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<p><img src="http://www.madeineighty.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/steemit296.jpg"/></p>
<p>I’m admittedly an unqualified political analyst, but fortunately, qualifications aren’t much of a weighing factor in eligibility these days. It’s my blog, right? I’m sitting in a coffee shop with a few anxious hours to myself, and I’d like to look back on my Steemit posts, knowing I was able to share my thoughts on this political dumpster fire before we have the election results. Depending on the outcome, I’ll assess at that time if I am, in fact, a qualified political analyst. </p>
<p>Full disclosure, like many Americans, I’m disgusted with both of my options. I can go on about ideology and how I’m a father. How Trump threatens my son’s future, etc. The reality is, Clinton does as well…maybe less so, but she represents very few of my principles.</p>
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<p>*My son and I [...he's on my shoulders in this video] meeting Bernie Sanders at a rally in Minneapolis this spring.</p>
<p>My candidate was Bernie Sanders, who was strategically marginalized by Clinton, Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the DNC. I was raised in a working class family on the east coast, and we’ve always voted Democrat, but having my candidate stolen from me, simply because he didn’t fit the establishment’s mandate, is a wrong I’ll never forgive.</p>
<p>It is hard to imagine that as one candidate attacks minorities, insults the families of fallen veterans, brags about stiffing working class contractors as a billionaire that doesn’t pay Federal income tax, and boasts nonconsensual sexual assault, that the <strong>other</strong> candidate could be the greater of two evils, but again, Hilliary’s collusion with the DNC is what eliminated my candidate's chance of becoming President, not the vote of the people during the Democratic primaries. A candidate, I might add, that beat Trump in every single national poll by a margin of 8 - 12 points. The anxiety I feel now at the prospect of a Trump presidency is on the shoulders of Hillary Clinton, the DNC and Debbie Wasserman Schultz. In a very real way, that <strong>does </strong>surpass the evil of an inexperienced, racist, sexist, xenophobic, patriarchal old fuck. </p>
<p><img src="http://www.madeineighty.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/clinton-trump1.jpg"/></p>
<p>One of my good friends here in Minneapolis is a very passionate, involved social activist. She’s also Palestinian. When I caught up with her a few weeks ago, she told me she was voting for Trump. I think at that moment, the gravity of this election hit me. I had an idea of where she’s coming from. She’d decided that although Trump is the antithesis of everything she believes and stands for, he is not born of establishment politics. She feels he will cause financial, educational, social and above all, political collapse. She feels it's time for purge of a system that serves itself; not the people, and if there's anyone to do that, it's Trump. Burn the field and salt the earth.</p>
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<p>I recently came across a short interview with philosopher Slavoj Žižek where he said he’d vote for Trump as well, if he could. Much of what he says resonates with me, however, I’ll admit that as a father of a kindergartner, I still couldn’t pull the trigger on a Trump vote. As Zizek appropriately states, “Hillary is a cold warrior, connected with banks and pretending to be socially progressive.”. Definitely take a minute to watch this clip.</p>
<p>My prediction, is that Hillary will win the election, and I think it’ll be decided early as Florida results comes in. Without winning Florida, Trump has no path to the Presidency. I also predict that the deciding inertia of this election will be the Latino vote. For several past elections, political analysts have referred to the Latino vote as a sleeping giant. Based on early polling in Nevada, I think the “rapist and murderers” comments and “bad hombres” jabs have in fact, finally woken that giant and it’s going to be a masterclass in karma delegation. </p>
<p>If Hillary wins, I’m not going to be happy, but assuming Democrats take back the senate, we’ll most likely see Chairman Sanders. Above guns, immigration, and international diplomacy, personally, my vests are in whomever addresses climate change with a deliberate, committed approach. Hillary is clearly more progressive on that topic that her opponent, and if we see a Sanders Chairman, I’ll sleep [somewhat] better knowing my son’s generation has a chance.</p>
<p>Assuming Trump loses, no one is going to win, at least in the short term. This isn’t a troll you can down vote with enough STEEM Power that his comments stop showing up. It’ll be challenged, and I wholeheartedly believe he will incite violence, or even riots. If I’m expecting this, I’m sure it’s being anticipated at highest levels of government. One thing you have to keep in mind is that this is a close, closer election, and that means almost half the country fervently supports his principles and initiatives. I live in one of the most liberal cities in the country, but I can certainly see violent unrest in communities where that thin margin of ideology sits right on top of one another.</p>
<p>I’ll also be watching the Republican party’s play if Trump does, in fact, lose. Trump’s entire campaign harkens the infamous race between Goldwater and LBJ during the 1964 election. Goldwater was a hardline conservative that refused to play ball with moderate Republicans and Johnson capitalized by branding him as an “extremist”. Johnson won in a landslide leaving the Republication party to pick up the pieces and rethink the party going forward.</p>
<p>I’m uniquely qualified to have lived in extremes of both demographics, being born and raised in Scranton, PA, then having become a Minneapolis resident for the last six years. With my job, I’ve travelled between these two cities frequently, and believe me, it is jarring to go from gas station conversations such as “…we feel the queer theater group isn’t being fairly represented amongst gay, transgender actors of color.” to “…if I see those faggots holding hands I’ll drag them behind my truck and hang their bodies” […both actual conversations I’ve overheard].</p>
<p><img src="http://www.madeineighty.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/steemit295.jpg"/></p>
<p>The thing is, the world is changing rapidly, and the latter is having less and less of a place in our society. That’s not to say there isn’t a huge swell of racism and xenophobia, but that it isn’t <strong>as</strong> socially acceptable to share with the world as it once was. I wasn’t sure I’d see nationwide marriage equality passed in my lifetime, but as it turned out, I was in NYC on June 26th of last year as the landmark Supreme Court ruling was passed.</p>
<p>I wonder if a post-Trump Republican party will face the same quagmires as the post-Goldwater Republicans did in the mid 60’s. I suspect there will be a regrouping, emerging somewhat more moderate as a result of Trump’s rise to the party’s nominee…but maybe not. Is this an opportunity for Trump clones to have a political platform in the future [...and do extremely well]? It’s no secret that his success within the party was a product of overwhelming support by millions of enthusiastic, mobilized voters during the GOP caucuses. Unlike Hillary’s red carpet path to the Democratic nomination, Trump continually frustrated his party and campaign staff, still managing to reach some 45% or more of this nation on a deeply personal level. If he represents the will of that demographic within his party, but proves to be the bane of the GOP’s existence, where do they go?</p>
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<p>I voted a few weeks ago. I’ve made my peace despite two troublesome choices. Like so many others, voting against someone that repulses just slightly more. I respect our current President, First Lady, VP and of course, Vermont Senator enough to honor their endorsement with my vote, but still…not happy about it. </p>
<p>I do value Steemit for giving me a place to air my frustrations because honestly, turning a year’s worth of thoughts and anxiety in to a post one day before a new leader of our nation is elected has been a surprisingly therapeutic use of my time. The block chain will be here and by the time my son is old enough to vote, I’ll be able to come back to this post and show him that I made an arduous choice for the betterment of his future, and that I was [hopefully] on the right side of history.</p>
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<p>“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?'</p>
<p>'That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,' said the Cat.</p>
<p>'I don't much care where -' said Alice.</p>
<p>'Then it doesn't matter which way you go,' said the Cat.</p>
<p>'- so long as I get SOMEWHERE,' Alice added as an explanation.</p>
<p>'Oh, you're sure to do that,' said the Cat, 'if you only walk long enough.” </p>
<p>― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland </p>
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