In the wake of Donald Trump’s election, there are a lot of
emotions taking hold. Supporters are gleeful, if not perhaps a little bit
shocked themselves. Some may see him as a Godsend of an alternative to the
partisan establishments. Others see him as a reprieve from what they consider
the loathsome Obama years. Of course, on
the left, there is sadness and horror. How could someone as pompous and
disgusting be chosen as president? Can we trust him with the nuclear codes? We
see the scatterplot of triumph and dismay apparent in every conversation you’ve
heard since Election Day and in your social media feed. With much speculation
about where America goes from here, this what I think to be a reality.
From a legal and legislative perspective, chances are that
not much will change. With a Republican-controlled Congress and White House,
there is a great potential for some policymaking that conservatives might
champion. But with that said, I don’t think you can expect massive rollbacks in
laws that exist. Obamacare comes to mind. They’ve tried to repeal it dozens of
times since 2009, and it always fails. The truth is that there are millions of
people that actually benefit from it despite rising premiums and whatever your
racist cousin might say about it all. And these beneficiaries fall both in the
liberal and conservative spectrums. At this point, only two years from midterm
elections, the GOP has a vested interest in holding control over both houses
for as long as possible. The last thing they need is backlash from the working
class costing them conservative votes, as well as energizing Democrats in 2018.
If anything, you’ll see some Republican tweaking of Obamacare, not a repeal.
And maybe, just maybe, red states will now accept the Medicaid expansion money
now that Obama’s cooties aren’t all over it.
I certainly don’t think you will see a lot of real
backtracking on civil rights. Americans are very conscious of this—even
conservatives to some degree. In the age of social media, we are all plugged
in, and we are all watching. Social views are changing, and anytime there is a
threat to civil rights, there is an immediate response. I don’t think the GOP
wants to continue to be the party of archaic social views. They might not want
to go as far as progressivism on these, but they’re not going to undo marriage
equality for gay and lesbian people. Again, they don’t want Democrats energized
for 2018, and they don’t want to be the prejudiced party. Plus, it’s hard to
overturn Supreme Court precedence.
And that’s another element I’m not quite as worried about.
There is an open seat on the Supreme Court. And as you may well know, the
Senate, controlled by Republicans, has obstructed the appointment of a new
justice for the last two hundred-plus days since Antonin Scalia’s death. So
now, as was the plan, they will fill that seat on the bench with another
conservative. But try to understand that though this will be a conservative
pick, he or she will replace another conservative. Really, Scalia was one of
the most conservative justices they had, and yet marriage equality was still
approved. Yes, a conservative majority Supreme Court will sometimes lean right
on certain decisions, but rest assured that they are still bound by the
constitution, and when it comes to equal protection and civil rights, they will
usually rule in favor of American equality.
That being said, I’m a white guy. Almost nothing will change
for me other than not feeling aligned with many of the views of our new
president. But I have no need to fear when I step into public. I won’t be met
with racism and discrimination. I’m a white male raised as a Christian. So my
experience with this election and the days, months, and years to follow will
differ from that of gays and lesbians or Muslim Americans. And I can tell you
that my friends and students who are members of minority groups are frightened.
Can you imagine being a Muslim woman who wears a hijab (head scarf) for your
religion, and feeling afraid enough that you can’t even carry out religious duties?
Muslims, Latinos, gays, lesbians, and African Americans all tell me they’re
afraid. They’re not afraid of what Donald Trump will do. They’re afraid of what
his supporters will do.
That statement isn’t meant to equate Trump supporters in
general with bigots by any means. But consider this: the KKK and the American Nazi Party both
endorsed him. And I think it’s safe to say that there were a lot of actual
racists and bigots that did support and vote for Trump. You can see this in his
rhetoric throughout the campaign. With all the things that he has said about
Mexicans or Muslims throughout his campaign, it’s quite possible that very
little of that aligns with his actual beliefs. He said those things to get
elected. There is no wall. Never was. A real estate developer with contractors
on his speed dial has a year and a half to come up with estimates, dimensions,
and plans for a wall, and right after the election, still has none of those things?
It was just something that some conservatives wanted to hear. The same goes for
his position on Muslims. He’s playing to the cheap seats—the people that
actually believe Sharia Law is coming.
That seems relatively harmless, I know. Oh, maybe he’s not as racist or xenophobic as we thought. Maybe.
Maybe not. I don’t know. That remains to be seen. But here’s what I do know.
There are people out there who voted for him because of that rhetoric, meaning
there are some people out there who hate Mexicans, Muslims, gays, and African
Americans, and they voted for Trump. And since he won, perhaps they feel
represented, and thus emboldened. And for the people in these minority groups,
this is a terrifying thought. Again, before you shrug off this notion, please
take a moment to remember that if you’re not a member of those groups, you
might not understand this the way they do. You haven’t walked in those shoes.
Folks, it’s probably going to be okay. And if you don’t like
the result of this election, get out there and vote next time. But please don’t
perpetuate hate, regardless of your views or who you wanted in office. We are
all Americans. You may feel like you took your country back or you had your
country taken away from you. But this country belongs to all of us.
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