I mean no offense to my conservative friends who voted for Donald Trump for president, indeed I think they never thought their vote would actually put him in the White House, but for me the country's vote to elect his person is the most vicious assault on the very idea of America since the terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001. Both are attacks on the very goodness of America that are simply incomprehensible to me. I am dealing with my shock and grief at this election outcome.
I know that most Trump voters are not racist like the KKK and white supremacist groups that supported Trump.
I know that most Trump voters are not misogynists and sexual predators like Trump himself bragged about being.
I know that most Trump voters are not incipient war criminals like Trump has promised to be.
I know that most Trump voters are not authoritarian dictators, or want an authoritarian dictator, like Trump has promised to be by promising to bar and persecute the press who say "nasty" things about him and to persecute his detractors and to commit war crimes.
I know most Trump voters aren't dangerous impulsive, uncontrollable overgrown children like Trump has demonstrated himself to be.
But how did so many of the people that I know and admire align with this person?
I know that many Trump voters somehow think that Trump will end up being, or turning over the government to Reagan type conservatives - or they think Trump is some kind of incipient Goldwater starting out a new brand of conservatism. I can't imagine that either of those ideas is even close to correct.
I know that many Trump voters think liberals are destroying the economy and ignoring the terrorist threats. But how they came to choose Trump instead of more mainstream conservatives is astonishing to me.
The best way I can handle this profoundly depressing outcome is to think that Zalena Zito was correct when she said that liberals took him literally but not seriously, whereas conservatives took him seriously but not literally. I guess that means that conservatives didn't think he would ever deport millions of Mexicans, put up a huge wall along the border, keep out all Muslims, attack the press, torture prisoners of war or kill terrorists' families, etc.etc.etc. but liberals thought he would do as promised. Perhaps conservatives just liked the attitude he expressed and figured he would not be a nut case in office.
Indeed, I have hopes that that is true. There are already indications that he is backing away from overturning Obamacare and deporting millions from the country.
It is my deepest hope that Trump's desire to be seen as a Great President will lead him to betray his nut case right wing fanatics, reach across the isle, and show some common sense. Not because he cares about the people, which I think is beyond his psyche, but because he cares about his reputation - which in the end is all he has ever cared about as far as I can tell (except for money, of course, which is just another way of getting admiration to his mind)
Trump is going to be our President, and I hope and pray that he does not follow through on the hateful rhetoric of the campaign.
