2016, the year ran hot from an election gone crazy but now freezing cold with fear. A liberal nightmare came true and now anxiety as we wonder, what can come from the unknown that is a Donald Trump presidency? A sour taste is in the air now and no one can deny that. Liberal commentators were smug with anticipation of a triumphant victory over Donald Trump and much of the liberal voting block grew to take their smugness as a certainty of victory. Now all that seems to be left is a strong sense of resentment, something I too seem to carry.
Now that the speculation of who will stand as the champion at the end of the all too long election is now over it’s time to look at all the losers this election. Hillary Clinton? Demolished by an aged election process that makes the votes of many Americans worthless. The Democrats? Yes, clearly so. The liberal movement? A sad moment in its long history to say the least. Trump voters? Unknown to them they’re about to be crushed under the weight of an extremist right wing agenda aimed square between the eyes of the working class and poor. The elderly? Medicare is in the palm of Paul Ryan’s hands and the ghost of Ayn Rand is chanting to tear it to pieces and Social Security may very well be on the precipice of at least partial privatization. The true loser though is compassion. The belief that we should all seek to stand strong for each other has been scoffed at as liberal nonsense, seen as our weakness. The idea that the poor are worthless takers, that immigrants are rapist criminals, activists are immoral anti-American communists, that my friends won the election and don’t forget that for a moment
So what do I propose as the answer to this ailment? Make compassion great again. It’s time that each liberal American learned to be a seed in grass roots activism. Don’t let these four years leave you bitter but get you ready to show the world what we offer is so much better. Showing that we care, that we will get up time and time again no matter the defeat, to prove that our conviction is stronger, and that our way is better is our true path to victory. Politics is no short game and only those with the strongest of convictions prevail. So let’s make our strongest conviction compassion because if we can show our political rivals we care about them maybe we can persuade them to see the world just a bit differently.
Maybe it could be my youth corrupting my writing with an undue sense of optimism, a sense that change is possible. The values of those who voted for the Donald seem to elude me but I do believe some of those who voted for him out of protest to the Washington elite can come to see the other side. It has to be understood that liberalism, as it is today, is an ideology of compassion first and foremost and the only way we will ever come to win the battles that lie ahead is by leading by example. So my liberal friends, spread the word, be active, and never forget that the only way your beliefs will prosper is by never letting compassion get taken off the table again.