America Chose the Monster

We all make mistakes.

Every one of us can recall times when our judgment was temporarily clouded; when our emotions betrayed us in a moment of weakness or fear or misplaced anger.

In the rearview mirror, we see clearly those moments when we chose horribly and later found ourselves embarrassed and ashamed to realize what we'd done. Such regret is universal, as is the desire to escape culpability when it rises up.

But there comes a time when we run out of excuses, when we can no longer plead ignorance or impulsiveness or having been duped, when we have to own our poor decisions and declare our error. In such circumstances, to not do so would be to willingly repeat the transgression or to prove ourselves more committed to perpetuating a lie than admitting the ugly truth we see in the mirror.

There is always a morning of accountability that calls us to face what we'd done the night before. It is here now. This nation is now being seen in the raking light of honest, sober objectivity.

Donald Trump accumulated a giant, grotesque body of work for Americans to evaluate in this election: his resume crammed with legislative assaults on Democracy, dozens of felony convictions, dehumanizing disinformation of immigrants, gross rally rants about public schools and transgender children, unapologetic racism, brazen disregard for anything once seen as the conventions and traditions of presidential leadership.

They were also given a clear alternative in Kamala Harris: a former prosecutor, Attorney General, American Senator, and current Vice President: a woman whose experience, character, and decency made her one of the most capable candidates we could have asked for; one who ran a campaign of middle class investment, accountability for the wealthy, national unity, empathy for the hurting, and love for neighbor.

America was given a choice between a lawless, amoral monster and a qualified, intelligent, joyful woman of color—and it chose the monster. We need to reckon with the reality of what that says about so many of us here.

To have cast a vote for him with all that we have seen is to declare war on decency, on equality, on any semblance of forthrightness or goodness. It is to double-down on the bigotry which was dismissed as hyperbole during his campaign but which has already been ratified hundredfold as he assembles his Cabinet picks and broadcasts his agenda.

To witness his absolute disregard for the Constitution, his violent allergic reaction to facts, his complete lack of empathy and to not condemn it all becomes an indictment of one's own heart. It becomes an act of aggression against humanity.

The are truths that are self-evident in the light of these days:

A viable healthcare alternative is not coming.
Taxes for the middle class are not coming down.
Project 2025 is going to be implemented.
Mexico is still not paying for the wall.
Immigrants are going to being persecuted.
Protections for those with special needs are evaporating.
The poor are getting thrown to the lions.
Public schools are being thrown under the bus.
The elderly are being left to fend for themselves.
The environment is being willfully set on fire.
The economy is going to be compromised.
The whole system is being intentionally blown-up.
The rule of Law in our Government is being trod upon.

Aside from the smallest percentage of the wealthiest in this nation, no one is going to be healthier, safer, or more financially secure.

This is a nonpartisan tragedy.

We all do impulsive things when we are terrified, when it's dark and we're convinced there's a monster under the bed. But eventually the light comes on and we have reality at our disposal and we get to choose to see things as they are. I can't fathom those presently determined to stay in the dark, to pretend they're not seeing what they're seeing—when what they're seeing is a danger to them too.

It's morning here in America, friends. The brilliant light of day is illuminating every dark corner and exposing every unsavory decision from the night before.

For a myriad of reasons, America chose the monster. It chose the hatred, the fear, the nihilism, the separation. The question of why is too sprawling and nebulous to answer.

The essential question now becomes: are there enough of us left who refuse to let us become a monstrous nation?

Are we still willing to fight for the beautiful things?

What do you think?