I keep coming here to write and then I stop because I can’t seem to formulate much of a coherent thought. But I do wish to point something out.

Over the last several months, many people have been begging third party voters to do the right thing. Get over your protest vote and do the right thing. Hold your nose and do the right thing. Exercise your protest vote when we’re not facing a Trump presidency. And there was hope. The early Latino vote came in super strong in many states and there was even more hope.

But then on November 8th, as the votes began to trickle in and we all watched in shock as Trump won basically every single battleground state, hope fell away. In some instances, and within certain states, the candidates were really close in numbers, some of the differences could have been made up by the votes cast for Jill Stein.

I wrote this back in July:

Here’s the deal: I understand not liking either candidate. I understand wanting to change the system. But if you’re a POC; if you’re a Muslim; if you’re LGBTQ; if you’re a woman; if you’re disabled; if you’re Mexican; if you’re an immigrant—just to name a few—you didn’t have the luxury or privilege of sitting this one out or casting a protest vote by not showing up because their candidate of choice didn’t make it. (I love Bernie, too, by the way.)

Look at Michigan, which is currently the only state not fully in yet.

Look at how close they are. And then look at how many people voted for Stein. Some folks don’t have this privilege and are terrified. If you’re a white person, specifically a white male, you are probably rolling your eyes upon seeing the word “terrified”. But it’s the truth. So many of our fellow Americans are terrified. In fact, if there were a word more terrifying than terrified, I’d use that.

Scared shitless? Worried for their lives? Worried about their families? Terrified.

I’m so mad. I can’t believe this man has become our nation’s leader. A man who has offended basically every single living American other than the white man. I won’t go as far as to say that he’s not my president, because he sure as shit is. And, again, it comes from a place of privilege to be able to say such a thing—I can weather out a Trump presidency. Instead, I’m going to fight back. I’m going to spend the next two years working my ass off to make the tide of fear and intolerance change.

Toby and I are hosting a meeting at our home this evening with kids and families from all around town. I am hoping we can make a small change together and maybe turn the red tide a touch more purple before my kids can vote. This is not someone they can look up to. Fear got him into this position. Fear got him elected.

Fear is a terrible thing.

I think it’s time to make our nation great, not great again. Let’s make it great for the first time. Because we aren’t there yet and I love this country.