Pride over prejudice
November 27, 2016
Throughout the United States, both Democrats, disillusioned Republicans and media are labeling the 2016 election as a catastrophe of epic proportions.
“A failure of the American system,” claimed columnists and political commentators the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 9.
How could someone with no political background and less popular votes be chosen fit for the presidency by the Electoral College? Isn’t it their job to do what the people want and to protect us from our own raffish opinions? By all means, this election shows us that the American two-party system and Electoral College are obsolete, right?
Truthfully, it’s up to us to be the change we want to see. We can chose to view this election as a failure and let it split the nation, casting an ominous tone over the next four years. Or, we can chose to do what Americans have been known to do throughout history: come together in the face of adversity and defeat the odds.
Although it may seem like this election doesn’t accurately represent the voice of the people, it isn’t a complete travesty of our democracy. It’s times like this that test our government. This is why we have checks and balances on the presidential power. This is why we have elections every four years. This is why we have constitutional rights that protect our abilities to protest and petition against our government.
Let’s not let it be a “failure of the American system.” Instead, let’s look at this as a trial of the American system.
It’s evident that President-elect Trump has some major faults of character, but so does now-former candidate Hillary Clinton. Either one would have faced major opposition as president. Our country isn’t going to fall apart because of an unpopular president.
This isn’t the first time that a president has lost the popular vote and still been elected. John Q. Adams, Rutherford B. Hayes, Benjamin Harrison and George W. Bush were all “minority” presidents as well. While none of these presidents are renowned for anything outstanding, none of them destroyed the nation. Their unpopularity determined their presidency, and after one term, most were voted out. These may have not been the best years in American history, but they weren’t the worst either . The American people were able to come together after them and continue to thrive, just as we should now.
We can do now what we’ve done in the past. Our country is not “doomed.” If we trust in our representatives and government, we can stop any proposition by Trump that would bring us down as a nation. And if the nation is still as opposed to him as they are now, in four years we have the ability to vote him out of office.
It’s unlikely that anything could happen in the next four years that could make these statements of America as a failure true. It’s possible something good could even come from them. We can’t condemn the fate of our country after a contested election, no matter how disappointed we may be.
Instead, let’s chose to approach it with an open mind. Trust in ourselves and our government to hold on to our morals even while under a leader that might not share them. We can’t call this election a failure of the American System until we see what comes from Trump’s presidency. So, before we lose faith in society and our nation, let’s take a step back, relax and remember who we are as a country.
