It’s November 4, 2020. As you wake up, you see the winner of the presidential race has been called. You pull the story up on your phone. The winner again, is Trump.
How do you feel?
Glad
Although you recognize he lies a lot, acts quite immature most of the time, is very vindictive, golfs as much as he works, and has done nothing to stem COVID-19, those things aren’t great, but it was better than the alternative. Plus, this means he will continue to appoint judges that are anti-abortion, pro-business, anti-LGBTQ, and pro-religion. Because of these things, and we have to think long-term as he won’t be around forever, the end justifies the means. Plus, it is only four more years, how much worse can it get?
Embarrassed/Guilty
You shake your head and wonder how did this happen? All the polls had Biden/Harris up by 8, 9, 10+ points. I thought they had it in the bag, so I didn’t have to vote and wait in those long lines. Neither of the two main candidates were winners in my book. I didn’t think it would matter if I voted for that third party. I figured there would be enough other people to pull off a win for Biden/Harris. How are we going to get through the next four years now?
Angry
After all we did, he still won. The voter suppression, the intimidation at the poll lines, the slow down of the postal service, the electronic voting machines with votes transmitted over WiFi networks, the Chinese and Russian propaganda unchecked on Facebook and YouTube, the gaslighting of so many, and the media amplifying his awfulness and fawning over him worked again. We learned nothing. I need to watch my back now since I was so outspoken against him. How will we get through the next four years? Will we get through the next four years?
Despair
What is the point anymore? We no longer live in a Democracy, a Republic. The Constitution is meaningless. I can’t even move anywhere else because of COVID-19, no one will let any of us in. How could my friends and family vote for this man? I just don’t know how I’m going to get through this new reality! I’m afraid of what is going to happen now to my friends and family who aren’t white heterosexuals.
Hallelujah Biden Wins
We did it! We got our mail-in and absentee ballots in the mail by October 20. We voted early when we could. We waited in line for hours to cast our vote Election Day. We turned out the largest number of voters ever. The young, old, and in-between. The men, the women. College educated or not. Black, White, Native American, Asian, and LatinX. Catholics, Protestants, Baptists, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Atheists. Straight, gay, lesbian, transgender, and questioning. Democrats, Independents, and yes, even some traditional Republicans. We all knew what was at stake and we all showed up when it mattered most.
How do you want to feel on November 4, 2020?
The choice is yours and will be based on the actions you take over the next few months. If we all get out and vote. Vote blue from the dog catcher all the way up to the President. If we do that one thing—vote, no matter what, we can all have our Hallelujah moment. We can do this. I still have faith and hope you do too.
I’ll ask again.
How do you want to feel on November 4, 2020?
Personal Reflections of a Middle-Aged Man 