with the way things were going and they could partially blame that on those that they had originally chosen to represent them. Further, Trump said the things no one dared to say. To the left that made him out to be the easily defeatable villain, but to the right that made him a strong man willing to say the things that were on the minds of many Americans. And if history has proven anything, it’s that America prefers strong leading men.
2). At the same time, on the opposite side of the equation, Hillary also announced her bid for presidency. Already a well known political figure with endless funding, her democratic opposition was slim and stood almost no chance. Or at least, that’s the way it should have gone. This is where Bernie Sanders comes in. The radical senator from Vermont grew a rapid political base from those fed up with conventional politicians in the same way Trump did. Sanders’ political block just happened to be a group of diverse extremists that felt they had no political voice; millennials. Sanders was relentless in his campaign, fighting up until the very end. While his movement eventually ended, his support group fractured the democratic party beyond help. A third of Bernie supporters chose not to support Clinton, a decisive move that crippled her more than anyone had suspected.
3). Just like, Jeb Bush, the name Hillary Clinton is associated with more than just the woman. The Clinton name stands for a successful political machine, albeit a progressive one, that is out of touch with the common man. The stark contrast between Clinton and Bernie only further highlighted her shortcomings as a voice for Democratic Americans. In comparison, billionaire Trump created an image as the paragon of the American Dream. This image completed by the American ideals of xenophobia, racism, and fake religious fervor that litters our history.
Trump’s victory only proves that party unity is more necessary than ever for leftist progress. Although the outcome is unfavorable, the left needs to stand together against a Republican controlled federal government. Now, more than ever, we need to be working hard to educate and appeal to the basic humanity of all Americans. We can make this country brighter and better, despite these dark times.
