Post Election Rant: Can ‘We’ Unite Now?
Contributed by: William T. Hoston, associate professor of political science
Most political science professors won’t say this in an open forum but I’m glad that the 2016 presidential election is over. This polarizing election cycle brought out the worse in the American people — even more than 2008 and 2012. In the quest to vote for the lesser of the two evils, “We The People” showed just how evil “We” can be.
My main point here is, what “They” have done in this election cycle shouldn’t have any bearing on how “We The People” treat each other. We emotionally invested in a dangerous form of democracy. “We” voted for her because some despised his comments about Hispanics, Muslims, Immigrants, black Americans, and women. “We” voted for him because some believed she couldn’t be trusted after the Benghazi attacks and email debacle. To compensate for their inadequacies, our job as human beings was (and continues to be) to safeguard American democracy and maintain collective harmony to move this country forward and avoid a new civil war. Instead of accomplishing this goal, the intent behind the cast of our votes propelled the notion that “We” are not the “United” States of America (USA) and never will be.
Now after the damage has been done, I have to ask: Did “We” really care? Did “We” really, really care enough to avoid further dividing this country? This election tore a scab off of the wounds of discrimination, racism, misogyny, sexism, and xenophobia and then showed how capitalism can speed the healing for a certain faction of the country. In the best of all possible worlds, two qualified candidates would have led the two major parties. But “We” all know, but “We” all will not say, that neither one of the two presidential nominees were the most qualified from the pool of candidates in this election cycle. “We” could argue that John Kasich or Bernie Sanders would have been better for the country. However, “We” were left with him and her. The Republican nominee was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He has lived the Life of Riley. In comparison, the Democratic nominee became FLOTUS, U.S. Senator, and U.S. Secretary of State without ever stomping the ground as a state or local official. But to be clear, she should have been elected.
So, who are “We” really fooling? Half of the voting population voted for him to become the 45th president of the United States of America because they were voting against her. Some reading this will say that they couldn’t vote for the Democratic nominee because she was just too [fill in the blank]. Others will say, they couldn’t vote for the Republican nominee because he was just too [fill in the blank]. Trust me, I get it. I once thought that the election and presence of the first black president in American history would change the complexion of this country but it’s still black and white and red all over.
This brings me back to my original point, is this the best American electoral politics has to offer? Why did “We” let these presidential nominees further divide “Us”? Franklin D. Roosevelt who transformed the presidential office is rolling over in his grave knowing that a neo-fascist, billionaire used car salesman and a rebranded, neo-liberal knockoff had the USA in a political frenzy. Each nominee played an essential role in dividing the country and the winner is ill-equipped to heal it.
“But to be clear, she should have been elected.” Says who? The two million more people who voted for her? She picked up those votes in the suburbs of NYC alone. Don’t kid yourself – the better candidate won. When Louisiana flooded, who was the candidate that offered aid and support? Hint: not Hillary. When our country was memorializing the nearly 3,000 souls who died on 9/11 this year, who was the candidate that fainted and was dragged into their van to escape the press spectacle? Hint: not Trump. When you realize that for all your liberal, progressive genius that you got it so totally wrong this election cycle, then maybe you will begin to understand that “he” should have been elected – and “he” was.