Aaron Sorkin’s letter to his wife and daughter
Well the world changed late last night in a way I couldn’t protect us from. That’s a terrible feeling for a father. I won’t sugarcoat it—this is truly horrible. It’s hardly the first time my candidate didn’t win (in fact it’s the sixth time) but it is the first time that a thoroughly incompetent pig with dangerous ideas, a serious psychiatric disorder, no knowledge of the world and no curiosity to learn has.
And it wasn’t just Donald Trump who won last night—it was his supporters too. The Klan won last night. White nationalists. Sexists, racists and buffoons. Angry young white men who think rap music and Cinco de Mayo are a threat to their way of life (or are the reason for their way of life) have been given cause to celebrate. Men who have no right to call themselves that and who think that women who aspire to more than looking hot are shrill, ugly, and otherwise worthy of our scorn rather than our admiration struck a blow for misogynistic shitheads everywhere. Hate was given hope. Abject dumbness was glamorized as being “the fresh voice of an outsider” who’s going to “shake things up.” (Did anyone bother to ask how? Is he going to re-arrange the chairs in the Roosevelt Room?) For the next four years, the President of the United States, the same office held by Washington and Jefferson, Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt, F.D.R., J.F.K. and Barack Obama, will be held by a man-boy who’ll spend his hours exacting Twitter vengeance against all who criticize him (and those numbers will be legion). We’ve embarrassed ourselves in front of our children and the world.
And the world took no time to react. The Dow futures dropped 7,000 points overnight. Economists are predicting a deep and prolonged recession. Our NATO allies are in a state of legitimate fear. And speaking of fear, Muslim-Americans, Mexican-Americans and African-Americans are shaking in their shoes. And we’d be right to note that many of Donald Trump’s fans are not fans of Jews. On the other hand, there is a party going on at ISIS headquarters. What wouldn’t we give to trade this small fraction of a man for Richard Nixon right now?
So what do we do?
First of all, we remember that we’re not alone. A hundred million people in America and a billion more around the world feel exactly the same way we do.
Second, we get out of bed. The Trumpsters want to see people like us (Jewish, “coastal elites,” educated, socially progressive, Hollywood…) sobbing and wailing and talking about moving to Canada. I won’t give them that and neither will you. Here’s what we’ll do…
…we’ll fucking fight. (Roxy, there’s a time for this kind of language and it’s now.) We’re not powerless and we’re not voiceless. We don’t have majorities in the House or Senate but we do have representatives there. It’s also good to remember that most members of Trump’s own party feel exactly the same way about him that we do. We make sure that the people we sent to Washington—including Kamala Harris—take our strength with them and never take a day off.
We get involved. We do what we can to fight injustice anywhere we see it—whether it’s writing a check or rolling up our sleeves. Our family is fairly insulated from the effects of a Trump presidency so we fight for the families that aren’t. We fight for a woman to keep her right to choose. We fight for the First Amendment and we fight mostly for equality—not for a guarantee of equal outcomes but for equal opportunities. We stand up.
America didn’t stop being America last night and we didn’t stop being Americans and here’s the thing about Americans: Our darkest days have always—always—been followed by our finest hours.
Roxy, I know my predictions have let you down in the past, but personally, I don’t think this guy can make it a year without committing an impeachable crime. If he does manage to be a douche nozzle without breaking the law for four years, we’ll make it through those four years. And three years from now we’ll fight like hell for our candidate and we’ll win and they’ll lose and this time they’ll lose for good. Honey, it’ll be your first vote.
The battle isn’t over, it’s just begun. Grandpa fought in World War II and when he came home this country handed him an opportunity to make a great life for his family. I will not hand his granddaughter a country shaped by hateful and stupid men. Your tears last night woke me up, and I’ll never go to sleep on you again.
Love,
Dad
I truly dig the Grandpa bit at the end. Both my grandfathers fought fascism in Europe. My Grandmother was a neighborhood air-raid captain here in Wilmington. I’ll be god damned if I’m running away.
When the calls come (and they will surely come) to turn up, to march, to demonstrate, to stand up to this disgusting president and his disgusting legions, I very much hope I see some of you on my shoulder.
Agreed. Where’s the protest tonight?
OTOH, the Dow dropped 700, not 7,000, and it’s been up ever since trading started on Wednesday. So there’s that.
Just got word: Anti-Trump rally planned for City Hall, Philadelphia, 4:30 p.m. today.
This allegedly happened somewhere in Delaware:
https://twitter.com/ShaunKing/status/796518652812161024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
If it was while pumping gas there must be CCTV video of the incident, and if so there must be a prosecution and conviction.
There’s so much of this, Dan – including photos and video. There’s no doubt what this election was about. Donald Trump told us, quite clearly. Again and again.
My daughter is going to that rally. She said that the new cool white bro thing on campus is yelling “Grab ’em by the pussy!” I’m sure they’re just concerned about the economy. She attends school in Philadelphia and says this is the first time she hasn’t felt safe.
And here we go again:
“Texas State University police confirmed they are investigating reports of threatening fliers posted on campus by alleged supporters of president-elect Donald Trump.
Police declined to give further information until Thursday, but a Texas State student and a Texas State employee said several of the fliers have been found around campus.
“Now that our man Trump is elected and Republicans own both the Senate and the House — time to organize tar & feather vigilante squads and go arrest and torture those deviant university leaders spouting off all this diversity garbage,” at least one of the fliers reads, according to a photo that the university community is sharing.”
I’m sure this is just more economic anxiety.
Southern Lehigh High School students have been subjected to classmates yelling gay slurs and the n-word in the halls, calling black students cotton pickers and using heil Hitler salutes.
That’s according to students and a letter high school Principal Christine Siegfried sent home to families following a special assembly on Wednesday, where the principal urged the study body to treat classmates with respect.
If I see any of that shit personally, it’s going to go way differently than those fuckers think it’s going go.
Out of the mouths of babes. Be sure to watch the video.
Quick aside. Please publish any details concerning future rallies/protests. I’m tying to rearrange a meeting and get to the train station, but time’s now tight.
As far as the taunts and racist bullying and nazi salutes and Confederate flags, we understand how to deal with fascism. Eisenhower understood. Sherman understood. If I witness anything like this I’ll smash somebody fucking teeth so hard when they come to Sasha Obama will be president. Trust me. It’s a promise not a threat.
You can post that stuff all day, Pandora, but you should do it over at the Republican sites where they voted for it.
The important thing to do after a loss is to look clear-eyed at why it happened. Do you think it happened because the klansmen were this eager to take off their hoods?
Finding fault with the electorate cannot win democratic elections. We all applaud your moral superiority. Now we have to figure out how to win elections, because that didn’t get the job done.
PS: Had Bernie won the nomination and lost the election, you would be blaming the purists for failing to appeal to the masses. It’s a tautology — when you lose a democratic election, you failed to win as many voters as the opposition did. And, popular vote victory or not, those aren’t the rules of the game and she of all people knew it.
Dorian: I’ll be the guy in the Julliard Athletics (“undefeated since 1905”) cap.
Oh, I’m not being morally superior. I’m sure all these instances were really about economic anxiety and not racism, bigotry and misogyny. We should be more understanding.
And this isn’t about winning Dem elections (that’s another topic entirely). This is about showing what’s really going on in Trump’s America. Women and minorities are living this… right now.
Trump derangement syndrome is now in full effect.
No, brother. It’s like this. About, public policy we can disagree. Economics, foreign policy, etc. Cool.
If this thing dips into faintly fascist shit, rounding people up (as promised), target bombing families(as promised), etc. If people believe it’s acceptable to use archaic epithets, our use swastika symbols, or joke about grabbing my niece’s pussy, my man, we will not fucking stand for it. Cross my fucking heart.
There’s a very well documented & horridly insidious vein in all this, seen? We’re not conjuring it from nothing. And like I said, if I see it I will deal with it.
I mean do you feel me, Stat? Actually I couldn’t care less if you do…
Protest and threats less than 48 hours after the election. smh
First, protests are as American as it gets. (And I noticed you didn’t have a problem with the Tea Party protests.)
Second, I posted actual links to Trump supporters behavior. I’m sure your links of threats toward Trump supporters will be forthcoming…
Don’t recall seeing tea party protests after 08 or 12. Never seen tea party people blocking traffic. Your kkk on NC bridge was bogus by the way.
Got it. No links to your claims.
What am I supposed to be linking to? If you want to see protester violence then I can provide later. Little hard on cell. Try your google button.
LOL! It’s not hard on a cell. What are you? 80 years old. Sorry, that’s not fair to 80 year olds. And it should be easy to show. There’s tons of examples exactly like the ones I posted, right?
And I’m not doing your homework for you. Altho you might want to try the Google button on your phone.
OK. I’ll try again you obtuse turd. It’s not what happening now per se. It’s what was said & done 18 months. They’re doing what they said they’d do. Don’t be a dummy. I’m embarrassed for you.
More on that school incident linked to above:
Gee, I wonder why students seem to think this behavior is suddenly acceptable.
You figure out how to work your phone yet, Stat?
http://fox43.com/2016/11/10/reports-of-post-election-tension-at-york-county-school-of-technology/
Hey look! I posted this example from my phone!
Well aren’t you the clever one. If I knew how to do that stuff I’d have posted from the Philly protest. Didn’t see you there.
I’m taking the Tea Party example seriously. I don’t know how many were out there; probably about the same as last night, which was estimated at 1,000. Mostly young folks, mostly women. A few Hillary signs but not many. Far more “pussy grabs back” signs. None of the signs
Trigger warning for Stat: We marched through traffic. So much for the rule of law. All that jaywalking. Sad.
My biggest takeaway is that I’m too old/not in good enough shape to chant and march at the same time. Yet. I guess we’ll have to be the Coffee Party — Wake Up, America!
My daughter is still at the Philly protest!
I didn’t go – Mr. Pandora got back from Mississippi. He took pictures of the confederate flag flying outside his hotel room.
http://www.politifact.com/north-carolina/statements/2016/nov/09/viral-image/viral-image-debunked-kkk-was-not-marching-north-ca/
There is this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU0QarF6iyc&oref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DnU0QarF6iyc&has_verified=1
I kind of enjoyed chanting “Lock him up!” I can see how a fella’d derive a whole lot of pleasure and satisfaction out of it.
That video was… Published on Sep 22, 2016.
And be sure to read the comments on that YouTube video!
While you numbnuts probe the internet for items that confirm what you already think. A bumbling incompetent was elected on the back of 18 months of fascist, misogynistic, racist rhetoric. But the NC KKK thing was debunked! Way to see the big picture you fucking shitbird.
Donald Trump — Man Viciously Beaten, Car Stolen for Allegedly Voting Trump (VIDEO)
http://www.tmz.com/2016/11/10/trump-supporter-beat-up-chicago-fight
It’s Donald Trump’s world now.
And that video has raised some questions.