It was November the 12th, and election day 2016 was four days in the past. By the time the late fall sun was ready to set behind the Catskill Mountains the crowd of protesters outside of Uncle Willy’s Tavern had dissipated to a few . The gathering had started much earlier in the day . At its’ height there were as many as 50 who took to the pavement to let the drivers and passengers in the vehicles that passed know how unhappy they were with the results of America’s vote on the new President. Their demonstration was sedentary, filled with signs and chants. “Dump Trump, We’re still here,” and “He’s not our President, ”rang out across the corner of Wall and North Front Street.” It wasn’t anger I heard in their voices, it was fear I saw in their faces. A woman with a baby strapped to her back was asked what is it about Donald Trump that makes her so afraid. “Everything, from his position on gay rights, to him believing the problems with our environment are a hoax. “ Another woman, whose hair happened to be bright yellow spoke even more vigorously in regards to America’s choice . “ How could this country elect a man whose rhetoric has insulted women, blacks, Mexicans, Muslims and gays.”
The fact is that on Friday January 20th 2017 Donald J. Trump will be inaugurated the 45th President of the United States. Like the pundits, prognosticators, and mainstream media, the protesters in Kingston N.Y. were both shocked and devastated by the results of the election . “I am so disappointed in the American people,” continued the young lady with the yellow hair. “ I still am in a state of disbelief.” It could be said that since the Civil war our country has never been so divided . The divisiveness encompasses numerous issues: race, immigration, health care, taxes, the second amendment, abortion, and gender. It is puzzling to realize, President Obama’s popularity is at an all -time high, yet the people did not endorse the continuation of his policies and legacy. It is important to keep in mind that no matter how polarizing Donald Trump might be, he is not the second coming of Joseph Stalin, nor is the savior for all the ails us. He is simply an agent of change , who is representative of half of our populations’ frustration and pain in the way our government has been run. To the rest of Americans he is their worst nightmare in regards to racism, sexism, and totalitarianism .
The educator in me hopes that there have been lessons learned from the partition created by the last 18 months of this Presidential election cycle. From a logistics standpoint the process is far too long. The electoral college ,for sure, is an antiquated system, and it remains hard to trust how our votes are counted. Most important is to try and understand what message was being sent from the ballot box. The Rust Belt and Middle America , clearly screamed that the working class feels disenfranchised. On the other side minorities, the economic poorer class, gays , and various religious sects are terrified of our President elect. Or as a black friend of mine has said to me , “Make America Great Again,” is code for “Make America White Again.” Trump received less votes than Mitt Romney did in 2012 and is now the leader of the free world. Hopefully we now understand not to trust polls , and that talking heads on T.V. are not the voice of America. We’ve learned that the transfer of power is still respected no matter how great the gap in ideology. Though far from flawless (electoral college, party bias to one candidate over the other, lobbyists and special interest groups) our system is still the best in the world. We can debate certain specifics but still our process remains a testament to our founding fathers foresight and to how the principles of democracy work.
As we move forward we will see who the “real” Donald Trump is . The people who did not vote for him think they know. The people who did vote for him hope for change, strength, and compromise. There is no doubt much of his pomposity on the campaign trail gave many groups reason to call him a “hate monger”. It is also true that some of his doctrine hit a nerve of many Americans that feel as though they have been left out. His supporters claim there are two Donald trump’s ; the one running for President, and the one who will be president. Giving him the benefit of the doubt he will be a President of all the people, and given this opportunity he will deliver the things we all want. There isn’t an American who doesn’t want to improve our health care or educational systems. We all want our families to be safe on our own streets and throughout the world. We all want a place to earn a living and be able to provide more for our children. The things we all concur on are far more important than certain social issues that we will never be on the same side of.
Donald Trump will be working with a Republican House and Senate. Will the probable end to stagnation and grid lock be a good thing? What are some of things that will get done in this country in the next four years. At the very least, two new Supreme Court Judges will be appointed. A wall of some sort will go up between Mexico and the U. S. South West borders. Taxes will go down for both the rich and the middle class. Obamacare will be repealed or amended colossally. What about the things that really frighten the 55% Americans that despise Trump ? I choose to take the high road in what will not happen in the next four years . He will not lead us into another conventional war. Roe vs. Wade will not get overturned. There will not be mass deportation and the break- up of any families already living the United States. Hillary Clinton will not be prosecuted or persecuted by this new administration. Only time will tell for sure but it is time whether you voted for him or not to give our new leader a chance to lead.
Ironically it was Uncle willy himself who emerged from his Saloon to check out the protesters. “This didn’t happen back in 1976 when I lost the election to Jimmy Carter. We accepted the results and moved on.” He turned his shaking head and retreated to his establishment , but not until he had a last word for the people holding the signs. “Please back up so the patrons can get in to have a drink.” Above the shouts of Americans who thought they couldn’t be heard, the ones who wanted everyone to remember they were still here, were the sounds of the honking cars passing by. Some occupants of the vehicles gave the thumps up and blurted out “Yeah let’s dump Trump.” Others rolled down their windows and chanted, “Build the wall. “ It was getting dark in Kingston as I turned my back to the commotion and headed west down North Front Street. A boy about 15 was suddenly standing right in front of me. With his hands cupped around his mouth he began taunting the protesters. “Make America Great Again! Make America Great Again!” Now it is time to find out if that is possible.
