Many Americans have grown accustomed to the idea of elections eliciting impassioned divisiveness upon the standard discussion of contentious policy issues. With such great diversity from coast to coast, diversity of thought is a phenomenon one should expect and anticipate. Unfortunately, the 2016 Presidential Elections will remain a historical marker of new-found divisive rancor and steaming hostility. Some applaud and cheer, while others mourn and weep at the election of our new President-Elect, Donald J. Trump. Running on a simplistic yet rallying campaign slogan, Mr. Trump manipulated the minds of many, convincing his base that he himself was the ultimate answer and problem-solver embellished with the strength and exuberance necessary to solve many of the complex issues we currently face as a nation. In a forthright and blunt manner, Mr. Trump promised he would “make America great again”, ensuring the continuation of our nation’s vitality and success. Without disclosing many specificities nor details, Mr. Trump, lacking perspicacious insight and knowledge, rallied and unified many, inspiring ardent and zealous support. His divisive and incendiary comments emboldened many to adapt an unsympathetic and unwavering viewpoint, lacking both empathy and open-mindedness to difference. In the same manner, many Hillary supporters are shocked, upset, and completely unable to understand the elections results.
Scrolling through many of my social media accounts early last Wednesday morning, I was upset to see the blatant disrespect and mutual disdain stemming from individuals on both sides of the political spectrum. Residing within this great nation, a pluralistic democracy, it is inherent that there will always be a multitude of varying opinions, but I encourage my fellow peers and collegiettes to release their anger and frustrations. Instead, I hope we can all engage in civil discourse rather than modeling the divisive nature of Trump’s campaign. In a concise and comprehensive manner, I wish to outline why many self-proclaimed liberals and progressives, including myself, feel pain and sorrow within our current political climate. Trump-Pence supporters, although I disagree with your ideology and policy positions, I hope we can come to understand each other’s griefs and fears. As a nation built upon tolerance and acceptance, we cannot be blinded by hate and animosity for the ‘other’.
1. Women
Many progressives feel that Mr. Trump’s commentary surrounding women made during and before his presidential run were both primitive and crude, reflective of the traditionalistic beliefs many women have long fought to overturn, including stereotypical views of women in workforce. In 1994, Trump said the following, “I think that putting a wife to work is a very dangerous thing. If you’re in business for yourself, I really think it’s a bad idea. I think that was the single greatest cause of what happened to my marriage with Ivana.” Likewise, in 1997, Mike Pence mockingly affirmed, “Sure you can have it all” but argued that households with two working parents provoke “stunted emotional growth” negating the fact that approximately 40% American households are now supported by females per a recently released Pew Study. Accordingly, neither Mr. Trump or Mr. Pence has ever acknowledged that many working-class American families can no longer survive on one sole income. Their economic policy propositions are minimal at best. In fact, Mike Pence voted against the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which mandates equal pay for women, three consecutive times. When asked about sexual harassment in the workplace, Donald Trump suggested that women “should stay if there’s not a better alternative.” When asked about his own daughter, Ivanka, he declared, “I would like to think she would find another career or find another company if that was the case.” That, Mr. Trump is unrealistically unfeasible for many American women. Most, unfortunately, cannot simply leave and/or quit because they lack the education and/or funds to do so.
Another troubling aspect of Mr. Trump’s policies, are his views upon abortion, the right to choose, and Planned Parenthood. Although Mr. Trump has in fact acknowledged the important role Planned Parenthood facilities bear for women, his running mate, governor of Indiana, Mike Pence, has upon numerous occasions called for the defunding of Planned Parenthood and eliminating Title X funding. But what both candidates fail to acknowledge and unequivocally affirm is that Title X funding cannot, as mandated by the federal government, be utilized to fund abortions. Therefore, eliminating funding does not itself impact abortions, but instead, leave thousands of frightened and marginalized women without access to cancer screenings, STD and STI screenings, and contraception. Many women residing in our contemporary society fear that the Trump-Pence administration could potentially overturn Roe v. Wade and other birth control provisions commissioned by the Obama administration.
And of course, needless to mention, both Mr. Trump and Mr. Pence have directed many derogatory comments toward women, including (but most definitely not limited) to Trumps 1999 commentary, “I think the only difference between me and the other candidates is that I’m more honest and my women are more beautiful.”
2. Civil Liberties and Protections
Apart from their despicable commentary regarding women, Mr. Pence has also rejected the Obama administration’s directives on transgender bathrooms and its protective positions for the LGBTQ community. In his first 100 days as President, Mr. Trump has pledged to sign the First Amendment Defense Act, a law that would unequivocally allow for LGTBQ discrimination on the grounds of religious freedom. In 2007, Mr. Pence voted against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, a law that could have potentially banned discrimination against people based upon religious justifications. Without astonishing surprise, Pence has also expressed a sense of great disappointment and dismay upon the Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015, the landmark case that guaranteed the right to marry for same-sex couples by the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Indeed, Mr. Pence supported proposing an amendment to the Indiana Constitution that would read as the following: “Marriage in the US shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman.” Within the same year, Mr. Pence signed into law Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act, but was forced to reverse his action upon massive reactionary protests and civil unrest. Unlike other states, under Governor Mike Pence, Indiana lacks a state-wide anti-discrimination ordinance that would inherently protect the LGBTQ community. Upon numerous occasions, Mr. Pence has frequently expounded that “No one should ever fear persecution because of their deeply held religious beliefs” while simultaneously declaring that gay marriage itself signaled a “societal collapse.”
3. Guns
Likewise, many Americans also fear the continuation of mass shootings and the proliferation of questionable gun ownership in America because both Mr. Trump and Mr. Pence alike, refuting both social statistics and data, believe gun ownership makes Americans safer. In the wake of the treacherous carnage that occurred both in Paris and in Orlando, Mr. Trump repeatedly suggested that these tragedies could have been largely avoided “if they had guns on the other side, going in the opposite direction.” Ultimately garnering the support and endorsement of the NRA, Mr. Trump, alongside the NRA, zealously argued that Hilary Clinton gun propositions represented an unacceptable threat to gun owner – yet again, an exemplary example of an ominous falsehood. In actuality, Hilary Clinton fully supported the Second Amendment but advised that the nation add common-sense gun reform measures. Within the same stroke, Mr. Trump was also vowed to eliminate gun-free zones, including those surrounding school campuses and military bases, declaring “My first day, it gets signed, OK? My first day. There’s no more gun-free zones.” Mr. Trump, I ask you, how do schools logistically and empirically institute such drastic changes? How do schools cope with the apparent safety concerns to come? Alas, Mr. Trump has never offered much clarification nor even a simple (but thorough) explanation of why these measures would benefit children and other school officials.
As of July 2016, there been approximately 7,089 gun-related deaths in the U.S per the Gun Violence Archive. In comparison, our northern counterparts, the Canadians, only recorded 172 firearm-related deaths in 2012. In a thought-provoking op-ed entitled “There’s Just One Reason Why Orlando Hasn’t Happened Here,” Warren Kinsella, a Canadian citizen and member of the Liberal Party of Canada, writes, “Unlike the United States, Canada has not elevated gun ownership to a state religion.”
Upon the horrific and heinous San Bernardino mass shooting, Cenk Uygur, an American activist and political commentator, in a livid, passionate declaration of disappointment yelled, “How many times are we going to allow this? It happens every week. Now it happens several times a week and we’re held hostage by the NRA…as people get butchered (and) massacred over and over again in the country…there’s non-stop terrorism in the country…our children are massacred in Connecticut and we don’t do a goddamn thing about it…THIS IS NOT A DEMOCRACY!” He adds, “The second Amendment, a well-regulated, what part of this is well-regulated militia!”
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The reasons listed above only scratch the minimalistic surface of why many millennials feel betrayed and betrodden by our nation’s two party system that helped elect Mr. Trump; their frustrations and exasperations reflected in trending hastags such as #hesnotmypresident and massive student-driven protests that erupted nationwide. Their concerns also lay within Mr. Trump’s immigration policy propositions, his disbelief in anthropomorphic climate change, his inconclusive foreign policy that hopes to annihilate the Iran deal, his fervid readiness to repeal ObamaCare with no definitive replacement, his economic propositions that benefit the wealthy and large corporation and his rallying idea of building Southern Border Wall without any recognition of The Secure Fence Act of 2006 and its shortcomings.
Above all, I hope to educate and inspire a sense of cohesive and inclusive unity. I encourage Mr. Trump to appoint a diverse cabinet that fully encompasses the nation’s vast array of differing political opinions and not solely his own. I encourage our youth to remain politically informed and engaged. Most importantly, millennials, you must VOTE! In the face of injustice and immorality, I encourage our youth to speak up and make their voices heard. Don’t just be the change, make change! American, we can do better! Let’s lead through cordial respect, dignified civility and impassioned empathy!
“To the degree that Mr. Trump is serious about pursuing policies that improve the lives of working families in this country, I and other progressives are prepared to work with him. To the degree that he pursues racist, sexist, xenophobic and anti-environment policies, we will vigorously oppose him.” -Bernie Sanders
Millenials, RISE UP!