The Year 2046: Charlotte Nunes Elected the 4th Woman President!

This is very "Life Not Lungs" of Kim but just to keep it appropriate on this blog: I'm also doing very well, health-wise. Lung function test last week was the best it's ever been, blood pressure low, lost 50 points on my cholesterol and migraines totally controllable. I've also lost a little bit of the weight I gained last year but the way I've been nervous-eating then comfort-eating the past week, I'm not going to tout that statistic.

I wrote a big ol’ post last Monday night and saved it for adding to and sharing after Hillary’s inspiring win. That will obviously never see the light of day and saddens me to no end. But I want to take a moment to express my gratitude at how many people have reached out to me to see how I’m doing. You’d think I had a lung transplant or something.

There’s much we don’t know: how much of Trump’s support was due to his stoking the fears of the people, how much was the anti-Hillary/anti-establishment vote, how much was his supreme court picks, and how much of it was people thinking he is the best choice for what ails our country. I do know that my that my being upset isn’t sour grapes at losing an election. I’ve worked in politics long enough to know that someone always loses and there’s surprises. I successfully got over the Bush/Gore debacle and that was a situation that was ripe for bitterness at the fate of a nation being decided by a 5-4 vote.

It’s more than being upset at seeing a qualified, smart and tough woman who reflects my values and positions being defeated. It’s what Trump represents that has me in knots. He ran on a platform of hate, of us versus them, of building walls, that women should be subservient to men only because they’re women, and literally beating up those who disagree. If you voted for him, then you come from a place where those things aren’t going to affect you and, in fact, maybe all those things make you feel better about yourself and your lot in life. If you voted for him despite, not because of, these things then the onus is on you to stop the hate rhetoric. I can join the ACLU, donate to Planned Parenthood (in Pence’s name which makes me chuckle), peacefully protest, attend rallies, join my local dems, and blog to my heart’s content. But I’m preaching to the choir (or, dismissed because I’m just a liberal woman, what do I know). It needs to be those people who are angry at the establishment, think he’ll stand up for the little guy (or whatever reason) but aren’t the racist, sexist xenophobes, that need to stand up and tell Trump, the media, their friends that this is not okay. There are real people out there who are scared and hurting and you need to help make it better. And telling people to "come together, get along, give him a chance" is incredibly dismissive to the real and justifiable fear out there.

I know, and so do the majority of voters since they voted for Hillary, that those aren’t American values. I understand that there are real problems out there. Jobs are gone. The 1% wealthiest people make more than the bottom 90% – and some of them don’t even pay their taxes (which seems to garner you a vote but I digress). What people have been entitled to for generations isn’t automatic anymore because there’s others out there that are competing for the very same American dream.  People don’t believe in the same Christian God you do. And there is anger. But equality isn’t going away, and factories aren’t coming back. Your problems are not the fault of those who came after you, or of women who prioritize themselves and their careers over a husband and family or don’t dress in a way you think is sexy. Having faith in a different God or no God at all is part of what makes this country great, not a reason to turn people away.

I’m not sure where to focus my passion for people, love of this country and faith in the arc of justice but it’ll happen. In the meantime, it’s going to be an interesting few years as there will be NO ONE to blame but the Republican Party for what happens next. And I’ll be prepared, just as we’ve done every single time since trickle-down Reagan, to help the next democratic administration pick up the pieces of our broken economy and get us back to a good spot. Of course, we will then get blamed for something hypocritically random, like wanting to read your work emails from home before you head into the office, or get impeached for lying about having an affair or something that the alt-right has told you to believe, and then we’ll start the whole process over again. As a mom, I have good training for getting dumped on like this but I’ll keep on coming back for more because I love the shit out of this country.

I’m proud to have had leaders like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama who have steadfastly remained guiding lights in the face of intense darkness. And I love my village and in these past few days, I’ve heard such strong, beautiful voices represent a moral clarity that will, ultimately, win out. Thanks for being my people, I am honored to stand with you for what’s right.