This election was a major point in the history of this country and I believe that we are drawing all of the wrong lessons from it. In an attempt to support the normal rule of law we are ignoring all of the irregularities that were a part of this election and the elections leading up to this one. In doing so, we are destroying everything about this country that we believe is special. We are also affirming all of the bumps and the warts that we’ve hidden for too long. We needed to come out of this election with a solid path forward that included a national conversation about race, about religion, and about the male/female divide.

Our country was built on the backs of our black brothers and sisters. Our country was built in the destruction of the great people who were here before we were. They didn’t have the same technology.  They were fewer in number, darker in skin and they died.

Sidelight Just today a strong Trump supporter was talking about how we need to maintain Cultural Continuity – his example was that he asked someone why all the Greek statues were blond haired when the Greek people were darker – they said that is what 400 years of Turkish invasion gets you. The lesson he was speaking of was in keeping out all of the darker skinned people. The lesson he was talking about was not mixing the races. This man could serve in Trump’s administration.

Sidelight During the RNC National Convention a Republican said that the “others races” hadn’t contributed the way the white Europeans had. That those “other races”  had in fact never made a solid contribution to the world. This is so epically false – but that it was said and is believed is not the America I know.

The Electoral College was established around what to do with slave owning states now we are using it to disenfranchise those same voters but that is inconsequential – right?

Voter suppression played a role – we are beginning to see the picture of how big a role it played. In the states that Trump won where he wasn’t expected to we know that those who were disenfranchised – who were blocked from voting through republican tactics that they openly admitted –  would have made a difference. They meant to block voters so they could win. They succeeded but we can’t prove a negative right? This was the first election without full protections of the voter rights act, but that didn’t make a difference – right?

The Russians actively intervened in this election – we know that – we know that they were responsible for hacking the DNC. We know that they were responsible for hacking Hillary Clinton’s campaign chair, John Podesta. We know that the Russians leaked this through WikiLeaks. We know that they doctored some of the emails that were released, feathering fake information in with the real. We know that the Russians were communicating with the Trump organization during the election. We know that Trump denied any connection with the Russians during the election. We know that Trump lied about his connections with Putin during the election “season”. We know that Trump’s son said that they were very mixed in with the Russians financially. We know that there is a lot that we don’t know about Trump’s businesses because no on during this entire time has forced answers about this. But Trump won and we should just move forward, right?

The FBI broke protocol during this election season. FBI Director, James Comey, broke protocol when he found nothing worthy of prosecution against Hillary Clinton and then railed against her. We know that the Republicans ordered an emergency hearing as soon as that conclusion was made. We know that Director Comey’s break with protocol led to continued “doubts” about Hillary Clinton. We know that the Comey letter was both a breach in protocol and that it had an effect on the election, throwing it to Trump. We know that the FBI was in contact with the Trump campaign during this time. But Trump won and we should just move on, right?

The media gave Trump over $2 Billion in free media. They showed rally after rally that echoed with chants of lock her up, lock her up. We didn’t see many Hillary rallies, not because she didn’t have them but the only thing interesting out of them was if she attacked Trump, right? Every time they talked about Hillary Clinton there was a negative connotation. This is fact. They did not do the same with Trump. When someone is called dishonest, untrustworthy, a flawed candidate over and over again it has an impact. When lies are allowed to stand as fact because there are too many lies to cover and yet the lie teller was not called liar or dishonest, or untrustworthy or a flawed candidate it has an impact. But Trump won and we should just move on, right? But Trump won and we should just move on, right?

The media did not cover policy during this election. Trump had little or none and whatever he said was subject to change without notice and so the media just did not cover policy. I don’t know how many time I heard that it would be nice if they could cover something else, but Trump dominated. They spoke as if they had no choice on what they covered so they did not cover Hillary’s policy. The best we got was the media and the pundits laughing at Hillary Clinton for being a “wonk” for having such a detailed agenda. They essentially said it was impossible to cover because there was so much there. Now they tell us that she didn’t have a strong message. Now they tell us that she did not have a policies that would have made a difference in the life of everyday America. Now they tell us she did not connect because she was flawed. The media is not taking responsibility for their coverage and how it impacted this election. But Trump won and we should just move forward, right?

The media did not cover the massive conflicts of interest that we are now facing with a Trump administration. They brushed off not being able to get information. They brushed off the need to get information. Trump would not release his taxes – oh well – we asked about it. The media didn’t dig. I know that there were some exceptions but as a rule the media followed Trump’s scandal of a day because that was what was fun, that was what got ratings and that was what allowed them access to Trump. The media, in it’s apparent need for equality, continued to cover Hillary’s emails because they were being bullied into covering it. The media allowed the Clinton Foundation to be made into a huge scandal because the fringe pointed and there must be something there. Why would people give millions of dollars to help the world. Why would the Clinton’s not take advantage of that – but there was never a why there. There were accusations of pay to play but there was never anything more than allegation and most especially no what did someone gain. There was some general hand waving – Bill Clinton was paid for speaking or paid for consulting and for that people also go the privilege? of donating lots of money to the Foundation which saved lives and made people’s lives better. Now does anyone think that Bill Clinton wouldn’t have given those speeches or done that consulting if people did not give money to the Foundation? So what was the issue – no one could ever define that. Bill Clinton did what ex-Presidents do in giving speeches and he created a Foundation that saved lives and made the world better. The media admitted that there was no there there but it  was something that could be attacked. It felt wrong because the media and the Republicans made it fell wrong because it was the Clintons. Trump did much worse. There were real indications of his Foundation being corrupt, but.. There were calls to shut it down, to keep Chelsea from involvement but there was never any concerns or calls for the Trump business to be shut down. Now Trump’s kids will run the company because you wouldn’t want them to not be able to make money, right. But Trump won and we should just move forward, right?

The media has not covered the truth about where this country really is – the progress that has been made. The cover the lies and the Republican message of we are in despair because it makes for better news. They have not dug into Republican obstruction. They have allowed an alternate reality to be developed. They have allowed science to be questioned and denied. They have allowed lies to be equal to fact. They did not even cover, in any substantive way, how their role has been minimized, how they have been made lesser. But Trump won and we should just move forward, right?

The Republicans have waged a war of obstruction during President Obama’s term of service – no infrastructure funding, no immigration reform, no supreme court vacancies, not even appointments to serve in President Obama’s administration, few judges appointed, blocking supreme court vacancy, no compromise. The judges not filled will be approved and quickly now, you can be sure of that and it will be with people who will have an ideological bent, you can be sure of that. The Republicans worked less and less. They did less and less. This was covered at best as a side story. Now they can come forth as heroes and do all of the things that President Obama was asking for and they can be seen as a success. But Trump won and we should just move forward, right?

I’m sure I’m missing many important factors but what I can say is that there was an incredible force arrayed against the possibility of a Clinton Presidency. There was an incredible force arrayed against a female seeking power. There has been an incredible force arrayed against changes that allow women the right to vote, black and brown citizens the right to vote. There has been an incredible force arrayed against changes that allow black to marry white, white to marry Asian, men to marry men, women to marry women. There has been an incredible force arrayed against changes that allow women to control what happens within their bodies – to have children or not at their will not the will of their husbands. There has been an incredible force arrayed against those who protect the separation of church and state – who say that the changes happening in our country are an affront to god. There has been an incredible force arrayed against black and brown people fighting for the right to live equally – to not be shot by the police or harassed by the police. But Trump won and we should just move forward, right?

There has been an incredible force arrayed against our Democracy. By not questioning all of the above we are allowing our Democracy to die. An unquestioning coming together for a transition of government may not be the right thing when the other candidate won the popular vote and there were so many factors that should be questioned. We need to know that our President was duly elected and not put into place by other external forces.

What I see is not Democracy and that scares me more than you can know. But Trump won and we should just move forward, right???