Election season is finally over. The campaign ads will cease for the time being and there are no more debates or campaign stops to catch on TV. We have a president-elect. We can go back to our pre-election lives.
But not really.
This election season was one for the history books – it was a heated, contentious and passionate event for people identifying with every party.
It came as a surprise to many when Republican candidate Donald Trump began to pull ahead Tuesday night – even political analysts and journalists were shocked. But he pulled it off with a majority of the electoral vote.
After the election results started to come in, many people joked about the tight race, saying they planned to move to Canada if the election resulted in an unfavorable outcome. The Canadian immigration website crashed after over 100,000 U.S. citizens visited the site, according to an article by USA Today.
But now is not the time to joke or hope for a Trump impeachment trial.
It is important to recognize that a lot of people have legitimate concerns about the president-elect, just as it is important to respect the decision of each voter. But recently, some have spoken out about their worries with Trump’s presidency, saying his racist, sexist and homophobic ways will endanger their lives.
Of course, the votes show that half the country did see their candidate win. But America is divided now more than ever, which is why we need to come together and support each other.
The general feel on Bradley’s campus is unsettling. The Scout tweeted a poll asking if our followers were satisfied with the results of the election, and 73 percent of the 114 voters said no. We understand it’s easy to feel down about the election results and give up on everything.
We need to let those who feel scared know we are there for them. But we also need to realize that for every person who’s anxious about the results, there’s another person celebrating the possibilities for the next four years with Trump.
So, even though the election may be over – whether you’re happy or not with who won – your role as an active citizen isn’t on a hiatus for another four years. Now’s the time to act.
Just like Trump said in his victory speech, “It is time for us to come together as one united people … No dream is too big, no challenge too great.” And Hillary Clinton, too: “Our constitutional democracy demands our participation, not just every four years, but all the time. So let’s do all we can to keep advancing the causes and values we all hold dear … I believe we are stronger together and we will go forward together. And you should never, ever regret fighting for that.”
Moving this country forward is a group effort; don’t check out of America now.
