Bummed and Blessed by the Same Circumstances

Now that the election is so close, I am working on turning my attitude sunnier than it has been. It occurs to me that I can be bummed and blessed by the same circumstances.

 

I was focused on where Hillary Rodham Clinton and I disagreed on policies when I was so focused on making Bernie Sanders the Democratic nominee for President. While I have never hated Hillary or considered her evil–as far too many do based on far right and far left rhetoric that has been blasted relentlessly for 35+ years–I preferred a candidate with a stronger progressive record and one who was war-weary and war-wary instead of a hawk.

 

But now that we are where we are, and Trump has disqualified himself seven ways from Sunday, I am beginning to look at the upside of a Hillary Clinton Presidency, and I like what I see:

 

Women will be able to hold their heads up in the way that blacks have been holding their heads up ever since the election of Barack Obama, the first black President. That’s YUGE!  That’s historic! That’s going to make me cry! My nieces will not have to be relegated to low-paying “support” roles while men get all but a few of the highest-profile, well-paying ones. Hillary will fight to make sure we get equal pay for equal work.

 

The Democratic Party platform is the most progressive in history. Bernie Sanders and his people made sure of that. I look forward to watching how it gets implemented. If it gets ignored, I will be standing behind another candidate in four years.

 

People have historically always done better economically during Democratic administrations (despite GOP knuckle-dragging and obstruction) than they have during Republican administrations.  We’re coming out of the ditch now as a result of the past eight years of an Obama administration: I don’t want the Republicans putting us back in it with huge tax breaks for multimillionaires and corporations. They don’t need the help; the rest of us do–and we’ve been paying the lion’s share of the taxes since 1980 when “trickle down economics” began urinating on us.

 

So I figure that on November 8th women (and feminist men) can feel like WINNERS or we can lose to a misogynistic sexist whose claim to fame is denigrating women, accosting women and treating them (in his own words) “like shit.”

 

To me, this is a no-brainer. The Electoral College will decide. Right now it looks like Hillary is ahead by more than 5%–and I think the gap will widen as more people realize what a disaster Donald Trump would be for the Republican Party, for America and for the world.  Republican leaders and newspapers are endorsing Clinton. Not a single reputable newspaper has yet endorsed Trump–and some reps who endorsed him earlier have pulled their endorsements. The KKK and American Nazi Party have endorsed Trump. Lovely…

 

It’s looking good for Hillary.  I expect to be relieved on November 8th when the final tally is in. I think we will have a Madam President for the first time in American history. (We’re waaaaaayyyy behind the times. All other developed countries have has female leaders already!)

 

Let’s get this Pantsuit Party started!