The Dark Horse Candidate...

We’ve finally put November 8th, 2016 behind us. Something went wrong. Something didn’t turn out like we expected. For months, the mainstream media told us that Hillary Clinton would be our next President. No ifs, ands, or buts! It was going to happen. It made no difference who the GOP placed on the opposite end of the stage, Hillary was the chosen one. Everybody knew it. She knew it. The Democratic National Committee knew it. In fact, they cheated Bernie Sanders out of the opportunity. And admitted it! Maybe that should have been a clue. The “Heir Apparent” to the throne couldn’t knock of a crazy old Senator from Vermont without cheating. Never mind that his record of accomplishment, or lack thereof, wasn't enthralling. He was fun. He spoke to “the masses” and...gosh darn it, people liked him. Even members of the GOP liked Sanders. THE DNC just didn’t see him coming. So once the crazy old fool from Vermont was dispatched, it was time to fit Hillary with her crown. Order new interns for Bill, cause Hillary was moving back into the White House. And then...she wasn’t!

With Bernie out of the way, how hard could the Waltz to the White House be? Trump? He’s not for real. Nobody likes him. Nobody believes him. He’s offended just about every race on the planet. He’s offended women. He wants to build a wall. And his promises were empty. “We’re gonna make America great again!’ He said it over and over again. But...how? He never explained. He never had a plan. He never had any substance. “Where’s the beef?” Seems “The Donald” didn’t have any. No explanations. No details. Just thousands and thousands and thousands of people showing up to hear him speak. So many that George Soros spent buckets of cash hiring demonstrators and protesters to disrupt his rallies. Whatever could be done to discredit Trump, Soros was all in. Beating Trump would be a walk in the park. A piece of cake. Every time he opens his mouth, he shoots himself in the foot. And besides, he’s not a politician. He knows nothing, and who will vote for a man who knows nothing. He’s just an unemployed reality television star. 

Maybe someone in the Hillary camp should have noticed those rallies. Forget about all of those adjectives used to describe Trump. Racist, Homophobic. Xenophobic, Misogynistic. People supporting Trump weren't showing up because he was all of those things People weren't showing up because they were all of those things. Those thousands upon thousands upon thousands of folks showing up to support The Donald were showing up because he was different. Not racist, homophobic, xenophobic and misogynistic. Different. They were showing up because he wasn’t a lifelong elected official, beholden to PACS and other big money. They were showing up because he wasn’t afraid to shoot from the hip. To speak his mind. When you asked him a question, he answered it. Politically correct? Not a phrase that existed in his world. He would just answer the question, and the mainstream media would talk about the hole he had just dug for himself and how his reply would hurt him and how he would never have a chance at winning the Presidency because, well, just look at him. And who he is. And what he stands for.

And that is why Donald Trump, today, is our President-Elect. Oh, there’s no doubt that a lot of real “deplorables” voted for him. Just as some probably voted for Hillary. Trump was able to capture the electoral college because he isn’t Hillary. Or Bush. Or Cruz. Or Rubio. Or Kasich. He is the President-Elect because he is different. A breath of fresh air. Kind of a “new kid in town.” Yes, some voted for him for the wrong reasons. But don’t kid yourself. There aren’t that many “Billy Bobs” and “Joe Bills” running around this country. Hard working blue collar and white collar folks voted for him. Remember, those rallies had all of those thousands of folks showing up in attendance. They weren’t all waving a rebel flag. Or sharing the same set of teeth. Or dressing up in bed sheets and burning crosses. They were peaceful participants that supported their candidate, because as a previous Presidential candidate promised, Trump offered change. And Trump did the one thing that Hillary forgot. You’ve got to rally the troops. And Trump, the businessman, and his “board of directors” running his campaign, rallied his troops. And they did it where it mattered. At the beginning, Hillary avoided the public. Stayed out of the limelight. Avoided the public. And maybe didn’t pay attention to the lackluster attendance at her rallies. After all, the fundraisers were successful. What else mattered? Well, maybe now she knows. She’s the one with 30+ years of experience. She and her posse should know how to bring out the vote. And they did bring out the vote. Just not where it mattered most. 

Now we have folks protesting in the streets. Destroying property. Spewing hate. Blocking traffic. College kids crying for “safe spaces.” College professors cancelling mid-term exams. I can’t help but look at the generations before us. The ones who came to this country legally and started life with nothing, and built our cities and communities. Those who made America great. Those who fought in WWI, WWII and Korea. The ones who survived Pearl Harbor, D-Day, the Holocaust. Those who became stronger because of the adversity they faced. When something broke, they fixed it. They didn’t toss it out. Not like today’s disposable society. They didn’t whine, they worked. And for them, a “safe space” was where shrapnel couldn’t hit you. 

On Tuesday, November 8th, 2016 the mainstream media, formerly known as journalists, reporters and newscasters, stuttered and sputtered to explain how Trump could be holding on in the race. How he could have a decent showing. Why wasn’t Hillary winning by a “landslide?” What they couldn’t admit is that they themselves had caused the dilemma. They had lost all credibility. When you stage the “polls”, you don’t get honest answers. You get the answers you are looking for. If you live in a dry county and you want to make alcohol legal, you poll the folks exiting the liquor stores in other counties. You play the political game. We no longer have journalists, reporters and news sources we can trust. Don Henley was right. We have “talking heads.” Folks who inject themselves and/or their views and opinions into the news. They aren’t qualified to do this. They just look good in front of a camera. And some of them don’t even do that.

Maybe it’s time to focus on the real problem. It starts at home. David O. McKay said that “No other success can compensate for failure in the home.” Maybe instead of breaking store front windows and burning businesses or shooting cops, maybe that’s where the protest needs to begin. At home. Education and discipline. Examples of how adults should be adults. That’s how leaders are made. Created. Taught.

How did Trump become our President-Elect? He played the game. And he played it better than anyone else. And will he accomplish all of the political promises he made? Well, he’s not getting a crown and a scepter, he’s getting an Oval Office. Sure, he’ll have a pen and a phone, but look at how Obama, Bush, Clinton, the other Bush, and other Presidents before have done things. He’ll accomplish a few things. That’s how it works, this game of politics. Like those before him, he’ll surround himself with people who are smarter and more experienced. And he’ll do some things right. And he’ll do some things wrong. The left will complain about him, the right will praise him. And in the end, we will be just fine. We can pull together, or we can pull apart. And if we don’t pull together, 620,000 may be a very small number in the footnotes of history.