It feels like a lifetime but it's actually only been two weeks since the greatest democracy the world has ever known choose its next leader.
Ballots are still being counted in the U.S. presidential race, with Hillary Clinton pulling almost two million votes ahead of the winner Donald J. Trump.
There has been lots of doom and gloom around Trump's future presidency, but his election could be a wake up call for the part of the electorate that says all politicians are the same.
Trump's victory has given us a real life chance to test the theory, once and for all, that it doesn't matter if you vote "since the candidates are the same." I heard that from a lot of people. What difference did it make? Hillary was just as corrupt as Trump, they said. Sure, she's at the head of a party that stands for equal marriage, not banning people based on their religion, that doesn't want to legalize torture or criminalize women who get an abortion - but that doesn't matter. She's creepy. Fair enough.
It looks like a lot of people, especially in crucial swing states, just decided that while they thought Trump was awful, Hillary or 'that woman' as they called her - was the same. So the answer was to either stay home, to vote (but not vote for President) or vote for a third party.
And if that's what you did then well done. You've gotten exactly what you deserved. A president who will do the opposite to everything you allegedly hold dear.
Because we can already tell Trump is doing something extraordinary with his Cabinet choices. He's selecting people who will do exactly what he said he would do all along. Now's the time to start selling bricks at the border.
If you abstained anywhere in the country, think of yourself a doctor. America was your patient. She came to you because she was worried about getting a disease and you had the cure. Instead of given America a shot, you decide it was better to just step back and let her take her chances because needles make you feel woozy.
I'm sure some of the Bernie Bro's and the Sarandon Vagina's are feeling pretty smug right now - Bernie woulda won it. I bet deep down they are quietly happy with the fallout. Forget about every Supreme Court nomination Trump makes, rolling back civil rights, history will vindicate Bernie being "robbed of the nomination." But Bernie wasn't robbed, he was the robber. He was the outsider, a lifelong independent candidate trying to steal the Democratic nomination from an actual Democrat. It's not surprising the party didn't get behind him.
Congrats - you've all made your point. Hillary was a terrible candidate who couldn't connect with working class voters. She was the epitome of establishment in a year where the country was so desperate for change, so desperate to poke the 1% in the eye, that it elected not a 1%er but a 0.5%er. Cause that'll teach them.
I hope the abstainers and protest voters enjoy the feeling of righteousness when they're at a Starbucks and the barristers are carrying AR-15's. They can have their organic lattes with lead in them.
While millions of Americans lose their health insurance and the climate goes up in smoke - reality might set in. Like an addict that won't accept he needs treatment until he reaches the bottom of the barrel. In this case it will probably be a gun's barrel, but a barrel nonetheless.
People might finally realize that participating in democracy does make a difference. Who knew? Trump did. He got the votes in the places that mattered.
Cause it's not enough say Trump's #notmypresident. Because he is. And if you threw your vote away it's your fault. Now, what are you going to do about it, bro?