It has been an excruciating week for many of us Hillary supporters. My friends are struggling to make sense of last week's election. My teenagers wonder how a man with such open hostility and disregard for women, immigrants, and the disabled has been elected president. And I, a first-time voter, am stunned and left pondering the consequences of this new reality both domestically and internationally.
Amidst disturbing messages of "Drain the Swamp," the widespread alienation and rejection felt across the country is palpable and makes me question my place in the United States. It reminds me of my teenage years in post-revolutionary Iran, a period of high anxiety and disconnectedness for families like mine that felt no allegiance to the new ruling party, its ideology or its principles. That uneasy knot in your stomach and the vulnerability it creates, as well as the sense of estrangement from government -- and, in this case, the people who elected it into office -- is a taxing load to bear.
The only calming proposition I can offer is that the votes cast by our fellow Americans -- almost 60 million of them -- were intended not as a nod of confidence for Trump but rather a deep yearning for change. However, if my assessment is accurate, then shame on all of us. Shame on those who voted for him, arguably for change at any cost. Shame on the 43 percent of eligible voters -- roughly 100 million people -- who didn't vote. It is our civic duty to participate and vote in our democracy, anything short of that is irresponsible. And, shame on the rest of us for our blindness and for not recognizing the pain and suffering of much of this country.
I live in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and don't have to drive far to witness the hopelessness of our population. It hits me like a slap across the face anytime I venture thirty minutes away into the NE or the SE of this nation's capital. I was taught that we democrats are the more empathetic party, the more socially conscious one. Then, how did we miss this and how are we so out of touch? Why didn't we pay more attention to the widespread dissatisfaction? Why didn't we pay more attention and listen carefully? And, why didn't we describe our commitment to improving peoples' lives in an accessible manner so that we could make deeper connections across this country?
I was very fortunate to have opportunities to engage with the Hillary For America campaign this past year and met many terrific and inspiring people along the way. Why didn't I pay more attention to the lack of excitement when discussing our candidate? I should have heeded the warning of a woman in Charlotte, NC who was convinced that while her neighbors said they would vote Democrat, in reality they would not. Why was I not alarmed at the lack of interest from immigrant communities in Arizona? How did I miss the meaning of such few and far between Clinton/Kaine lawn signs across the country? Those favorability numbers should have told us something was deeply amiss despite what polls were suggesting.
While our democratic elites were poll watching, Donald Trump's baseball cap wearing loyalists were plotting a different ending to this story. Can we blame people if we failed to respond to their needs and, in the process, they elected a man whose integrity is questionable and lacks the temperament to lead this nation towards a brighter future.
We should blame ourselves for failing the American people and in so doing failing our children. The only choice is an American anabasis, as undertaken by Xenophon and Cyrus to regain the Persian empire. We must first surrender to our retreat and profoundly reflect on our many miscalculations, missteps and failings. We can then formulate a deliberate and thoughtful path forward that is inclusive of all Americans and can win the hearts and minds, as well as the imagination of this great nation. Then and only then can we advance our principles and restore faith in our party and our democracy.