You know us. We’d be snarky AF this morning (the “mourning after” to some folks) if that was appropriate, but it’s not. We still have problems, not least of which is the yawning ideological chasm between what appears to be two roughly equal halves of the population. Whether your candidate won or lost, there’s still much to be done. Who knows, with enough effort maybe we can get to a place where moderation and compromise become acceptable. We were trying to decide what to write, then we read the following post by our friend Jon Canipe. Rather than try to compose a response and type it through a bloody-eyed hangover haze, we just copied and pasted his. It’s probably better than what we’d come up with anyway. If we see an equally pithy and responsible comment from an opposing perspective, rest assured we shall post that one too. Mad Duo
Thoughts on the Election Night — Not a New Chapter
Jon Canipe
Today does not mark a new chapter in American history. We may have dodged a bullet the size of a train car, but we’re still bleeding from all of the ones that hit us since 1992.
Millions of Americans will go to work today knowing they’ve still got almost a week’s wages to give away before they get to keep any money for their family this month.
Millions of Americans won’t go to work today, because we reward laziness in this country with other people’s money.
Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, and Airmen are still dying to take ground that their predecessors already fought for, victims not of ISIS or Al Qaida but a failed foreign policy and incompetence of leadership at the highest levels.
Millions of Americans, regardless of political leanings, will get a bill for health care today that is dramatically higher than it would have been before their government “fixed” it for them.
Most damning of all, we will still be as divided when we leave the house this morning as we were last night.
It is not too early to start sending word to President-elect Trump and your representatives at all levels of government that the people have granted them the power to act on their behalf, and if the will of the people is not shown in policy and legislation we will take it back. Right now, today, we should all start to send a signal to the government that accountability for the change we need to survive as a nation and preserve the American dream is not negotiable.
I encourage everyone to contact their representatives, whether you voted for them or not, and let them know it is time to make sure we’re never in the position as Americans that we were this election cycle, and demand the change we’ve been promised for decades.
Last night was the time to celebrate, this morning starts the chance to fix it.
We’ve got Congress. We’ve got the White House. We will have the Supreme Court. If we can’t get it fixed then we deserve to lose it next time. The offices will be full, but the excuse bank will be totally empty.
About the Author: Jon Canipe is a former Special Forces soldier whose current billet involves him Doing Things for Magpul. His views do not necessarily express those of Magpul. Except in the cases where they do.
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Would love there to be a middle ground but that is not the campaign that man ran nor is it what his people want. I am ashamed to be an American now as we are laughing stock of the world and he does represent the America that we can be proud of. Umm no I will not move to another country as I am sure someone will suggest. Lol. Have a life and biz here just hope things don’t come crashing down because of the donald.
I am not ashamed to be an American now… or ever.
Hey Michmike, keep in mind what you and half the nation is feeling right now about Trump is about the same thing that the other half of the nation was feeling about Obama. If we keep going down this path of ever more divisive presidential election, things might start looking hairy in 4 to 8 years. There is a unique moment in time here were half the nation is butt-hurt and the other half still vividly remembers being recently butt-hurt so that a broad spectrum of Americans might find some common ground in reducing the power of the Federal government (as it was originally constitutionally meant to be limited) rather than growing it.
Something I see as hopeful, I’m starting to see talk about the 10th amendment again.
I understand what you are saying but it is not the same because I would have voted for a republican but this man is unstable and and I fail to see how a quarter of the population does not see this. Critical thinking skill are no longer in play here obviously because as bad as Obama may have been he was never never as divisive as Donny is. My 8yo daughter cried when whe heard he won and asked “why would anyone want him he hates girls and he going to send my friends away”. I cannot address that because he has given zero reasons to believe anything else. Yea he like girls honey just the young ones or the unwilling ones. Good lord he is a laughingstock and it cannot be denied.
So let me make sure I understand what you are saying here in that you honestly expect the donald to actually do something to fix these problems? This from the man who can defeat ISIS because he is smarter than the generals or just says the affordable care act is just bad but offers NO suggestions on how to fix it or replace it. I am amazed that you expect that man to have any coherent foreign policy as he will be too busy sexually assaulting the female interns but of course they are all lying and it is the newspapers who are out to get him. Oh wait he admitted to things on tape, oh well who cares right. I am ex-military and the thought of him in charge is an incredibly frightening thing and I am not sure I would be inclined to follow his order even if I was in still. The man is psychologically unstable and yet you expect him to do anything that is going to be helpful. I will be overjoyed if we still have a country in 4 years because he does not apply logic, he just wants to respond when he gets butt hurt like a whinny little bitch. Hillary is far from perfect and I would love to have someone other than her but for God sakes she is mentally stable and we can look for a better candidate in 4 years.
I am not a religious man but I pray we make it through his term and yes contact your representative if only to tell them try to reign ego boy in. God help as we are going to need it.
I know I am going to get shit for my comments but it seems everyone was taken in by that con man and it reminds me of Hitler’s as he also had no plan just said he knew better and then blamed someone else for the county’s problems.
Let’s have it. Lol
Five nailed this. Very close to what I was going to say but without the salty language.
“I encourage everyone to contact their representatives, whether you voted for them or not, and let them know that it is time to make sure we’re never in the position as Americans that we were this election cycle, and demand the change we’ve been promised for decades.”
I’d like to see a great deal of Federal power divested back to the States. This was s critical election. It shouldn’t have been. The system was originally designed to withstand poor presidential choices (and poor congressmen, and crapy governors). But over generations power has shifted from the States to the Federal government, and Federal power has shifted from a balance between three branches to the executive.
If we as Americans really don’t want to face another election like this cycle, then we should look to restore the proper balance of our governments so that any one particular election is no longer so critical.