I voted for Hillary and lost, but this post isn't about me.
It's about you: stop bitching. The protests and riots that have been happening in Seattle and elsewhere are misguided. I get your frustration. I get your concern for the future. But you're doing it wrong. Democracy worked on Tuesday. It didn't give us the outcome we expected, but it did, in fact, work. There were no massive voting fraud issues. There was good turnout. Democrats lost, and lost dramatically, but the loss was fair. Women didn't shatter the glass ceiling, but came damn close and have reason to be proud.
Protesting the outcome of the election means to protest democracy, and Americans are better than that.
Now that the election is behind us, what do we do? Do we unfriend our friends who have opposing viewpoints? Do we refuse to call Mr. Trump our president? Do we move to Canada? No, we should do none of these. These are childish knee-jerk reactions from an electorate that has become too polarized and too uncompromising on both sides of the isle. This refusal to compromise, this refusal to meet your fellow citizen half way, this is how countries are torn apart.
Instead, we need to make it work. Forget that you are a democrat or a republican. Come together, talk to each other. Listen to each other. Understand points of view different from your own. This is only the 13th time in American history the same party has controlled both branches of congress and the presidency. It is a rare opportunity to sidestep gridlock, and democrats need to be a constructive part of the conversation. America needs open dialog from both sides of the isle to arrive at a healthy balance. There needs to be mutual understanding and respect, so we can meet in the middle and be comfortable with the results.
Over the last few days Mr. Trump has been thoughtful, polite, and I'll say it: presidential. I don't know if this is the real Donald Trump or an act, but it gives me hope that he can, in fact, make rational decisions for the country. His first 100 day plan sounds reasonable. I read scattered reports of Trump supporters bullying minorities. I hope they see this New Gracious Trump and follow his example.
This election has whipped us up into a frenzy of hyperbole and thankfully it is over. It's time we act like adults, engage in rational dialog, and get back to work.