The 2016 election: A Democrat’s lament

Many are attempting to normalize Donald Trump’s behavior as a coping mechanism.

How could this happen that Donald Trump the reality star and marketer beat Hillary Clinton, a respected worldwide figure? The conversation in my circle has been that nobody likes to lose, but even less, to this guy. Last year seems like a reality show too preposterous to ever be aired.

Terms like “blue wall” or “silent Trump voters” are now part of the lexicon as we are all now political experts. Of course, the arrival of the fake news phenomena has gotten so bad that President Obama spoke of its’ negative impact.

I have been a cable junkie for many months. My wife would scream at the television after every false or inappropriate comment made by Trump or a surrogate. Of course, my friends all agree with me. However, when I visit my local coffee shop, it is the opposite. They all agree, just not with me. We are more strident and unbending in the last few years. Two Americas in a Plantation eatery. This, even in a dark blue county.

In the past Americans would disagree respectfully based on the facts. Now, we cannot get anybody to agree on what the facts are. We have been choosing sides as a nation with more intensity. This is based on geography, educational level, race, and income level.

For the last number of years Americans have become increasingly angrier. Trump recognized this problem and exacerbated it. He is the political pied piper and vessel of that anger. This anger is borne out of being non-accepting of our differences. Elections, if hopeful, look to improve the future for our next generation. This does not occur by inspiring fear and division. Blaming ethnic groups for the woes of some reinforces stridency.

Trump adviser, Steve Bannon, specializes in that division. Conspiracy theories about almost everything make the president-elect more like a sore loser, rather than a winner. The 2016 election proved that anger trumped all relevant issues.

Many are attempting to normalize Trump’s behavior as a coping mechanism. It has become a survival technique to get through the day. But we must never normalize bad behavior. It is not acceptable in our kids, nor in a president. I understand that we now exist in a “new normal,” but it is not normal. For example, you cannot be for or against racism. We must stand against it whether in a racial or economic form.

Only 57 percent of eligible voters participated in the presidential election. Millennials hold mostly different views than their elders, which becomes more relevant as they have passed the baby boomer generation in sheer numbers. They sat home.

What is my hope for the future? I would like a nation to be civil and agree to disagree. I would like us to embrace technology with an understanding that nothing will be the way it was 40 years ago. Maybe we could agree on the same set of facts. I hope we reach the point that we spend time on those things that unite us rather than unimportant distractions that divide us.

That is my New Year hope.