Feature image via Joseph Sohm / Shutterstock.com
First, let’s talk about a few good things:
A few progressive victories from the election: minimum wage increases, a few gun control measures, and more legalized marijuana.
Some of the women who won on election night: Catherine Cortez Masto, the first Latina senator in US history; Ilhan Omar, the first Somali-American legislator; and Stephanie Murphy, openly bisexual Kate Brown, Lisa Blunt Rochester, Kamala Harris, and Pramila Jayapal.
Many politicians are, alarmingly, arguing that we need to have an “open mind” or work with the president-elect; Harry Reid is not necessarily one of them, calling Trump a sexual predator who has “emboldened the forces of hate and bigotry.”
One of Trump’s declarations in his 100-day plan is to castigate sanctuary cities, cities that attempt to serve as safe havens for undocumented people, by refusing them federal funding. Seattle’s mayor says the city will remain a sanctuary city anyway.
The ACLU says that if Trump attempts to accomplish the unconstitutional plans he’s proposed, they’ll see him in court.
Protests have rolled out across the US from people who vow to reject Trump’s ideology and fight his plans.
Mayan elders from Guatemala traveled to Standing Rock to support No DAPL.
A judge has ordered bottled water to be delivered to Flint, MI to help the residents there.
A new study looks at the potential for abortion pills to be delivered by mail to people who can’t access clinics.
Now for the bad stuff:
NPR fact checks Trump’s proposed first 100 days.
The KKK plan a rally to celebrate.
As predicted, acts of hate and violence are being reported across the US.
Based on who he’s looking at for his transition team so far, the Trump administration looks very dangerous.
Reports indicate that former Breitbart CEO Steve Bannon may have a job in the White House, with Trump considering him for chief of staff.
Anti-gay National Organization for Marriage has outlined their four-point plan to help Trump overturn legal progess for LGBT people.
+We will work with President Trump to nominate conservative justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, individuals who will adhere to the words and meaning of the constitution. Such justices will inevitably reverse the anti-constitutional ruling of the Supreme Court imposing same-sex “marriage” on the nation in the Obergefell decision, because that decision lacked any basis in the constitution.
+ We will work with President Trump to rescind the illegal, over-reaching executive orders and directives issued by President Obama, including his dangerous “gender identity” directives, attempting to redefine gender just as he sought to redefine marriage.
+ We will work with President Trump to reverse policies of the Obama administration that seek to coerce other countries into accepting same-sex ‘marriage’ as a condition of receiving US assistance and aid. It is fundamentally wrong for a president to become a lobbyist for the LGBT agenda, and we are confident that will end in the Trump administration.
+ We will work with President Trump and Congress to pass the First Amendment Defense Act (FADA), which Mr. Trump supports. FADA is critical legislation to protect people who believe in marriage from being targeted by the government for persecution.
Republicans are eager to try to strengthen torture policies under Trump.
North Carolina voters generally opposed HB2 and may have ousted Pat McCrory as governor, but the state is still so dominated by Republicans that it probably won’t seriously impact the law.
Republicans have vowed they’ll keep investigating Hillary Clinton for alleged crimes.
Far right politicians in Europe are delighted by a Trump presidency.
Donald Trump will be a nightmare in terms of climate change.
Rachel, this is so essential. Thank you for doing this hard work for us.
Oh Rachel. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thanks, Rachel. I hope you’re taking care of yourself while you work to bring us all this terrifying news.
this is so kind, thank you
I keep waking up every morning thinking this can’t be reality.
“All these advantages will happily combine in the plan devised by the convention; which is, that the people of each State shall choose a number of persons as electors, equal to the number of senators and representatives of such State in the national government, who shall assemble within the State, and vote for some fit person as President. Their votes, thus given, are to be transmitted to the seat of the national government, and the person who may happen to have a majority of the whole number of votes will be the President. But as a majority of the votes might not always happen to centre in one man, and as it might be unsafe to permit less than a majority to be conclusive, it is provided that, in such a contingency, the House of Representatives shall select out of the candidates who shall have the five highest number of votes, the man who in their opinion may be best qualified for the office.
The process of election affords a moral certainty, that the office of President will never fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications. Talents for low intrigue, and the little arts of popularity, may alone suffice to elevate a man to the first honors in a single State; but it will require other talents, and a different kind of merit, to establish him in the esteem and confidence of the whole Union, or of so considerable a portion of it as would be necessary to make him a successful candidate for the distinguished office of President of the United States. It will not be too strong to say, that there will be a constant probability of seeing the station filled by characters pre-eminent for ability and virtue. And this will be thought no inconsiderable recommendation of the Constitution, by those who are able to estimate the share which the executive in every government must necessarily have in its good or ill administration. Though we cannot acquiesce in the political heresy of the poet who says: “For forms of government let fools contest That which is best administered is best,” yet we may safely pronounce, that the true test of a good government is its aptitude and tendency to produce a good administration.”
-Hamilton Federalist Papers
Hail Mary for the electors.
It’s really real. We live in a fascist state. We’re not dreaming.
Every chance you get, tell the next person you see who looks scared, ‘he doesn’t speak for me.’
There are protests 20 minutes from where I live, and more 45 minutes away. I’m upset about Donald Duck winning but I’m also glad people are standing up to him
We’d be so much better off with Donald Duck than Donald Trump it’s not even funny. Donald Duck worked to give us Social Security!
He may not wear pants but he doesn’t go around grabbing pussy.
The hate is not just limited to Trump supporters/votes. On Wednesday night, a gay man in St. Paul was assaulted by a group of three men and a woman while they yelled homophobic slurs at him and laughed. They were part of the anti-Trump protest. http://www.startribune.com/500-gather-near-u-of-m-to-protest-trump-s-election-statements/400770921/
It’s a big assumption that they were part of the anti-Trump protest. They easily could have snuck in to cause trouble. Trump supporters love to lie and troll and pretend to be liberals.
Also some people “join in” any protest for the chance to smash stuff or be violent. They don’t care they just wanna wreck shit.
Happened here in NOLA and we are not a rioting breaking shit when we’re upset type of city. Or we used to not be, but the fabric of the city has been changing since we became trendy.
Everything about what’s happening after the election is making me feel sick to my stomach.
How badass of Seattle’s mayor. I hope other sanctuary cities follow suit if they’re able. It’s so shitty to withhold money as a means of control. Reminds me of an abusive relationship.
https://www.change.org/p/electoral-college-electors-electoral-college-make-hillary-clinton-president-on-december-19
It is ridiculous that Trump has somehow become president and it’s even more ridiculous that the bigots of today have crawled out of their holes. Cowards by nature encouraged now by the leader of the free world? Insanity. Donald Trump is clearly not fit to be president of a 2016 America. He is not sound of mind and his hate is gonna fold back on him. We are not a population used to silence. Speak out against hate and fight the racists because someone has to. Wrong is wrong.
Yeah lets ignore the results of a democratic election and pick the person we want! Screw democracy!
Yeah! How dare the candidate win that actually got the majority of votes! How dare people’s votes MATTER?!
Do you not understand how the electoral college works and why it is there in the first place? Are we going to ignore the wants and wishes of the majority of states just because California and New York have a few million more people?
Why are you here
@queer girl I’m sorry I didn’t realise I wasn’t allowed to be here just because I have different political opinions to you.
Why are liberals so afraid of intellectual diversity?
Also – although she didn’t win, Denise Juneau (an out lesbian with Native American ancestry) received 40% of the vote in Montana against a Republican incumbent in a generally red state. That chunk of the vote also represents progress, in my opinion.
Absolutely terrifying. But this article was very informative, Rachel! Thank you!
<3!
I still cannot believe that trump won.
i know, bb, me neither.
Trump may also be a nightmare for the NIH as he said he’s not a fan, but it also sounds like hes not sure what they do. Some of what they do is cancer research, which is fucking important.
http://www.theverge.com/2016/11/10/13588306/trump-public-funding-science-research-nih-nsf-budgets.
Plus, republican’s have said they will repeal net neutrality, which again some(including Trump) don’t fucking understand what it’s suppose to do, which is attempt to make broadband carriers more like an actual utility(which as been argued it now is), like gas, home phone, and electricity is.
Also, let’s not forget he has the same amount of rings as LeBron has(which is 3) and which the bible doesn’t look fondly off(talking about divorce here for those who don’t get the reference). Something, these anti-gay and/or religious groups seem to forget. That and he’s a straight up pervert adulter. Fuck you Trump, I hope you realise how shitty of a human you are and that your kids forget how to read.
May be he and the Republican administration will feel pressure from around the world for regressive policies? Didn’t many companies threaten to leave Indiana if Mike Pence signed the anti anti-LGBT discrimination legislation into law? And I know for a fact that my own company, along with many others, filed an amicus curie brief with the SCOTUS when the Obergefell case was going on, supporting gay marriage.
My company has many gay men in key positions (I am not sure about gay women) and trans folks too; and MasterCard has too… Surely people of the minority, the oppressed, the woman will continue to work for better life and policy?
And while I know that may be it is too much to hope, I have been reading up on people who voted for Trump. (Just to find out why they did what they did). Some at least (some white women, a muslim woman and so on) seems to have voted because they didn’t believe the bigotery he spouted but believed that he would improve economy or fight terrorism or even fight illegal immigration… Many of them didn’t seem to be bigots; just too damn ignorant of Trump and the republicans.
Surely, that is a positive? A glimmer of hope? Because the most bigoted people are lesser in number than the people who voted for Trump. And these guys would support us or at least won’t actively oppose us if our rights are threatened.
Anyways, my thoughts and hope and wishes are with you… Even from across the globe.. As are many of my friends and colleagues. Hope you find strength, love and friendship that only grows stronger in this mess.
You know after this election regardless of who won, its time for me to just get away from all tv and internet news for a while. Just stop reading and find a new hobby or restart an old one. Time for me to get out and exercise. Take a road trip or skiing. Anything but staying in my room and reading the news anymore.