Thread Drift

[Eden]

I'll admit my first reaction was just wanting to throw up and then to hide under the covers and fantasize that someone would find a big box of uncounted ballots from Pennsylvania... but I've been forced to take a big deep breath and remember

- We survived 8 years of G. W. Bush... we can survive four years of this. There will be setbacks and things will happen that we don't like, but we can still oppose them and we'll get through it. We've got 4 year terms and separation of powers in our government in part to limit the amount of damage any one office holder can do. If anything this can be a serious wake up call and an inspiration for the next term - don't take anything for granted and every vote counts.

- Our friends, neighbors and neighborhoods haven't suddenly changed and the people who supported you before haven't gone away. At least up here, which I will admit is insulated, being one of the bluest districts, in a blue city, in a blue state, it hasn't changed overnight. The people here are still the same and we will continue to be progressive. It may become more expensive as we won't be able to rely on federal dollars for the next few years, and we'll have to fight all the more for what we think is right, but again we'll get through it and we won't change. I feel for those who live in places where some people now feel free to publicly express racism, sexism, homophobia and other bigotries, but now, I guess, it's been made very clear how shallow it was buried and how easy it was to make it all surface again. Hopefully it will inspire more people to speak out and fight - and not just locally - here it's preaching to the choir...

- This was not a mandate - it wasn't even a majority.... It was closer than I like to think about, but the popular vote still went the other way. I believe it's absolutely time to rethink the use of the Electoral College. It's an outdated system that was made when a majority of voters were illiterate and communication was measured in day-weeks-months rather than milliseconds... This is the second time in my lifetime that I've seen a president elected without winning the popular vote. I think change is most certainly needed.