No one led us to an authoritarian America; we did it ourselves
There was no stealing of votes and no fight; Americans spoke clearly and definitely, explicitly voicing the path we should all take. The majority of us decided authoritarianism was the way forward. I respect this decision because it was a clear expression of democracy and free speech, even though I don't agree with any of it. We decided, collectively, to elect a convicted criminal and a serial business failure for president.
Folks, there you have it. We can now say without a shadow of a doubt that the United States is now an authoritarian America, much like Astonia, Slovakian, and many others. But this change didn't happen from one night to another or was forced by our newly elected president. We were already there for a long time. And the transition is complete. We have no one to blame but ourselves.
What went wrong with Kamala's campaign? Nothing. Mrs. Harris performed flawlessly in a stunning few months of fleeting possibilities. Her message generated nothing short of a collective zeitgeist in America. We could feel the enthusiasm and the potential for change. But we're all wrong. America was uninterested in these changes and progressive ideas of unitedness and fairness. America, for a long time, was already set on a different path.Â
The contrast could not have been more evident. On one side, we had the certainty of an easy victory for a progressive future and the ultimate defeat of a tired and intolerable farse and twice-impeached and convicted criminal candidate. We let our emotions be embraced by months of betting and hoping for a certain outcome. How could anyone choose something different? We're all wrong. How do we cope with this disastrous outcome? Â
I didn't sleep much last night because I thought of all of the people who would suffer or die due to our collective decision. I think of how many innocent women and children will die in Ukraine when our newly elected president hands Ukraine on a platter to Putin. I think of all the women who will die being denied the reproductive urgent care they need. I think of all the atrocities our emigrants will suffer, the separation of children and family members. But this is the path America chooses.Â
I finally slept in the early morning after a restless night, concluding that the only solution is to accept and realize that, at this moment, the only thing we can do is accept and retreat. There is also a yarning for introspection and the realization that Democracy has failed. We were all wrong.
Retreating here doesn't mean running away but removing ourselves from the immediate situation—regrouping and, for the time being, not allowing the other side to have an enemy. Make no resistance, and the enemy will have nothing to punch because there is no one there.
We must initially make no opposition but just observe and demand results. We finally must conclude that we woke up in the middle of the night, and morning is still a few hours away. We are not there yet, and America is in a learning process. We must allow time to run its course and be ready when it is ready.
Whatever happens will happen, and there is very little you can do now. All the responsibility of running the country will fall on the elected officials. Remember that the United States government is the largest corporation in the world, performing duties that have little to do with ideological agendas. Like any corporation, they must make logical and business-like decisions. The new government will be held accountable for any mistakes or negligences. Once the honeymoon ends, accountabilities begin, and the results will speak for themselves. Americans might be in for a surprise.
Americans who voted for this may be disappointed if the promised results don't materialize. They might be disappointed because nothing will be done in their best interest, as usually happens in authoritarian regimes. It is always in the interest of the few running the state at the top. But once a nation becomes authoritarian, it is nearly impossible to revert. Democracy is fragile, and Americans voted to end it. Elections have consequences.
Don't be upset. This is not the end. America has never been there in the land of authoritarianism, and to know what that is, one has to go there and feel it for what it is. To fix what is broken, one has to see and understand the nature of the damage. No one can go there for you. America's path to freeing itself from authoritarianism is to get to know what went wrong. We are well on our way to finding out, and nothing can be done to stop it. Â
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