From November to November [Chapter 4 of 4]

This is a four chapter piece about the year since the 2016 American election that has changed everything, from the upset win to the current political climate Americans face today.  



The Final Chapter:

Me




November 2016 was the nail in the coffin for what was probably the worst year in my life. And it was more than just the election, it was all the tragedies we experienced, all the hatred that has revitalized itself and became public, and just seeing a hopeless situation look even more hopeless. Bernie Sanders was my man, remains my man, and has completely changed my views on my personal politics and ultimately all the political parties. Now the Republican Party reveals themselves to whether be racist or okay with racism or just selfish enough to never truly care about anyone outside their social circle---with gun control, refugees, immigration, and treatment of Puerto Rico being the defining examples. In the meantime, the Democratic Party has become a very angry party full of inner bickering and backstabbing, from Hillary’s book to Warren and Brizile making wild claims about Hillary’s money diluting the fairness of the primaries.

And for the record, I won’t say the DNC was rigged, but it was severely in favor of Hillary from the beginning, and nobody else had a shot (Poor Martin O’Malley). And of course, the third-party, the Green party, the Libertarian Party, they are all jokes. Well-meaning, but still jokes. Jill Stein saying Hillary is just as bad as Trump is about as ridiculous a statement as you can make. But that’s the past, and I am doing my best to look ahead.

Ahead is simple: continue to battle Trump’s ridiculous policies, continue to help out the Hispanic community (which has become completely ignored by Trump and the Republicans), and of course prepare for the next election which should allow for many important changes and more parity in Washington D.C. And if come 2020 we don’t have Bernie running, then I just might consider third-party, for the first time, who knows? All I do know is American politics has become a mess and needs some serious changes.

We need Obama’s ability to listen to both sides of the debate. Obama listened to both sides before signing off on his Obamacare, and although it’s far from perfect it’s a step in the right direction. We need Sanders’ energy about redistributing the wealth, as we are the richest country not named China yet don’t spend enough of it on important things like education, farming, climate change, and agriculture. Let me reiterate this again: Bernie Sanders says we need to save Puerto Rico, and I completely agree with him, as the United States has messed up that island for far too long. Bail them out, fix the business and importing laws, and give Puerto Rico more freedom to be its own entity.

We need Hillary’s fight to bring women and men closer together in terms of respect and of course working wages. We need Trump’s impeachment if we have enough evidence of the Russia collusion. Not saying we have enough now, but there’s enough smoking so that the paperwork can get started. Lastly we need to unite as a country and not just as two political parties under the same roof. We need to listen better, so that we can make improvements in gun control, taxes, and of course universal health. We just need to stop being divided, stop being overly offended, and try to collectively become a better society. Please.

2016 Election wasn’t the end of the world, but was a Pandora’s Box for a lot of ugliness that we would not have experienced if Hillary had won, and especially if Bernie had won. Hopefully we can learn from this and move towards a better America.





P.S. Hollywood, collectively you’ve become hypocritical scum, and I’m highly disappointed in the culture you’ve created.

From November to November [Chapter 3 of 4]

This is a four chapter piece about the year since the 2016 American election that has changed everything, from the upset win to the current political climate Americans face today.


Chapter Three:
Green:
The Hopeless Option







The 2016 election was the best opportunity for a third-party candidate to rise from the ashes and try to mess up the race and finally get some recognition. But how can you even compete in an election if nobody respects you? How can you debate against the other major candidates if you aren’t invited? How can you spread your message if you don’t have the money? Third-party candidates should use unconventional methods to compete, and it didn’t happen. Bernie Sanders knows his chances while lingering with the green party was quite slim, which is why he joined and unexpectedly crippled the Democratic Party. Nonetheless, there are some great ideas that came from his campaign that could help a presidential candidate that isn’t associated with Blue or Red.

For starters, Bernie Sanders did not accept massive donations from any company or large American presence. The money he raised felt legit, it felt like it came from interested people as opposed to people with specific interests. Second off, his fans did the homework, research, and were spreading the word through social media better than the Trumpsters and the Hillary Crew. Social media can be your most powerful asset to spreading your message, and social media is far less expensive than having to tour the country and make multiple stops to talk to people. You might be missing the personal touch, but as a third-party your options are limited and you have to space the cash out enough to be able to compete in debates and compete against the Red/Blue combo when election season is in full swing. Election season is more expensive than ever, so you need to be money-savvy otherwise you’ll run out of cash before you can build momentum.

Imagine building a YouTube and Instagram page of your political campaign, where you continuously update your progress and constantly discuss the issues that most pertain to you. Bernie Sanders has a podcast, and it’s one of the most successful in ITunes. Imagine building an official Facebook page about your party, and allowing everyone to join in and establish a community. The independent movement is rising exponentially, and has been for a long time, ultimately being a bigger force than the Democrats or the Republicans. The issue is, they wind up picking one of the two, knowing that a third-party vote is a waste. In order for third-party candidates to have a chance, they have to bridge this gap between supporting wild card candidate and actually winning a state, let alone an election.



It is going to take multiple elections, and will require people other than what we already have like Jill Stein and Gary Johnson (who both even with the odds fumbled several times in their campaigns) to achieve the opportunity to break the Red/Blue streak that has been going on since the 1860s. Bernie Sanders could have been that combo breaker, but at the time didn’t want to risk Trump winning the election so he sent his support to Hillary to ensure a smooth transition (Plot Twist: Didn’t happen). We don’t know where this new voice will come from, but new voices are definitely needed to fix many of the issues plaguing this country and plaguing the current political arena.


To Be Continued:
The Final Chapter.....

From November to November [Chapter 2 of 4]

This is a four chapter piece about the year since the 2016 American election that has changed everything, from the upset win to the current political climate Americans face today.



Chapter Two:
Blue:
The Broken Party vs. Bernie Sanders

The Democratic Party is shattered, defeated, damaged, and absolutely shell-shocked even an entire year later. Even though they won the popular vote, in this current voting system it’s not good enough if you can’t win Florida or Pennsylvania. Losing Michigan/Wisconsin was another surprise, as the Democrats had those two states for six elections in a row. Losing to the politically-inexperienced Trump remains unprecedented, it’s an incomparable defeat. Hillary Clinton is one of the most qualified candidates in the history of politics, but delivered such a clunky campaign performance that it cost her dearly. Combine that with Trump being the rock to her scissors, the rampant sexism behind her running, the media covering the e-mail scandal far more than necessary to make for a closer election race to boost ratings, and to an extent Russia, and you have a variety of elements contributing to her loss. I’m sure Hillary had to write that book because she needed to take several months off to figure out what in the hell went wrong.





Side-Note: 60+ million still voted for Donald Trump, and I’m pretty sure it would take more than ticky-tacky ads by secret Russian people to convince most to vote for him. I won’t give the Russian interference as much coverage because guess what, politics is a dirty game and the Democratic primaries also ran with questionable tactics.





Clinton had such an easy path built by Obama. Barack Obama became a trendsetting president, being the first Black president wasn’t enough, he had to be one of the most well-spoken, sympathetic, cleanest leaders in the history of the United States. There was a dignity that surrounded him that was so heavy the critics and anti-Obama peeps deemed it as arrogance. Whether or not you agreed with his policy, there’s no way you can claim he disrespected the opposition. Unlike the man we have as president, Obama accepted, embraced, and was prepared for the negativity and the vicious words that would be hurled against his presidency. His ability to reach out to voters of all races, ages, and beliefs remains quite a marvel. The economy was improving, the jobs report was improving, and America was shedding some of its rough skin from the murky 2000s that involved two unsuccessful unfinished wars and a ton of uncertainty following the dramatic economic crash.

This was supposed to be such an easy road. And then Hillary Clinton ran into something she never thought she would face: opposition.

Bernie Sanders rose out of the ashes and delivered the most unique campaign in modern political history. He never attacked Hillary, his crazed and dedicated fans did that work. He didn’t need massive donations from very successful people, his $27 idea was enough to draw millions in cash. He didn’t have to make as many political stops, the YouTube and Facebook clips were making him a rising legend. The more you read about him, the more you realized that he had campaigned for most of the things that weren’t politically or socially acceptable at the time. Fought for Civil Rights, fought for gay rights, battled for the middle class in the 90s, was against pretty much every military conflict, and remained under the radar in politics until he decided to make an effort to run for the main prize.




He was rocking the debates (drawing more enthusiastic support each time), selling out crowds, and embracing the criticism and imitation—leading to a hilarious SNL moment which featured him and his doppelganger Larry David. One of the funniest examples of him always being with the pulse of the Democrats despite not actually being one was when Hillary Clinton openly questioned where Bernie was while she campaigned for universal health care in the 90s---only for footage to pop up revealing that he was literally right behind her. There was great criticism behind Bernie Sanders joining the Democratic ticket despite being an independent for decades, but let’s be honest does a third-party candidate actually have a ghost of a chance in modern election society? Hell no. Bernie knew this, and would give it a shot, and had one of the most epic last-minute runs towards the White House we will ever see.

Even though Hillary won the Democratic ticket, it wasn’t without hordes of controversy. The DNC was met with clashes, protests, anger, and disappointment in the way things were handled from the start of the primaries to the finish. I don’t have to revisit this because we’ve seen this tale too many times before. I am revisiting this moment briefly because I assure you this is the moment Hillary’s chances of winning were starting to slip. E-mail leaks revealed that the Democrats were paving this road for Hillary and there was pretty much a heavy bias towards her, even if say a Bernie rose up and delivered a good campaign. Even though Sanders gave Clinton his full support and begged for his fans to do the same, the negative press was like candy for the Republicans. Lastly and probably the big mistake of the convention was the theming that America has become great already, that America has fully recovered, when we still had a long way to go—from the Wall Street corruption to Middle America reeling to Puerto Rico needing help and of course, Black Lives Matter still being a hot topic. The only one in the convention willing to point all these out and exclaim that there’s much work to do, was Bernie Sanders.

Ultimately, there were more Hillary-to-McCain voters in 2008 than there were Bernie-to-Hillary votes, but the negative press started on those fateful nights when the primaries ended. And that negativity festered even though Hillary Clinton won each debate against Trump, even though she spent much more money campaigning, even though she was clearly the better candidate, and battled illness and sexism and an awful media just trying to paint a close election. Hillary Clinton endured a lot, but her biggest mistake was never acknowledging Bernie Sanders and his fanbase and underestimating her requirement to keep her voters engaged and active. And even today, when she is supposed to be the voice of the Democrats as they prepare for a bloodbath in the 2018 elections, here she is writing a book blaming Bernie Sanders and the fans for her loss. Even if it’s slightly true, it’s definitely a bad look releasing a book while a country is reeling and trying to sift through the wreckage. Having the audacity to blame a political opponent seeking the same promised land of the presidency for the loss looks bad no matter what. Sanders takes the high road in avoiding that controversy, but don't worry, his fans will step up like they have been since 2015.

Bernie Sanders has emerged as the most popular candidate in politics today despite the early exit. He hasn’t dwelled on the past, unlike the DNC members starting to separate themselves from Hillary to stay away from the stink of losing a very winnable election. While the Democrats bicker and scramble, there’s Bernie out in Puerto Rico pleading for help. While the Democrats lick the wounds, there's Bernie questioning why the cabinet members with Trump are so inexperienced and unprepared. The Bernie Bros, as rampant and vicious as they might be, continue to prop up the legend that has engulfed the elderly Jewish man that has captured the hearts of the third-party and independent movement. And of course, Bernie Sanders continues to battle Trump and the Republican Party as they continue to dismantle everything Obama did 8 years prior in some sort of petty campaign. But can the Democrats really follow Sanders as their leader even though he technically still hasn’t committed to becoming a Dem?

Sanders has simultaneously launched a new generation of voters and active young politicians while giving the DNC an identity crisis. The Democrats rode everything on Hillary Clinton winning while underestimating her unpopularity among the independents and Republicans, and not exactly doing the necessary research to ensure victory. And baffling them even further is how if Sanders had gotten the ticket, he would have unquestionably wrecked Trump in the main election. So do we follow Hillary? Do we follow Sanders? Do we look for a new voice and risk losing again in 2020? This is something the Democrats have to figure out, and fast, even if the Republican Party is also falling apart. It is no coincidence that the approval rating of the Democrats is at its lowest in decades.

So no matter how bad Donald Trump and his men are at the White House, at this point not even a Hillary/Trump rematch could shift the tides. Bernie Sanders, despite his age and continuing disapproval and disappointment of the current Democrat conditions, is the top dog to fight Donald Trump in the next election. Whether he wants to run again, and whether he wants to even run as a Democrat after the lopsided race he experienced remains to be seen. He refuses to discuss 2020, refuses to discuss 2016, and wants to stick with the 2017-2018 program of stopping Trump at every turn. He is doing the noble thing, but at the same time 2020’s election needs to be planned starting from today. Otherwise, the next loss won’t be so shocking.

Hillary Clinton can’t run again. Bernie Sanders may not run again. So what the heck is the third option? And no, Michelle Obama is not that option.




To Be Continued:
Chapter Three, discussing the third-party option, pointless now, but doesn't always have to be this way....

From November to November [Chapter 1 of 4]

This is a four chapter piece about the year since the 2016 American election that has changed everything, from the upset win to the current political climate Americans face today.


Chapter One:
Red: American Christianity




In the same month we have one of the worst shootings in the history of the United States still without a backlash against the violence and a popular Republican known as Ray Moore shockingly still potentially having a prominent job despite the ugly track record and even uglier accusations popping up concerning pedophilia actions. And this is shortly after the worst mass shooting in the history of the country (should be called terrorism but that’s for another day) coming and going without much of a peep towards gun control, mental health analysis, or even a willingness to accept that this country has a major violence problem. This is where we are as a divided and mostly disappointed country.

We have a man with no political experience whatsoever as president, and the first year has been a bit of a nightmare for a variety of reasons I’d rather not get to (just check my Tweets, my facebook posts, or even the news). In an election that featured prominent Republican faces they pick the one man that is anti-Christian values, anti-human rights, anti-99%, and just overall an absolute disappointment of a human being. Nonetheless, they picked him. And finding the source as to why the Republican nation has sold their soul and dove in to the package Donald Trump was offering isn’t just a recent thing, this has been decades, centuries in the making, and boils down to one specific thing: American Christianity.





Side-Note #1: Most of what I say is observation and would be tough to prove with facts. However, with 61% Mormon, 81% White Evangelicals, 58% Protestant, and 60% White Catholic voting Trump, there is a basis connected to the points I am making here.





Let’s go back, shall we? America was founded by people escaping an unjust and religiously strict England. Through the power of their beliefs (and anger because of taxes) they conquered the Natives, defeated the British (twice) and became a quickly-powerful nation. Toss in the Manifest Destiny where they start conquering the West with no remorse over who else reigns there (because in their eyes it was ordained by God), and you have a country founded on God, believing in God, and seemingly succeeding because of God. The United States was established on war, established on violence, and profits greatly because of it. The Wild West festered on outlaws, chaos, and guns. America was succeeding because of guns, and lots of them. After the two World Wars, America emerged as one of the 3 most powerful countries in the world. It is no coincidence that today it harbors by and large the biggest military in the planet. Its in the DNA.

America’s culture is festered on: God, Guns, and Family; and anyone that challenges this is a threat to America in general. Whether it’s the 19th century Democrats or the modern-day Republicans, anyone that challenges this cultural aspect of America and challenges the way America is run is seen as a direct enemy. Lincoln was considered an enemy because he was trying to destroy slavery, which is what the South had been running on for decades, despite the extremely obvious immorality that the North (finally) recognized. And yes, the South still isn’t quite over it. Every war since then, from World War 1 straight through the Afghanistan/Iraq conflicts involved us (whether from the beginning or eventually) because of the idea that our freedoms and culture were under attack.

Clinton was seen as the biggest threat to Republicanism because of her light connections to Obama, her connections to Bill Clinton (of course), and her multi-decade track record of constantly going up against the Red Team’s beliefs of God, Guns, and Family. And to add to that, the Clinton brand was extremely, extremely successful. Running on political gasoline, the Clintons became one of the most powerful figures in America, drawing, earning, distributing, and donating millions through foundations and other means. Bill Clinton ran the 90s, which was pretty much the last time America was head and shoulders above everyone else in terms of economic growth and prosperity, a.k.a., the Sex and the City era. The Republican base knew that this was a sure-fire victory, no way they could compete unless they tossed in a Hail Mary of a candidate to try to kill the momentum.

The Christian base was willing to make a deal with the devil to ensure she wouldn’t win. And the mere depth of the hatred towards her had clues sprinkled throughout that the Democrats had not really picked on. Top Gear is my favorite underrated example, as the hosts once held a contest that they had to completely cancel because they were fearing for their lives when one of the cars features a “Hillary Clinton for President.” This was back in 2007, before the 2008 election that was won by Obama. The evidenced hatred of Hillary amongst the South and Midwest has spanned decades.

This brand of Christianity that we see here focuses strictly on immediate family, on social success, and stability amongst those two elements----and focuses much less on those outside the social circle and even less on other countries and groups of people in need. Part of American Christianity is this subtle belief that everyone has an equal chance at happiness and success, and if you aren’t succeeding or in deep trouble it has a lot to do with your decisions. Part of the mystique of American Christianity is the willingness to help, only from a distance. Negativity is seen as complaining and anti-American, appreciate what you have, because “you’d be much worse off elsewhere.” But biggest of all, anything that appears outside their American picture of well-rounded family, complete with Bible and house, just looks like an egregious anomaly. It’s mostly this base that struggled to accept Civil Rights, gay marriage, universal health care, atheism, and anything outside the male/female gender role---and of course a female president. If Christian America hates where the nation is heading to, then Clinton winning would just continue this immoral road.





Side Note: Donald Trump also tapped into an ugly underbelly of America that supports Nazis, that supports the KKK, that supports White Nationalists, hates the way the Civil War ended, and would be perfectly fine supporting the eradication of Blacks and Hispanics. To say that everyone falls under this umbrella is irresponsible, but they do support the same man---which is an issue this administration seeing the cronies Trump has hired to help him. I am speaking about another group of Trump voters, not the psychotically racist group I just described.





So what is American Christianity going to do now that they survived 8 years of Obama yet see the even less likable Hillary on the horizon? None of their typical people can work. Romney couldn’t beat Obama, so how can he possibly take on a Clinton? Clinton was Democratic royalty, and the power of Bush has diminished, there are no decedents of Reagan. Ben Carson is the most boring man in the history of politics, Ted Cruz is arguably the most unlikable candidate since Nixon, and Marco Rubio was softer than wet tissue paper. And here’s Donald Trump, full of success, full of vice. Can Republican Christian America be okay with a man with no political experience, and a history that is full of the very sins that Christianity struggles to accept? Only if it means beating the bigger sin: Hillary Clinton.

Hillary Clinton doesn’t look like their atypical wife, mother, grandmother. She is a woman playing a man’s game. She is seen lounging around with all the men in politics all over the globe. She has an obvious distaste for the flyover states, especially the South, and remains well-connected with Hollywood and New York City---two places that (to American Christianity) remain leagues away from the heartland of America. Oh yea, and there’s that abortion thing. I tell you this, because this is the biggest explanation as to why the strictest of major groups in the United States dropped their guard entirely when embracing Donald Trump, their rock star traveling throughout all the forgotten lands.

Of course, them being hypocrites was going to be the price they are willing to pay, for as long as Hillary loses and he continues supporting American Christianity. However, he isn’t as strong as they thought he would be. He isn’t as business-savvy as they thought he would be. He isn’t as powerful or as respected as they thought he would be. Within a year, America’s global power stock has slipped, the Republican party has been shattered, and Trump still somehow wants Americans to pay for the wall. But they know these truths: Trump will protect their guns, protect those that voted for him from criticism (even if he won’t support them within his powers), and will try to fight the PC and gay agenda. And along with Hillary Clinton and the Democrats licking the wounds of their loss, that’s all American Christianity could possibly need. Maybe.

However, the cost is mightier than they could have ever imagined, with the shooting in a Texas church being the latest example. Gun control isn’t at fault here, neither is the fact that it’s a Red State; American Christianity has created this culture that keeps their guns close to the Bible, and once in a while it creates nasty scars. The inability to accept changes or accept that there are problems that need to be addressed is caused by their discomfort in accepting that things are going haywire and need solutions. This church shooting is a tragedy, but a completely expected one. We didn’t want to change when a deranged man shot up an elementary school, why change now?

The shrinking approval numbers are proving one thing: American Christianity in a fit of fear and rage voted for a man that completely degrades their values and is starting to reveal his true colors. His respect for soldiers is not like that of Bush, his disdain for the Russians is non-existent unlike a Reagan, and he lacks the ability to actually fix the middle class like an Eisenhower. Trump spoke their language: fight the overseas enemy, battle terrorism, battle immigration, more jobs for them, fewer apologies and more action. American Christianity just had no idea how heavy the price was going to be, and fear for how much more they have to own up to when the presidency leaves the Obama fiscal period and enters Trumps’.



But at least Hillary lost.


P.S. Trump does need to be impeached, in case you haven't read my explanation before:






To Be Continued:
Chapter Two will discuss the absolutely destroyed Democratic Party.

The Debate That Shouldn't Even Be a Debate (Reprise)

Assault rifles should be banned.



We need deeper background checks on everyone purchasing a gun.



There should be a limit on how much weaponry someone has in their arsenal.



The government should buy back the guns and send the better weapons to the military overseas.



Everyone has a right to a gun, just nothing that is powerful enough to take on hordes of people in seconds.

Was that so hard?



Apparently so, because we once again (I have indeed discussed this before...) are hiding the fact that America is predominantly the top dog in terms of owning guns, using guns, killing people with guns, creating mass shootings with guns, and of course the most lax gun laws this side of the planet. America still hasn’t learned its lesson after seeing dozens of kids get killed, after seeing a random movie screening under attack, after seeing a university get lit up by a deranged student, and of course after a seemingly random individual for reasons yet unknown pile up for armaggedon and attack a music festival. These mass shootings are happening far too often. When can we admit America has an anger problem, and a gun problem?

Las Vegas had two tragic fires in the 80s, and they updated their fire safety codes and we haven’t seen a disaster of that magnitude since. A man nearly blew up a plane by explosives in his shoes, guess what now everyone takes off their shoes while being screened to enter a plane. Even Beavis and Butt-Head removed references to fires (when they honestly didn’t have to) after a child influenced by the cartoon set his house on fire. If Beavis and Butt-Head are willing to change their ways, why can’t the government? Why can’t the NRA? Why can’t America be willing to adjust its mindset towards weaponry? Why does it seem like such a far-fetched idea to potentially be slightly stricter towards guns laws?

I’m not talking about hand guns of even 9MMs. I am talking about the fact that 400+ were shot at within minutes because of legal weaponry. That’s ridiculous. How is someone allowed to possess 18 rifles without raising some type of suspicion? How is someone allowed to own hundreds of pounds of ammunition without some sort of red flag being raised? These are the questions that should be asked, and the talk about “now is not the time to discuss gun control” has to cease. We have sick, sick people and dangerous people having access to weapons without much resistance.

This is not a Trump issue, as this has happened during Obama, Bush, and even Clinton. Obama unsuccessfully lobbied to fix the gun laws while Trump has made it easier for those with mental disabilities to buy them----so that’s a step backwards. Truth is, the NRA are stuffing the pockets of pussy politicians thinking about their finances more than the wellbeing of America---which has led to more mass shootings, more gun killings, yet molasses movement towards a change once we reach the House of Representatives. The same week when Vegas happened, there’s a bill being tossed about legalizing silencers for guns. You know this country is in serious trouble when gun sales and stock actually improves after a massacre.

I honestly believe nothing is going to change until honestly, a tragedy right at the White House or the Pentagon would occur. Once it hits extremely close to home will these politicians finally notice the seriousness of the violence we’ve been seeing in the past two decades in America. One of the gun advocates was at the concert when the shooting happened and completely changed his mind. After you see dozens of bullets being launched per second you’ll change your outlook as well. Like I said, I’m not asking for much, just tighter restrictions on potential criminals, on the mentally disabled, on the potential terrorists, and of course those in the no-fly zone, which for some inexcusable reason are still allowed to buy a gun.



Let’s be smart guys. Please. Let’s start moving towards a safer America.

The Neglected 20% of America

It has been a while.

The truth is I’m not over what has happened in the past year. The truth is I’ve struggled to accept the current conditions of the country I live in. I don’t feel like I’m in a country that accepts me, nor do I feel like I am following a religion that actually accepts me. My belief in that we as a nation were going to move forward has been vanquished not only by the election results, but by which the manner we are seeing the defense and sheer ignorance of the actions related to the current leader. The entire ordeal has consumed my soul for months, and I no longer can really classify as an American, instead as a person who just happens to live in America. That’s the difference, and it’s not only because my candidate pick lost, if ONLY it were that simple. With all the events swirling around, it is completely obvious that we have an anti-Latino president, an anti-Hispanic leader, surrounded by people with a history of steering towards beliefs that alienate Hispanics and immigrants from the rest of America. And yes, we collectively voted this in, so not even going to bring up Russia because at the end of the day, 50 million still indeed voted for this man. I don’t dispute the results, I am extremely disappointed by them.

Battling Mexico unnecessarily, pushing back relations with Cuba, barely mentioning or helping Mexico after the earthquake merely weeks after our Southern neighbors sent people to help Houston after the intense flooding, the travel ban on Venezuela, and of course the extremely lukewarm response to Puerto Rico’s crisis, on top of everything he’s already said about Hispanics are part of the arsenal of evidence supporting my claims about where his head is at. He’s pretty much paid no attention to the top minority group in the country, and the Puerto Rico disaster is just your biggest spotlight towards this behavior.

Tossing paper towels towards a crowd of people desperate for help? (Side-Note, can you imagine the outrage if Obama tossed towels at crowds of emotionally-battered people without homes after hurricane Sandy?) Partially blaming Puerto Rico for the crisis after going through one of the most intense hurricanes in modern history? Remaining in only the richer region of the nation while avoiding areas that were actually hit harder? Somehow finding a way to complain about the freakin’ budget in the middle of a humanitarian crisis? Taking forever to lift the Jones Act to allow other countries (like Dominican Republic, Cuba, even Germany) to help out? Somehow picking a fight with a mayor of a Puerto Rican city in the midst of her spending days waist-deep in water looking for survivors? And lastly and most ridiculously, comparing Puerto Rico to Louisiana and claiming Katrina was the true disaster by comparing death counts? Come, freakin’, on. I predicted that upon his victory he wouldn’t know how to handle a disaster and would find ways to completely abandon the Hispanic base (which overwhelmingly disapproves of him), but seeing the results still bothers me.

Hey, let’s also not forget his complete avoidance of the Virgin Islands, Cuba, and once again Mexico as they all are going through extremely rough summers. When Royal Caribbean beats you to the punch in terms of reaching out and visiting shattered environments, you absolutely are failing as a leader. He has his own private plane, and a military budget that inches closer to a whopping trillion dollars, so why on earth is he taking so long to travel a couple hours and lend out a helping hand? Why on earth has he spent more time picking on the NFL then tweeting ways to help Puerto Rico? He doesn’t care about anyone that isn’t that niche fanbase that remains supporting him in spite of everything, and this includes any Hispanic within the Western Hemisphere. Last time I checked, Trump ran under "America First" and "Make America Great Again." Guess what, Hispanics make up a good chunk of America, and Puerto Rico is indeed part of the United States, whether they voted for you or not. I thought he was military first, so now is a good time to remind all of you that thousands of Puerto Ricans have served in every war since World War 1 along with other Americans. Now was the time to recognize the need for a strong Puerto Rico to help strengthen America. Instead, they were treated as a burden.

This is what I get to face: a Christian America that has thrown Hispanics under the bus in hopes of seeing rapid changes that would improve their lives. I understand trying to shuffle the White House a little, after all I was a Bernie Bro before his loss and subsequent angry racism and sexism that followed. But for Christianity to be the driving force behind the Trump win is a serious blow to my personal beliefs while being in this country. You expect me to continue follow Christianity when the people that follow the same God as mine went in such a dark direction? Of course we can shout “They aren’t real Christians!” but, 81% of the country aren’t real Christians? 60% aren’t real Catholics? 58% aren’t Protestant? Nobody is perfect, and yes Hillary Clinton has made some questionable choices from time to time. But Trump has lived his entire life devoid of redemption, devoid of willing to change his ways as a businessman willing to climb on top of others to reach the summit. And he has climbed on the backs of Hispanic people for decades. And the religious core of America has chosen to look the other way the entire election season.

The businessman aesthetics of Trump are at full blast here, and this is also where the problem lies. As a businessman, you don’t waste your time with the competition, don’t waste your time catering to those not supporting you, instead always focusing on your customer, your consumer. This is precisely what Trump is doing, catering to his crowd, no matter how divisive it may be. The Wall, the Ban, the Tax Cuts, the Attempted Assassination of Universal Health Care, the Trash Talk, this is all products to feed to the people that voted him in. But, The Wall affects Hispanics (illegal AND legal, with the rise of hate crimes and anti-Latino sentiment swirling to boiling levels), the Ban affects refugees and those seeking shelter and safety (Latino AND non-Latino), and of course the Tax Cuts is secretly affecting everyone under the Fat Cat status. This is why businessmen cannot and should not carry that mentality when trying to be president: we aren’t customers for your product, we are citizens trying to better our lives. Donald Trump is not seeking to improve the lives of everyone, only the select population. And you know the population I am referring to.

This is worth reiterating, I am not going to label every Trump voter and current fan a racist, but I will remain disappointed in their decision to follow a man with such a sketchy history towards minorities especially in the Hispanic spectrum. And yet it’s still never too late to rise up and speak up against his actions. This is why we are kneeling, this is why we are on the vengeful attack on social media, this is why a brewing rebellion is about to hit overdrive if the path of his presidency continues moving south. This is put up or shut up time, it is time to yell, shout, be offended, be angry. We are in a world that allows close communication thanks to the billion ways we can reach each other. I have already done my share through Twitter, through Facebook, and back the talk with my frequent donations to Puerto Rico and Mexico, and my weekly donations to United Way. It is time more people do the same, Trump voters and non-Trump voters. This presidential racist disaster has gone on long enough, we need to find a way to stop this nonsense from continuing.









P.S. Trump owes Puerto Rico over $30 million because of a failed business. So he of all people should not complain about any country squandering money….