(Disclaimer: I speak in generalities here. I'm sure there is anecdotal evidence that contradicts anything I say. I will ignore it. I am basing this off the NYT forecast. If we wake up tomorrow and Hillary won, just reverse everything.)
I hate this. This man was a horrible candidate.
The problem is that Hillary was just as bad.
As a libertarian, I would like to say that Gary Johnson was better, but Jesus Christ that was a train wreck!
When Obama won in 2008, I posted my hope that we would move past racial issues and divisive politics. It seems to have gotten worse on both fronts. Both of the major parties are responsible for that.
The Rs would shout down anything that Obama did based on what they perceived his values to be rather than articulate a principled argument.
The Ds would respond to any criticism of the president's policies as racist despite any mention of race in the criticism.
Donald Trump is an asshole. He was propelled by a populist movement that is tired of a rigged system. His supporters overlooked his faults, because he was not one of the insiders. Say what you want to about Trump, but the system was not rigged in his favor.
Hillary is an asshole. The DNC did rig the system in her favor. Bernie could have beaten Trump easily. He tapped into the same populism that propelled Trump. Hillary's supporters overlooked her faults because Trump seems even worse.
So, do I have any hope after this election? Do I see a silver lining? Yes.
For the last several decades, the office of President has taken more power unto itself. Congress allowed the president to take a little here and there. They could always run for re-election saying they opposed the actions, but they never had to do any work to stop it.
Both political parties hate Trump. Maybe they will work together to take some of that power back from the president.
They were both assholes. So the red asshole gets to be president. Good for him.