Stop rejecting the reality that is President Trump. Start to navigate his America by striving toward change.
Hey, #notmypresident movement, you’re fired!
I will always support the right to free speech and exercising first amendment rights, but there’s a time to protest and there is a time to face the facts, even if you don’t like or agree with them.
If you haven’t heard, Donald Trump is officially the 45th President of the United States. That will not change. Protesting the legitimacy of Trump’s presidential status is asinine and some protesters might need to take an American history refresher course.
This isn’t the first time a U.S. President has gotten into the White House even after losing the popular vote. Trump’s electoral college victory marks him as the fourth president in American history to lose the popular vote and win the presidency, according to the LA Times.
According to worldnetdaily.com, “The protesters believe that only the national popular vote matters. But even though she garnered the votes of most of the largest cities in America, she did not win the majority of the states, cities or counties. In fact, Trump won 30 of the 50 states, more than 80 percent of America’s 3,141 counties and an equally lopsided percentage of its 35,000 cities. The protesters were unaware that the Constitution establishes an election system that balances diverse measurements.”
Another critical element that seems to be missing from the #notmypresident movement is an end goal. In order to succeed, one must have a clear vision of what he or she wants in the end. Very few authors can write a novel by the seams of their pants with little to no idea of the direction of the book. An effective ending always takes careful planning and consideration.
“If you don’t have a clearly defined end goal, then you don’t have anything to work for. You don’t have anything to push forward to. It’s just a protest voicing discontent. It’s just a bunch of people getting together and chanting,” said senior Jared Smith, President of the College Republicans. “That’s what comes across anyway, and it’s not productive. If they want to be effective, and if they wanted to put their money where their mouth is, I would imagine that there would be some alternative proposals.”
Look at women’s suffrage and the Civil Rights movement. They had a goal ,or a dream if you will, and they finished what they started. Both had an ending in mind.
The election for the chair of the Democratic National Committee is still going on, which no one seems to be paying attention to. That is one of the most important elections the Democrats will have in the next four years as it will set them up to beat President Trump in the next election if they want him out of the White House.
The movement itself doesn’t have a clearly articulated goal. It’s hypocritical and it’s not as inclusive as it claims to be. Also, it goes against the Constitution and American history. It doesn’t have any standing or any claim to effectiveness or validity.
The anti-election rallies on college campuses were deplorable. Universities across the country have hosted sob parties or “cry-ins” for those so distraught by the election results.
For the first time in these students’ adult lives, they didn’t get or hear what they wanted. That is not what the higher education system should represent.
Education is supposed to provide students with the tools to counter arguments soundly. It’s time to listen to each other. It’s time to actively recognize where we differ as a nation and work together to bind the wonds of division.
“College is supposed to be a place where you learn as well as hear opposing voices that can be offensive. If we don’t reach out to each other, especially to those who disagree with us, then we’re just going to be stuck in the same place, the same parallel universe, not understanding each other until someone else comes along and kicks us into high gear,” Smith said.
Former President Barack Obama even said, “Don’t wait for someone else to be the change, you be the change.”
Tate Rutland
Staff Writer