There’s a lot that I want to say about the election. A lot. But, mostly, I just want to mourn the opportunities we had, the chances we’ve squandered as a society. It is, honestly, hard for me to believe that in three election cycles we saw two of the most qualified, competent, and prepared women in history run for the presidency and come within a hair’s breadth of winning only to lose to the single most unqualified, incompetent, and unfit man in history. Was it the (sub)conscious misogyny latent in American culture that stole these elections from us? Or are we, as a society, just that stupid to fall for the same con man twice?

I genuinely do not understand how we have arrived at this point in time. It’s improbable, right? Like, how did this happen… again?

We got here because of the slow, methodical erosion of our government and the lionisation of pop-culture personalities. It’s difficult to see and appreciate in real time, but this has been ongoing for so long, it’s also difficult to not see it in hindsight.

Republicans have been trying to destroy the federal government for decades and whenever Democrats are in power, they routinely do not mitigate the damage Republicans have done. Look at the Department of Education, for example. Perennially underfunded and ignored, this is one of the single-most important federal agencies in the United States for election outcomes. An un- or undereducated populace can’t vote in its own best interests if it doesn’t know how the governmental system works, what individual bills/laws do, and/or how the effects of policy and legislation impact its daily life. Disasterous policies from tying funding for schools to student test scores to charter school voucher programmes, all implemented by Republicans and Republican administrations, have been left in place by Democratic governments. Why? I’m not entirely sure, but I’ve talked about this before here, over and over.

How on Earth did the electorate look at the Insurrection of January 6, 2021 and not see Donald Trump for the stochastic terrorist that he very much is? I have so many unanswered questions.

Was it the Israeli war in Gaza/Palestine? Was it just blatant and aggressive misogyny? Was it the xenophobia and racism endemic in the US? Was it trans rights? Was it… was it literature? Or us gays? Was it merely the pervasive, caustic shortsightedness of the electorate? Was it immigration? Was it economic factors like inflation, housing, and/or interest rates? Because, I mean, individually none of these are good excuses to vote for a convicted felon and rapist who idolises Adolf Hitler, denigrates people of colour, and vociferously disparages the men and women who’ve volunteered to serve in our military. Even together, these issues do not—no matter how you feel about them—form a rational reason to vote for the Trump/Vance ticket and I just do not understand how anyone could look at the facts, the issues, and the candidates, taking into account past performance, and come to the conclusion that Trump is the better of the two choices we had for the presidency in 2024.

Does the US just really want to live in a Project 2025 world?

We are a nation of immigrants, both legal and illegal, and we depend on both for our prosperity and security. Without immigration the entire agricultural landscape of the United States collapses. With no one to pick the crops, food rots in the field. With no one to clean the rooms, hotels stand vacant and events go unattended. With no one to do the work, construction—both commercial and residential—grinds to a complete halt, thereby exacerbating the housing shortage/crisis and inflating prices even higher than they are now.

The Biden/Harris Administration has pulled off the single-most difficult economic manoeuvre of all time: The Soft Landing. Yes, inflation is a problem. No, it was not caused by domestic policy. Yes, it is a global phenomenon. BUT, the United States is doing much better than the rest of the world—not just the developed countries, either—when it comes to curtailing inflation and lowering prices. And they avoided a recession in doing so. Do these people want a recession?!

Palestinian self determination and security is a very real issue that has plagued the Western World for, literally, 80+ years. Ever since the end of WWII and the establishment of the Israeli state by the British Government beginning with the Balfour Declaration. October 7th was a horrific attack on Israel’s national sovereignty and its populace. And while I have sympathy for those directly effected by the attacks, I do not believe that Benjamin Netanyahu and his ultra-right-wing coalition government have the right to commit genocide in Gaza, attack the West Bank, or to launch attacks into Lebanon as a result. However, Israel remains one of the United States’ closest allies in the region. Should President Biden have cut off military aid to Israel after the initial violations of human rights, war-time laws, and the US’s own policies and conditions on military aid? ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY. However, that he didn’t is not a reason to vote against Kamala Harris and in favour of Donald “Muslim Ban” Trump! That’s just patently ridiculous.

Trans Rights are Human Rights. I’ll say it again: Trans Rights are Human Rights! And no amount of Christian-nationalist, regressive, heteronormative patriarchy can ever negate that. The right and freedom (i.e., “Liberty”) to live an authentic, self-determined life and to do as thou wilt with one’s own body are sacrosanct! Why and how do these right-wing extremists, these inconsolable, nosey snowflakes even care what someone else is doing within their own life? How does it affect anyone else? And in what ways is that causing right-wingers harm? Because if it isn’t that… what?

I don’t know. I do not know…

There has never been a rational, fact-based, honest and earnest explanation made to me or in any of the news media that I consume about why or how Donald Trump is a better choice for the leadership of the world’s only superpower. For christ’s sake, the man wants to pull the United States out of NATO and dissolve the post-WWII world order that has maintained relative peace and security throughout the international community for the last 80+ years! HOW IS THAT A VIABLE, REASONABLE POLICY POSITION?!

Nevermind that Trump is the most unchristian candidate for office in modern history. Nevermind that he espouses and embodies behaviour antithetical to the teachings of Jesus. Disregard this charlatan’s blatant disrespect of, literally, all of Christendom. No, forget all of that. The teachings of Jesus are “woke” now and, as I’m sure you’ve heard said, “wokeness” is weakness.

I am so angry. I am so disappointed. And I am so confused.

I thought we were better than this.