An Interesting Post-Election Day

Welp! What an interesting day! I stayed up until three in the morning to watch the election coverage. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to stay up that late with a nine o’clock class in the morning, but I think it was an important night to be in the know. When I woke up in the morning, the news wasn’t surprising. It was just a confirmation of what I already knew. I can’t really tell you all how I feel about the outcome of this election. Obviously, if you read my last post, the person I voted for didn’t win. It isn’t who I wanted to win either, but I can’t say this is a total shock. There’s been a feeling floating around for the last few months that all roads led to a Trump victory. It can’t be easy starting a presidential campaign with just about a hundred days before the election. It was a long shot for Harris/Walz to throw everything together in a short period of time. The reason I say it was an interesting day is because when I woke up, it was beautiful outside. Absolutely perfect. When I got to class, you would've thought it was pouring out. It was silent. I felt a tension in the room. Luckily, the professor is a light and happy guy. He broke the tension immediately. He addressed the elephant in the room and asked everyone how they felt. It was the most lies in the shortest amount of time I have ever heard. Almost twenty-seven college students all simultaneously said “good” or “pretty good.” Nobody in that room looked pretty good or even just good. Everyone looked a little sickly over the news. We all had a short conversation and moved on. It was such an interesting feeling in that room. I don’t remember that for the last few elections. When Obama won the second time, it was so exciting. I remember seeing his winning speech on the TV. I was getting babysat by my grandma. She loved Obama. God, would she hate to see Trump winning again. She passed away right after the January 6 insurrection. That was her last image of President Trump. It was such a happy night, even though I was only seven years old. In 2016, I remember making a joke about Trump winning, and my mom got really upset. She explained how big it would’ve been for women if Hillary had won. I never felt like when I went to school the next day anything had changed. I guess it might’ve been because I lived upstate and it is Trump country. In 2020, I was in New York City when they announced Biden had won. It was the happiest I have ever seen the city. People were even swimming in the Washington Square Park fountain! I hope the city doesn’t feel like it's downpouring for a while. I know people will be upset for a while, but those feelings won’t change the outcome. I think we need to remember that we are Americans, and that's pretty damn cool. Also, to those who told me I had to vote, I’m glad I did. I feel proud to uphold my civic duty. I do want to point out how much my vote ended up meaning something. Fucking nothing. I’m not surprised; I vote in a hick town. It’s been red forever and always. Otsego County was red, but by a mile. New York was blue, but by a mile. So, all in all, it was worth nothing but my pride, and I’m happy about that. God bless America! Happy Wednesday, everyone!