You know how many candidates I seriously considered voting for this election cycle? Pretty much all of them. So I hold no animosity toward anyone for their vote in this election. The choices we were given weren’t very good. Everyone had to make the best of it. There are a few I know who were quite enthusiastic about their choice, and I’m genuinely happy for them. Would that I could have felt that way, but even the choice I finally made I didn’t feel entirely happy about simply because I knew they had no chance of winning. I don’t like throwing away my vote, even though I’m used to it. Living in Idaho for most of my life even voting with the majority is still rather pointless.
There are a lot of people out there who are upset today. I understand. I’ve been there. Losing stinks, especially when the stakes are so high. I didn’t win, either. The only difference is I knew from the outset I wasn’t going to get my way. I voted not for today but for a future I hope to see unfold. Things have to change, and we all have to find our own way to bring about that change.
There are a lot of people out there who are pleased, or at least relieved, today. I understand that, too. It wasn’t a clear case of which candidate is less evil, let alone which candidate can I support. There were aspects of both major candidates I liked. There were aspects that troubled me greatly. And few of them overlapped. As I watched the returns starting to come in last night I saw that Hillary was ahead. And I was okay with that. Then Trump pulled ahead. And I was okay with that. The only thing worse than this election is this election without end. We have to pick one and go forward. I saw that happening, and it was a relief.
Truth is, no candidate will ever be as good as their supporters believe. And no candidate will be as bad as their detractors claim. It’s probably no secret I’ve not been a fan of Obama’s presidency. I disagree with him on a lot of things–not necessarily his stated goals, but his methods of getting there. But for all that, he’s been a solid supporter of First Amendment rights, even when a large number of liberals have been going well overboard in trying to restrict them. And he and Michelle seem to have done a bang-up job of raising their girls in one of the most harsh spotlights there is. There is good to be found in everyone, and I imagine if I were to actually have the chance to get to know President Obama and his family we could be friends.
Well, now we’re going to get a new president, and one who comes with a lot of baggage. I didn’t vote for him. I didn’t want him. He was perhaps third on my list. In many ways I disagree as much with his methods as I do Obama’s. I question his character and his temperament. But he’s going to be our president, and for now I’m going to give him as much benefit of the doubt as I can muster. Past performance is no guarantee of future results, as my retirement funds warn. And many of the world’s greatest leaders were sub-par most of their lives until they had greatness thrust upon them. Trump could surprise us.
I hope he does. I have hope that what we’ve been seeing thus far is “Campaigning Trump”. If there’s anything I’ve learned about politics is that it really does require one skill set to get elected and a largely different one to govern once you’re there. He showed great skill at fighting, at doing whatever it took to win. The usual Democratic playbook just didn’t apply to him, even when it should have. And, quite frankly, I don’t like the way he fights. But then usually the people who fight like I’d want them to fight don’t get elected.
I’m hopeful that Trump can now adjust to play the role to which he has been elected. I’ve seen a few glimpses of “Presidential Trump” during the campaign, and I hope he can bring that guy back. I hope he can be the guy who gave the victory speech last night.
I could very easily be naïve–or at least be misplacing my hope. I hope he surprises me in a good way. I hope at the end of four years I’ll find myself wishing I’d voted for him. Time will tell. But for now I believe it’s time we got back to being friends and neighbors and give Trump time to realize it’s no longer necessary to play the Fighter. It’s time to let President Trump develop (Oh, good ned, run it together and it sounds like “president rump”!). I’m not going to hold my breath, but I’m willing to sit back now and take a good, deep one. And then another. And another. And another.
Life is going to go on. Everything I had to do when I left work yesterday is still here today. Traffic was still as bad on the commute. My kids still have school. It’s going to be a crisp, clear, fine autumn day outside, just like it was yesterday. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring. Much of what it does bring will come regardless of who won the election, both bad and good.
It’s November 9th, and from what I can see so far, it’s just another day.
I really hope that the United States of America, become it’s namesake again Thom Stratton.
“Truth is, no candidate will ever be as good as their supporters believe. And no candidate will be as bad as their detractors claim. It’s probably no secret I’ve not been a fan of Obama’s presidency. I disagree with him on a lot of things–not necessarily his stated goals, but his methods of getting there. But for all that, he’s been a solid supporter of First Amendment rights, even when a large number of liberals have been going well overboard in trying to restrict them. And he and Michelle seem to have done a bang-up job of raising their girls in one of the most harsh spotlights there is. There is good to be found in everyone, and I imagine if I were to actually have the chance to get to know President Obama and his family we could be friends.”
Thom, that was Prosetry, poetry in prose form. Well said.