Post-Election Fears & Anxieties

[galax-arena]

I'm getting annoyed by all the cries for unity I've been hearing, especially since they mostly come from rich straight white people. They mean well, but are completely tone deaf to the reality that many minorities now find themselves in. I read an open letter that Jennifer Lawrence penned where she told us to not blame anyone or and "if you're worried about racial violence love your neighbor more than you've ever tried to before—no matter what they believe or who they voted for." Uh, sorry, what? No fucking way am I going to love my neighbor who thinks I don't belong in the country based on my skin color or that I should be denied rights based on my sexuality. 

Quote

If you fit into any of the other categories, the man himself has let you know that he's not "YOUR president."

Exactly. No, I will not gracefully accept that someone who is against every facet of my identity is my president. 

ETA: There are people saying, "We survived Reagan & Bush, we can survive Trump!" Uh.... except that a lot of gay men DIDN'T survive Reagan.... 
 

Edited November 11, 2016 by galax-arena

[BuckeyeLou]

8 minutes ago, NinjaPenguins said:

Bolton? John Fucking Bolton? The nut with the rage problem? That Bolton?

Gingrich, scumbag who dumped his cancer stricken wife, check. Rudy G, Noun-verb-9/11 and law & order fascist, check. Christie, buttkissing his way to a Bridgegate pardon, check. 

I think my anxiety is rising again...

I know!!  Gads...Bolton is the Worst!  Newt the Nutter, Rudy Ghouliani  "Make America Great Again"?!  With a bunch of old re-treads and their kooky ideas!?

[maraleia]

12 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

So California and Oregon want to secede. Take New York with you, I beg you!

And Illinois and Minnesota too....we are all alone in the Midwest.

5 minutes ago, galax-arena said:

I'm getting annoyed by all the cries for unity I've been hearing, especially since they mostly come from rich straight white people. They mean well, but are completely tone deaf to the reality that many minorities now find themselves in. I read an open letter that Jennifer Lawrence penned where she told us to not blame anyone or and "if you're worried about racial violence love your neighbor more than you've ever tried to before—no matter what they believe or who they voted for." Uh, sorry, what? No fucking way am I going to love my neighbor who thinks I don't belong in the country based on my skin color or that I should be denied rights based on my sexuality. 

Exactly. No, I will not gracefully accept that someone who is against every facet of my identity is my president. 

ETA: There are people saying, "We survived Reagan & Bush, we can survive Drumpf!" Uh.... except that a lot of gay men DIDN'T survive Reagan.... 
 

Yeah Jennifer Lawrence lives in a bubble unlike Chelsea Handler who, despite her grief and real desire to move to Spain, is ready to fight.

One more thing. I haven't been able to sleep more than five hours a night or concentrate enough to watch my favorite TV shows so screw you Orange Hitler.

Edited November 11, 2016 by maraleia

[DeLurker]

2 minutes ago, galax-arena said:

I'm getting annoyed by all the cries for unity I've been hearing, especially since they mostly come from rich straight white people.

The unity they seek is for all the ducks to get back in a row and follow them blindly.  And quietly.  And back to the 1950s.

For myself, I need to get centered again because I've really been thrown completely into an alternate universe.  I've already borrowed the Te of Piglet from the library and need to order both that and the Tao of Pooh for myself (I've given away my copies at least 10 times).  And once I am regrouped I am going to try to do my best to make my immediate community a better place on a personal level and become involved again with politics.

[callmebetty]

I want to thank all the smart, thoughtful people on this thread. I will admit my knowledge of politics is limited .  I try to be informed as much as possible but wow you guys are super smart . I know some people are lawyers, but are some of you poli-sci majors or just political junkies? I'm learning so much and googling  when you talk about some topics. But sometimes I will admit that some odd the stuff goes over my head and do need things dumbed down (or in layman's terms ). Some of you talk about politicians the other way some people talk about athletes . I love it.  Thanks to all of you, and if I ever ask a dumb question I know you'll be kind in your answer . 

[BuckeyeLou]

5 minutes ago, maraleia said:

And Illinois and Minnesota too....we are all alone in the Midwest.

Sigh~~ I feel all alone here in Indiana.

[Curio]

5 minutes ago, maraleia said:

And Illinois and Minnesota too....we are all alone in the Midwest.

I'm so disappointed in my Wisconsin.

[maraleia]

Just now, BuckeyeLou said:

Sigh~~ I feel all alone here in Indiana.

Sad face. I hate how divided we are and again I'm terrified because I'm a lesbian.

[Lantern7]

Maybe it'll be Michael Bolton from Office Space.

Signed a petition to have the Electoral College to dump YKW. I don't know how else to help out.

[maraleia]

2 minutes ago, callmebetty said:

I want to thank all the smart, thoughtful people on this thread. I will admit my knowledge of politics is limited .  I try to be informed as much as possible but wow you guys are super smart . I know some people are lawyers, but are some of you poli-sci majors or just political junkies? I'm learning so much and googling  when you talk about some topics. But sometimes I will admit that some odd the stuff goes over my head and do need things dumbed down (or in layman's terms ). Some of you talk about politicians the other way some people talk about athletes . I love it.  Thanks to all of you, and if I ever ask a dumb question I know you'll be kind in your answer . 

Ask away. We'll help you get informed.

[galax-arena]

Quote

The unity they seek is for all the ducks to get back in a row and follow them blindly.  And quietly.  And back to the 1950s.

Aw, to be fair, I'm sure that Jennifer Lawrence doesn't want to take us back to the 1950s. She's not a Trump supporter. But I think she's your standard white feminist who doesn't really have much empathy beyond the abstract when it comes to minorities. 

Re: all this talk about California seceding. I'm a native Californian and I like talking up my home state as much as anyone else. But I'm really tired of hearing people talk up CA like it's this perfect liberal utopia. The truth is that California has a hotbed of conservatism that we can't afford to ignore or else it'll blow up in our faces. That's how Prop 8 managed to pass; yes, there were a lot of issues with the campaign (e.g. heavy Mormon propaganda), but I think some of the blame has to be placed at the feet of complacent liberals who smugly thought, "Oh, no WAY it's going to pass, this is California!!" and didn't bother to vote. Lesson learned: Do not act like the conservative regions of California don't exist, you'll only get screwed over! 

One California politician said that California was the keeper of America's future. Beyotch, you weren't even the first state to pass marriage equality, and that really only happened thanks to a judge's ruling. 

Edited November 11, 2016 by galax-arena

[catrox14]

1 hour ago, Tara said:

I haven't seen his statement on that, but I see part of it when I do a search.  However, I can believe it.  His comments about Rosie O'Donnell on a national debate watched by 80 million viewers were vile.  I remember thinking, she is a woman with kids who have to go to school tomorrow. 

Oh, sheesh, I'm trying to find the silver lining here....and failing.

Because there is no silver lining.

Trump set forth a racist message from the moment he decided to challenge President Obama's citizenship and religion all those years ago. He doubled down on the racism by demanding the President produce his birth certificate.  He never publicly, unequivocally apologized to the President for it. 

Trumps first words when he announced his campaign were racist. His words during the campaign were racist.    Trump did not unequivocally reject the KKK's endorsement nor did he himself, condemn their ideology, in public, on TV speaking his own words with his own mouth, when he had AMPLE opportunity to do so.  

If a person runs on a racist platform, spews racist rhetoric, has been proven to have racist policies in his own business dealings, "others" PoC by referring to them as "The" blacks, "The" Mexican-Americans, etc, that person is at best a racist ally and at worst an actual racist.

ETA: I'm disinclined to think that leopard is going to change his spots now that he is President-Elect. Even if HE changed his spots, the alt-right that supported and propagated the racist, sexist, xenophobic policies and ideologies and who will become cabinet members, won't. 

Edited November 11, 2016 by catrox14

[magdalene]

Well, maybe some of the dumb fuckers who voted for Trump will get scared when they start to contemplate America without the safety net of Medicare and Social Security and Disability coverage.  Maybe that will penetrate their tiny brains. I am not holding my breath though.

[MulletorHater]

12 minutes ago, galax-arena said:

I'm getting annoyed by all the cries for unity I've been hearing, especially since they mostly come from rich straight white people. They mean well, but are completely tone deaf to the reality that many minorities now find themselves in. I read an open letter that Jennifer Lawrence penned where she told us to not blame anyone or and "if you're worried about racial violence love your neighbor more than you've ever tried to before—no matter what they believe or who they voted for." Uh, sorry, what? No fucking way am I going to love my neighbor who thinks I don't belong in the country based on my skin color or that I should be denied rights based on my sexuality. 

Exactly. No, I will not gracefully accept that someone who is against every facet of my identity is my president. 

ETA: There are people saying, "We survived Reagan & Bush, we can survive Trump!" Uh.... except that a lot of gay men DIDN'T survive Reagan.... 
 

I've been seething ever since I've seen postings from people who should know better telling me that I should accept what has happened, join hands in unity and pray for the new president.

This will probably get me kicked out of my church, but I'm not praying for him.  I refuse to turn a blind eye to what is in front of me for the sake of "unity."  Haven't we been gaslighted enough?  Once again, people are choosing to ignore the obvious and want us to do the same.  We're being asked to play nice with a candidate and party that has repeatedly shown it does not have the best interests of others who aren't them at heart.  Hell, they don't even particularly care about the people who continually put them in office, as was displayed by their anger this election season.

How can people demand that those whose very existence is threatened by Drumpf and his horde of haters play nice with them?  I'm sorry, but I don't play those games and never have.  When I went to college, I didn't major in "Yassa, Boss 101."  While they're calling for "unity," it's very telling that Drumpf has yet to address the numerous acts of hatred that have occurred in his name after the election.  Instead, he takes to Twitter to whine about not being treated fairly by people exercising their First Amendment rights (not to burn and damage property obviously).  This is what actor Jesse Williams referred to when he suggested that people like Ms. Lawrence are a part of the problem.  She can afford to sit on her perch of privilege and tell people who feel threatened to "love your neighbor."  Ms. Lawrence, how about taking your privilege butt somewhere and taking a stadium full of seats while the rest of us try to process this.  

[walnutqueen]

3 hours ago, Jaded said:

There's a thread I post in here pretty regularly that doesn't have anything to do with politics. Most of the people who post in it though are older than me and seem to have different political views so the ones who said so didn't mind sharing that they were happy Trump won. Then a few proceeded to comment about how stupid young people and the riots are. Since I'm younger it made me feel uncomfortable and angry at the same time. I kept my cool and didn't reply at all because multiple people in the same thread asked that politics not be brought into it. 

I am old - very old - and I don't think you young folks are stupid.  I do, however, think you could use your advanced education and superior access to information to do SOMETHING.  Even us old stoners managed the occasional sit-in.  :-)

1 hour ago, backgroundnoise said:

This is exactly like Hitler--identify a few groups in your country, blame all the troubles on them, and advocate for their removal.

Trump supporters cannot claim they aren't racist, IMO.  At best, it was tacitly condoned, at worst, they agree with the KKK.  Ignoring that part of his campaign is simply not fathomable to me.

EXACTLY like Hitler? Perhaps your Auntie (who didn't die in the bombing of Dresden) also didn't board a train going thru one of the most progressive cities in Europe, distracting some armed & jackbooted Nazis so my Mum could toss bread & sausage to her former friends & neighbours, who were suddenly behind a barbed wire fence - and soon to disappear.

1 hour ago, random chance said:

Fear-mongering or just common sense? If we don't learn from history we're doomed to repeat it.

I've spent the better half of a century watching this world fuck up spectacularly, and it still isn't as bad as anything my family survived.  Many of you WILL live through this.

[Bookish Jen]

3 minutes ago, Curio said:

I'm so disappointed in my Wisconsin.

This little Cheesehead also has a serious case of the sadz.

[BuckeyeLou]

1 minute ago, MulletorHater said:

I've been seething ever since I've seen postings from people who should know better telling me that I should accept what has happened, join hands in unity and pray for the new president.

This will probably get me kicked out of my church, but I'm not praying for him.  I refuse to turn a blind eye to what is in front of me for the sake of "unity."  Haven't we been gaslighted enough?  Once again, people are choosing to ignore the obvious and want us to do the same.  We're being asked to play nice with a candidate and party that has repeatedly shown it does not have the best interests of others who aren't them at heart.  Hell, they don't even particularly care about the people who continually put them in office, as was displayed by their anger this election season.

How can people demand that those whose very existence is threatened by Drumpf and his horde of haters play nice with them?  I'm sorry, but I don't play those games and never have.  When I went to college, I didn't major in "Yassa, Boss 101."  While they're calling for "unity," it's very telling that Drumpf has yet to address the numerous acts of hatred that have occurred in his name after the election.  Instead, he takes to Twitter to whine about not being treated fairly by people exercising their First Amendment rights (not to burn and damage property obviously).  This is what actor Jesse Williams referred to when he suggested that people like Ms. Lawrence are a part of the problem.  She can afford to sit on her perch of privilege and tell people who feel threatened to "love your neighbor."  Ms. Lawrence, how about taking your privilege butt somewhere and taking a stadium full of seats while the rest of us try to process this.  

Yes!  Thank you for setting out the Truth....Trump&Co. have No interest in helping the "average Joes" who voted for them.  I dont really feel in a "Kumbaya" moment....I feel angry that my fellow Americans dont see what I see: a racist, mysoginist, xenophobic President.  

[sistermagpie]

33 minutes ago, galax-arena said:

 

I'm getting annoyed by all the cries for unity I've been hearing, especially since they mostly come from rich straight white people. They mean well, but are completely tone deaf to the reality that many minorities now find themselves in.

 

Let's face it, calls for unity very often are polite ways of telling minorities to shut up and submit. After Obama was elected, iirc, he considered the responsibility of unity to be on him, the winner. He wanted to reassure others that he actually did mean them well. He didn't just tell the Tea Party to to do it.

Rejecting these calls doesn't have to mean vandalizing your Trump-loving neighbor's car or yelling that Bernie was robbed. It can just mean primarily being on your guard against the genuinely bad things that are being set in motion and being ready to do something in response. And I don't have to feel like I'm being divisive in this because it's not like I have any desire whatsoever to make lives bad for any demographic in the country, even those that voted for Trump.

Though again I am still shocked at peoples' apathy about voting in this past election. There is so much damage that's going to be done that could have been avoided if people who don't want it to happen had basically run an errand on Tuesday.

Edited November 11, 2016 by sistermagpie

[honeydo7]

The name-calling begins again, now that Republicans have labeled Americans protesting the unacceptable outcome of this week's election, " Professional, Un-American Anarchists," but during their GOP Federal Government Shut-Down, when hundreds of their white supremacist allies arrived in DC, vowed to storm the White House, threatening to drag out President Obama, his wife & their daughters  so they could hang that "Uppity N-Word," family........Republican political leaders called that "free speech."  

[Shannon L.]

26 minutes ago, galax-arena said:

I'm a native Californian and I like talking up my home state as much as anyone else. But I'm really tired of hearing people talk up CA like it's this perfect liberal utopia. The truth is that California has a hotbed of conservatism that we can't afford to ignore or else it'll blow up in our faces.

I live in a fairly conservative area and while there are enough democrats to keep the county blue, I've seen many more republican signs than people who don't live here would think.  A couple of days before the election, the house on the corner put up 5 Trump/Pence signs along the strip of land between the sidewalk and street.  I had fantasies of running them over every time I went by.  And yes, there were a ton of Yes on Prop 8 signs, too. 

[windsprints]

Quote

I'm getting annoyed by all the cries for unity I've been hearing, especially since they mostly come from rich straight white people. They mean well, but are completely tone deaf to the reality that many minorities now find themselves in.

I'm completely annoyed by it. On Facebook the "we must all unite and stand behind Trump" are coming from people who spent the past (at least) 5 years disparaging President Obama (and The First Lady).  Had Hillary won I would bet none of these people would be calling out for unity. Instead they would be posting all their childish hate memes all over Facebook, all day long. They only want unity now because they don't want any more digging into Trump's lies. LOL, I could be wrong though -  I was God-quoted back when disagreeing & apparently have the devil trapped inside me.

[Constantinople]

The discrepancy between the polls and the actual results reminds me of Mark Twain's "There are three kinds of lies, lies, damned lies and statistics"

[SoSueMe]

I am just incensed that even now the media continues to dignify this guy's 180s as being in the least realistic or believable. 

I mean, really. Lying eyes, lying ears, talk is cheap, etc.etc. etc. 

[glowlights]

52 minutes ago, Jaded said:

 

 

I love you so much for this right now!!!! A laugh was sorely needed.

Did someone mention North Korea? Trump has already spoken eloquently on the subject:

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/06/donald-trump-north-korea-nukes-224385

[galax-arena]

The CEO of Grubhub is facing backlash for sending an anti-Trump email to employees.

This was part of Maloney's email:

Quote

“While demeaning, insulting and ridiculing minorities, immigrants and the physically/mentally disabled worked for Mr. Trump, I want to be clear that his behavior - and these views, have no place at Grubhub. Had he worked here, many of his comments would have resulted in his immediate termination.”

...

“If you do not agree with this statement then please reply to this email with your resignation because you have no place here,” he wrote. “We do not tolerate hateful attitudes on our team.”

So now Trumpers are throwing a fit and saying that he told all pro-Trump employees to quit. and are brigading his app in the Apple store with one-star reviews. Pretty telling that they feel like being pro-Trump and the stuff that Maloney mentions (i.e. demeaning rhetoric/views towards minorities) are one and the same. But hey, how dare we call Trump supporters racist. 

Anyway, I just downloaded the Grubhub app to show my support.

Edited November 11, 2016 by galax-arena

[bmasters9]

1 hour ago, clb1016 said:

Of course--this is what we expect from Fox.  What about MSNBC, CNN, The NYTimes, WaPo, HuffPo, and all the others?

Probably the other way around from FOX.

[ClareWalks]

14 minutes ago, galax-arena said:

Pretty telling that they feel like being pro-Trump and the stuff that Maloney mentions (i.e. demeaning rhetoric/views towards minorities) are one and the same.

EXACTLY. He's not saying "everyone who voted for Trump, resign." He's saying "anyone who agrees with Trump's *hateful rhetoric* should resign." This really proves that the people who said "I don't agree with what Trump says, but I will vote for any Republican" were full of shit.

[maraleia]

I know this is a small thing but I'm disappointed in all the young actors from Pretty Little Liars (sans Troian Bellisario who has spoken out) who have focused on shilling for their brands and not standing up during this election. They could've helped with the young women vote and they chose to sit this out.

[Tara]

18 hours ago, Constantinople said:

the actual results reminds me of Mark Twain's "There are three kinds of lies, lies, damned lies and statistics"

lol  And that reminds me of a favorite:

Torture numbers long enough and they'll admit to anything.

Edited November 12, 2016 by Tara

[NewDigs]

1 hour ago, magdalene said:

Well, maybe some of the dumb fuckers who voted for Trump will get scared when they start to contemplate America without the safety net of Medicare and Social Security and Disability coverage.  Maybe that will penetrate their tiny brains. I am not holding my breath though.

What makes this especially rich is that the first ones to rise up against Obamacare were pretty much all on Social Security and Medicare.

21 minutes ago, galax-arena said:

Anyway, I just downloaded the Grubhub app to show my support.

Ditto. Gonna click like I never clicked before.

Hope there's a Comments section somewhere.

[ClareWalks]

I keep hearing about how rural voters felt ignored by city folk, like their concerns don't matter, like everyone in cities thinks they're a bunch of backward, racist hicks. Lemme tell ya, folks. I grew up in the WOODS. Northern Wisconsin, to be specific. The nearest town, 8 miles away, had a population of 1,400. The "big city" was 20 miles away and had a whopping 9,000 people. I understand rural people. I know they aren't a bunch of racists, even if there are literally *no* black people for a hundred miles. Sure, there were some racists, but most people in the forests are decent folks.

But here's what: if you don't want people to think you're a racist. DON'T VOTE FOR THE GUY ENDORSED BY THE KU KLUX KLAN. Seriously. How is this so difficult?! Also, the sane, non-racist Republicans should be the FIRST ones denouncing all the hate crimes being perpetrated right now. Otherwise, guess what, you will be lumped in with the racists. Christ almighty.

[Tara]

What makes this especially rich is that the first ones to rise up against Obamacare were pretty much all on Social Security and Medicare.

Quote

What makes this especially rich is that the first ones to rise up against Obamacare were pretty much all on Social Security and Medicare.

Probably because the anti-Obama fearmongers convinced them they would have to pay more for their health care.  Medicare does not have enough benefits on its own, it needs to be supplemented by purchasing additional health care policies.  So, yeah, when you're 75 and on a fixed income, every penny counts.  And when the government decides to take more of your money with a plan that gives "free" health care to people who don't work, I guess that could be frightening to them, since they're too old to make more money.  And especially when they were told, don't worry, your plan won't change.

And I also remember that nonsense going around about death panels, and how with Obamacare, the government would decide which old people get to live.

That's why all this fearmongering going around annoys me.  And everyone says, yeah, but this is true.  That wasn't.  yeah, yeah, yeah.

[random chance]

2 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

I found it reassuring, although it did highlight one hilarious issue that I will bring up the next time I see a Trumper bleating about 'draining the swamp': Trump is taking Gingrich, Giuliani, Christie, Sessions, Bolton and others with him to the White House. He's not draining the swamp, he's just filling it up with older, dirtier swamp water. The failed politicians of the 1990s and 2000s. Either his supporters are blind or stupid... or probably both.

 

1 hour ago, BuckeyeLou said:

I know!!  Gads...Bolton is the Worst!  Newt the Nutter, Rudy Ghouliani  "Make America Great Again"?!  With a bunch of old re-treads and their kooky ideas!?

Remember Trump's stupid talking point about how Hillary had 30 years in politics to fix things and never managed it?

1 hour ago, magdalene said:

Well, maybe some of the dumb fuckers who voted for Trump will get scared when they start to contemplate America without the safety net of Medicare and Social Security and Disability coverage. 

From the looks of it they're dismantling every single safety net we've got. It's going to bite them in the ass hard. Too bad it bites the rest of us as well. 

I don't know anymore what to post where, I guess I should probably move over to the Trump thread soon. It's hard to talk about election anxiety without mentioning him. But meanwhile, since I asked someone earlier to recommend some way of showing solidarity and letting people know I was safe, I've been seeing mentions on Twitter about the safety pin movement.

[molshoop]

1 hour ago, walnutqueen said:

I am old - very old - and I don't think you young folks are stupid.  I do, however, think you could use your advanced education and superior access to information to do SOMETHING.  Even us old stoners managed the occasional sit-in.  :-)

After seeing JFK, Bobby and MLK get assassinated and seeing NIxon get elected, we were frightened like so many of you are now.  Then we got mad and got moving.  America didn't end. Democracy didn't end.  And it wont happen now as long as you don't give up or give in.  Keep protesting. Just bring flowers instead of baseball bats.

[Aquarius]

It occurs to me.  Those who bitch and moan so heartily against "New York elites" just helped elect one of the most recognizable.  Who has mentioned appointing another one of the most recognizable as Attorney General.

Those who voted for change and the outsider will be getting back the likes of Newt Gingrich.

The irony!  It burns!

As for me personally, I cannot keep hate in my heart because it diminishes me.  I cannot sustain anger because it drains me.  No way will I play any fake unity game, though. 

In these days of my blackout on televised news, I've come to realize how much toxicity has crept into my life because of impotent, passive partisan politics.  Sorry, Chris Hayes, you will always be my television husband, but I gotta stay away until I manage to combine watching with doing.  Rachel, righteous indignation goes down real easy between 9 and 10 PM, but like any unchecked indulgence, there is such a thing as too much.  Lawrence, you keep on keeping on but I won't be back until have managed to do something beyond being appalled.  Chris Matthews, you can just disappear.

Like others on this thread, I am dreading the upcoming holidays.  Not because of any Trump supporters in my family, though.  It is because of my father, who was a Hillary supporter.  But he is the epitome of impotent rage (has always been, not just with politics).  He believes being active is watching commentary on television and yelling back.  This is a man who has been railing against Trump since the "Prince of New York" days, who has been railing against Republicans since Reagan broke the air traffic controller strike, who has been railing against Democrats (since he became one shortly after Reagan's action) for not being "tough" enough, who has been railing that Obama should "give it back to them!!" since the man was elected and considers that presidency a failure because he didn't  . . . ugh . . . I don't necessarily disagree with any of it (except the Obama part), but I am just not in a place right now where I can deal with all that useless, actionless, indulgent, righteous anger.  I just can't.

I think the current state of affairs is because this is what so many people do - pick a side and then just sit back and bitch.  About the other side, about their side, about all of "them."  As if our government isn't ours.  As if this process isn't ours.  As if there is nothing people can do other than bitch and moan and complain and then shrug and say "What can you do?"  Like the political system is the weather.

I don't know what I can do at this point.  But I know what I cannot do.  I cannot sit back and complain and moan and get angry and give away my power.  If I chose to sit back, I'll sit back and not complain.  I've decided that I'm not entitled to anger unless I do something with it.  I can't blame others for what I haven't done myself.

I'm still so disgusted, and stunned, and yes, angry . . . but I am also very frustrated with all the armchair quarterbacks out there,  including myself.

Edited November 11, 2016 by Aquarius

[maraleia]

I have to figure out a way to get the dark cloud over my head to disappear. The top of my head aches and as I said upthread I can't sleep or concentrate on much of anything right now. I feel like the next four years are going to be like Voldermort taking over Hogwarts during Harry, Hermoine and Ron's final four years at the school.

[ari333]

I thought the whole point of this thread is to share anxiety and feelings. That's what people are doing.

If I don't want to read it, I'll click another thread.

[ClareWalks]

Has anyone else been having a hard time socially this week? Our town has a preschool "indoor playground" thing, and I didn't take my son to it all week (we usually go all the time) because I don't want to face the other SAHMs who probably voted for Trump. So to get out of the house, all I've done is go to the store a few times, and when the clerk asks how I'm doing, I say "....I'm okay." Normally I cheerfully say I'm great. 

[Macbeth]

Gore Vidal’s speech before the 2004 presidential election.  A letter to the next president of the United States:

“Mr. President if you are going to be of any use to us at all the nation or the globe that it uneasily holds hostage, you will have to tame the American military.  50 years ago Harry Truman replaced the old republic with the national security state whose sole purpose is to wage… ‘Perpetual war for perpetual peace.’

Although we regularly stigmatize other societies as rogue states, we ourselves have become the largest rogue state of all.   We honor no treaties.  We spurn international courts.  We strike unilaterally wherever we choose.  We bomb, invade, subvert other states.

All though we the people of the United States are the sole source of legitimate authority in this land, we are no longer represented in congress assembled.  Our congress has been hijacked by Corporate America and its enforcer the Imperial Military Machine.

So Mr. President, if you want to make some difference, start now to reign in the war lords.  Be like Teddy Roosevelt.   The bosses of New York said ‘We bought him, but he didn’t stay bought.’   Use your first term to break the pentagon.  Forget about a second term, because should you succeed on the other side of the Potomac, you will be a hero to we the people.

Should you fail or worse do nothing, you could be the last president, by which time History will have ceased to notice the United States and all our proud rhetoric will have been reduced to an ever diminishing echo.  Let us try not to let this happen.”

I have been obsessed with this quote for the last few days.  President Obama might actually be the last legitimate President of the US.  When the stock market bounced back after the initial horror of Trump being elected - I realized that our Corporate Masters understood they could work with the US being a banana republic.  They are used to working with banana republics, having created so many across the globe.

I apologize for the bold - I wanted to highlight Gore's quote as he is the most important writer on American Politics -  IMO. And he saw this coming.

Edited November 11, 2016 by Macbeth

[Revlonred]

4 minutes ago, ClareWalks said:

Has anyone else been having a hard time socially this week? Our town has a preschool "indoor playground" thing, and I didn't take my son to it all week (we usually go all the time) because I don't want to face the other SAHMs who probably voted for Trump. So to get out of the house, all I've done is go to the store a few times, and when the clerk asks how I'm doing, I say "....I'm okay." Normally I cheerfully say I'm great. 

Yes :(

[Chaos Theory]

I find it ironic that the cries for unity are coming from the same people who spent eight years trying to get Obama unseated.    Now they want calm acceptance.  

[Tara]

Why is everyone leaving out Sarah Palin?  lol

She was the biggest, dumbest fearmongerer of all!  I can still picture her saying Obama pals around with terrorists!  Obamacare will have a death panel and decide if you're life is worth saving!

I think, though, when she really floored me with her stupidity was when she hosting some kind of reality thing on TV and making S'mores with some kids.  She commented, on what she thought was some clever dig at Michele Obama's plan to get kids to eat healthy, "This is in honor of Michele Obama, who said the other day that kids shouldn't get dessert."

[ClareWalks]

1 minute ago, Revlonred said:

Yes :(

*cyberhug*

[maraleia]

2 minutes ago, Revlonred said:

Yes :(

Me too. I haven't left my house since Tuesday night (I work from home) but I am going to get some take out for dinner later. Most of Chicago is crushed that she lost the electoral college vote. We feel so alone here in the Midwest and I bet the other blue cities do as well, even in the states that turned red this year.

Also, I've decided to ignore DC for his entire time in office except to follow what the Dems in Congress are doing. I can't get the horrible image of them in DC and the White House out of my head. The loss of the culture that the Obama's brought to the nations capitol will be astounding.

Edited November 11, 2016 by maraleia

[Revlonred]

I think hugs all around.

[Aquarius]

1 minute ago, ClareWalks said:

Has anyone else been having a hard time socially this week? Our town has a preschool "indoor playground" thing, and I didn't take my son to it all week (we usually go all the time) because I don't want to face the other SAHMs who probably voted for Trump. So to get out of the house, all I've done is go to the store a few times, and when the clerk asks how I'm doing, I say "....I'm okay." Normally I cheerfully say I'm great. 

Yes.  As another poster said upthread, I've been avoiding all humans save my husband.

I had to go into the office yesterday, and I actively avoided engaging in conversations.  I really only had one that was not business-related, with the nice man in the cafeteria who makes my Thursday AM omelette.

Him:  And how are you doing today?

Me:  I've been better.

Him:  Sorry to hear that.  Last we talked you had that cold.

Me:  Oh, yeah.  Thanks for asking.  Physically I'm much better.  Emotionally, not so much.

Him:  I hear that.  I hear that.  That's all we'll say.

It made me feel better, even if we were talking in code. 

No one else brought up the election (even in code), but I had decided if they did I was going to just outright say I wasn't going to talk about it.

[NewDigs]

24 minutes ago, Tara said:

Probably because the anti-Obama fearmongers convinced them they would have to pay more for their health care.  Medicare does not have enough benefits on its own, it needs to be supplemented by purchasing additional health care policies.  So, yeah, when you're 75 and on a fixed income, every penny counts. 

Interesting. The protesters looked, to me, to be more of the "I got mine go fuck yourself, brown people" ilk. They appeared to be cut from the same TeaParty racist cloth, imho.

My only complaint about the ACA is that it didn't go far enough. But those compassionate conservatives have to clutch every possible last extra penny. To ensure that they keep theirs. And the insurance companies maintain a healthy profit margin.

Oh well, back to the ER for some 20 million people.

Palin was a real champ drumming the Death Panels drum. When it's a conversation everyone should have with their physician. If they're lucky enough to have one. And be prepared to hear the words "Quality of Life".

[Revlonred]

3 minutes ago, maraleia said:

 

Also, I've decided to ignore DC for his entire time in office except to follow what the Dems in Congress are doing. I can't get the horrible image of them in DC and the White House out of my head. The loss of the culture that the Obama's brought to the nations capitol will be astounding.

This has been in my head as well.  I do not want to ever see them in the White House.  It is unreal, except it is.  

[ClareWalks]

I've already decided when I go back to the indoor playground and someone asks me how I'm doing, I'm gonna speak up. I want to know straight up which moms to avoid. I am fortunate to be physically intimidating enough that nobody will bully me about it. But if someone asks me "how are you?" I will tell them with eye contact "last week's election was a real kick in the tits, to be honest. I'm super bummed." I refuse to do the polite social dance with people who are potentially hateful. I wanna know what I'm dealing with!

[SoSueMe]

1 minute ago, Tara said:

Why is everyone leaving out Sarah Palin?  lol

She was the biggest, dumbest fearmongerer of all!  I can still picture her saying Obama pals around with terrorists!  Obamacare will have a death panel and decide if you're life is worth saving!

I think, though, when she really floored me with her stupidity was when she hosting some kind of reality thing on TV and making S'mores with some kids.  She commented, on what she thought was some clever dig at Michele Obama's plan to get kids to eat healthy, "This is in honor of Michele Obama, who said the other day that kids shouldn't get dessert."

I remember all of that.

I had foolishly put Trump in the same category as clueless, venal Palin. I expected him to go down in flames and become an even bigger national punchline. Thank goodness I recognized the threat enough that I did vote HC so at least I can live with myself. But, to the last gasp I never thought he would win.