I am not surprised he won. In fact many of my friends and associates accused me of being a foolish doomsayer but what I saw was great enthusiasm from the core Trump voter and very little enthusiasm from the core Clinton voter.
Trump won the electoral college, but it looks like he lost the popular vote by numbers being projected at 300,000 to 1,000,000 but in the U.S. constitutional system, one I regularly critique as a ridiculous experiment that frequently fails to function, that is how it is.
It appears that he won nearly the same number of voters as Romney did and that Clinton did not come close to what Obama had.
- I wonder who did not show up to vote today. Turnout overall was low in the Democratic Party and turnout in the GOP was about what it has been in the last several campaigns.
- Those who did not show up and who would have preferred Clinton will just have to live with their lack of.....whatever......I hope that they will not have cause to deeply regret their failure to vote.
- I wonder who did show up today. A lot of people from the Trump demographic crowd apparently (largely white male, evangelical, rural, with limited higher education and a great sense of anger, frustration and disappointment). Clinton was strong in the cities and among Hispanics and women...but not in the numbers that were predicted.
- Those who did show up and who deeply wanted Trump will also have to live with their votes and I hope will not have cause to deeply regret their vote.
- Those who wanted Clinton will need to deal with their disappointment and anger and then decide what they will do with both feelings.
The GOP has no place to hide. The White House, the Senate and the House is theirs. They are responsible now for everything that happens. Everything. And I do not envy them the job.
- The international markets are in free fall.
- Condemnation for the results are pouring in from the international community.
- Many who the Trump campaign targeted and in fear, in pain and in panic.
- His campaign promises are vague and generally dismissed by those with expertise in measuring such things.
Perhaps Trump will surprise me. Perhaps he will surprise us all.
But there is nothing in his history, in his words, in his campaign that gives me confidence that this is so.
It is up to him and his cohort to make their case by what they do.
It is up to you who supported him to make the case that he deserves the support of people like myself. He will have to work very hard to do that.
A SIDENOTE: As the night went on I said to those with whom I was watching the results that the outcome in the Senate (with control of the Senate remaining with the GOP) that if the Presidential Race was close it would be impossible for Clinton to govern. Impossible. Four more years of gridlock. Without a mandate from the public, the GOP would block her at every turn. We may be in a situation where only single party rule can work....essentially undemocratic and unhealthy but functionally the only way.
WHERE TO NOW....based on his campaign rhetoric here are some future headlines that would not be surprising....
Millions of people lose health insurance.
Trump orders DOJ investigation of Clinton e-mails and Clinton foundation.
Investment in the U.S. significantly declines.
Trade Wars resulting from U.S. default on trade agreements begin.
Undocumented workers face new threats of deportation.
Progress on reducing greenhouse gases starts to reverse.
Conservatives regain a majority in the Supreme Court, and are poised to expand their influence.
Deficits rise, forcing cuts to programs on which the poor and middle class depend.
Russian aggression in Eastern Europe grows, influence expands
Massive tax cuts benefit the top 10 percent and further gut the middle and lower class
Voter limitations/repression no longer opposed by the federal government
Race crimes increase in frequency as racial tensions rise higher and higher
Roe v. Wade is overturned.
AND SO MUCH MORE....I hope I am wrong. It is Trump's job to prove I am.