Stop This Ride, I Want to Get Off

In three days, we will choose our next president. There has been a lot of purple prose about how this is the most important election of our lifetime. It is, of course, but the reader in me doesn't go in for hyperbolic phrases.

I am left leaning. I get into passionate arguments about our obligation as a country to ensure that the same opportunities exist for people of all backgrounds. Nonetheless, I understand that the United States are not mine alone. We have been disagreeing since our inception about the roles and obligations of government. That's humanity, and while democracy is not perfect, I really believe that it's the best form of government. I believe in the "myth of American exceptionalism." Not only that, but I believe that we are largely getting better at this whole governing thing. The America of today is closer to its founding ideals than the America of thirty years ago.

Which is why it's very hard to stomach what's happening now. A man who has little respect for women, people of color, people of other religions, or, if we're being honest, anyone but himself is inexplicably gaining ground. People I like are supporting a bigot. A bigot who thinks I'm an object. His campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again," is a pean to the days when only white males had opportunities. While I get that my values will always be different from those of the religious right, I find it incredibly hard to stomach that this man's ideals are shared by nearly 50 percent of our voting population. I had no idea that I was surrounded by such vitriol. That hurts.

I am SO tired of the argument that Hillary is the "lesser of two evils." She's not even in the same league as Donald Trump. I was an enthusiastic Obama supporter in 2008. I loved that he spoke to me like I was not a chump. In 2008, politicians tended to believe that they had to win the support of the lowest common denominator, and Obama was the only person who didn't. Looking back from six years as a female leader in government service, I can honestly understand why Hillary followed the herd back then. In a way, I think she faces a bigger uphill battle than even Obama did. Every day I cringe at the charges that would not be leveled against her male counterparts. I witness even well meaning supporters marginalize women. I watch, aghast, as an admitted molester climbs closer to the presidency. And I pray.