Beware the Ides of Trump

My Rhiyaya Facebook page got hidden or unliked by a few people yesterday morning. Was the it Ruth Bader Ginsburg onesie? The rainbow babylegs? The fact that the photo was clearly taken in a daycare center where I abandon my child on the regular? It’s not my intention to have a political blog, but where politics intersects with my life? Yeah, I’m writing that shit.

So yesterday we voted. Rowan is 10 months old and has been to vote three times. I have no idea how many times Lorelei has voted. She was so adorably eager to go to the Kids Vote booth because she hoped there was “a girl” to vote for. I can take her voting for Hillary, that’s cool.

As we were dropping her off at school a little boy called to me from the doorway. I looked back and met his eyes as he said “Whatever you do, do not vote for Trump. He might bring back segregation.”

My heart broke a bit.

These are not things small children should have to worry about. They are not things anyone should have to worry about.

This. Cannot. Be. Happening.

Just no. Nope. Voting for Trump is voting for this. Voting for a racist, misogynistic asshole is a vote for violence. Trump is a bad person. I don’t think many people are bad people, even when I strongly disagree with their values and positions.

Trump. Is. A. Bad. Person.

He’s also a failure at most things he has done. He could have more money just by having invested his daddy’s “small loan” and then not touching it, because his schemes to make more and more money never work out.

He’s not even good at what he’s supposedly good at.

He is using his podium to feed his egotistical agenda. Because Trump does not care about you. Trump cares about Trump. Trump knows people like reality TV shows, so he’s turned his campaign into one.

Trump may “say it like it is” if what it is involves being an utter douchecanoe who even most of his own party can’t stand. If “what it is” is hated, anger, vitriol, and a complete disregard for anybody who is “other.”

Trump is no longer a silly joke with a bad hairpiece. Trump. Is. Dangerous.

This has all been said by people far more eloquent than I. It just shocks me out of my liberal bubble when I realize that there are enough people willing to vote Trump that he is actually going to be a serious candidate.

Everyone is so concerned that Obama is coming for their guns, or that they’re going to be forced to get gay married, but they think it’s totally okay to take rights away from “others” — because as long as it’s “other” they can feel superior in their mediocrity.

I feel like I am back in high school. I was the kid with liberal stickers all over my notebook.  A biology teacher asked the class “who believes in evolution?” And of the large public-school class, only three people raised their hand. Then I got told I was going to hell by a classmate.

As an adult I have spent most of my time living in progressive bubbles, surrounded by like-minded people who would never vote for Trump. When I am reminded that people find Trump to be a plausible choice to lead this country I feel like I’m back in biology class with my hand in the air, surveying the room and wondering how this could possibly be happening.

I want to cry.

But all I can do is vote.