dianaschnuth

I have so much emotion and information rolling around in my head, and I’m not sure where to start. I’ve been sitting with the results of the election since before it was officially called, and I haven’t been able to make myself put my thoughts into words.

First, for the sake of the historicity of my blog, I’ll offer a summary. (I know I appreciated that when I was revisiting my entry about the Bush v. Kerry race in 2004.)

The Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton, had a background in law and decades of experience in politics: First Lady of Arkansas, First Lady of the United States, U.S. Senator, and Secretary of State. The Republican candidate, Donald Trump, was best known as a real estate mogul, billionaire, owner of several beauty pageants, and host of the reality show The Apprentice.

Supporters of Trump hoped he would Make America Great Again, per his campaign slogan, and “drain the swamp” of corruption. Supporters of Clinton wanted to continue the progress of the Obama Administration and to see the first woman in the White House. Many people considered a Clinton vote to be the lesser of two evils — meet the new boss, same as the old boss — and a vote to keep Trump out of power.

Each candidate had their own scandals. Some people took issue with Clinton’s actions as Secretary of State (or even as First Lady), or the fact that she used a private email server while in office. Trump revealed himself as a racist and misogynist with a foul mouth and an equally foul temperament.

I was hoping for a Clinton victory — or, more accurately, I was hoping for a Trump defeat. I opted to fill out an absentee ballot so I could vote at my convenience by mail.

When I finally went to bed on Election Night, the poll returns weren’t looking good:

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