Election Blues

Well, boys and girls, it is finally over, finished , done, in the can, one for the books, baked in the cake. And we move on as a nation. I know, I know some of us...many of us, are frustrated at what some may consider the archaic electoral college system that decides how we elect our nation's leader.
It is an indirect system that attempts to give all of our states equal footing when deciding who gets to hold the highest office in the land.  We vote for designated electors who in turn, vote for President.
This was designed to allow those states with smaller populations to have similar political clout as those that have a higher population...a reflection of the old "states rights" feelings of our Founding Fathers...take note of   phrase..."Founding Fathers".

Our country was divided before the election, and to some extent, it remains so at this point.  One candidate received more of the popular vote, but did not receive the needed number of electoral votes to win.  The other won the required number of electoral votes, but lagged behind in the popular vote tally.  The President-elect will take office knowing the majority of the people in his country did not support his candidacy, not an enviable position to be in.

This is only one of a handful of times this has happened.  And this has happened twice in my lifetime.
Many Americans are calling for an end to the electoral college system, but for me that is a discussion and a battle for another day.

Now, I may be saying something here that some may not agree with.  That usually has not stopped me in the past, and I am reluctant to paint any other American citizen as a less stellar person. So, here goes...and I am treading lightly:

This election has exposed a dark underbelly of racism and misogyny that many of us had hoped was out-of-date.  Please do not think I am saying all those who voted for the President-elect are all racists and misogynists; they are not. Many hold respected conservative views and values that are important to the fabric of this nation: hard work, persistence, and a deep love of family and nation...these values are also held by many people who voted for the losing candidate as well. But, as I have said in the past, some boys just don't want any girl to win.

I had hoped I would be able in my lifetime to vote for and elect a woman President, and I did one of those two things. I hope that on today, my daughter's 38th birthday, she and her sister and niece will be able to do both within their lifetimes.