Speechless, Almost

I am not a fan of election night coverage.  Call me old-fashioned but I prefer actual vote counts to exit polls and breathless projections the minute  the polls close.  So, last night I was reading a book at the kitchen table  (Grisham's newest novel "The Whistler," if you must know,) while Judy was following the various returns, and the all-important analysis on cable TV.   

 Around midnight she announced that she was going to bed, and with a look of trepidation on her face, said, "Trump's going to win."  She said it in the same tone a doctor might have used to inform you that you have inoperable cancer.

My first thought was "This cannot be..."  I had never entertained the thought that Trump might actually succeed in fooling most of the people.  

I woke up this morning and realized it was not just a bad dream.  I was not feeling great. I was stunned. I wondered how even the most ardent Hillary-hater could forget that Trump is little more than a bag of wind  -- a phony two bit reality show celebrity, a pussy-grabbing, multi-bankrupt, tax evading, petty blowhard.     But the numbers are there in blue and red.   

I am still stunned (if not speechless), and coming to grips with the new reality show that we will watch unfold.  I feel a few pluses: At least, Hillary is never going to be president.  This time she will not get a nice cabinet position.  Hopefully Hill and Bill will exit stage left and fade into history.  

Also, the stock market has not crashed -- as was feared during the early morning hours -- at least, not yet!. 

It is too early to do an effective autopsy, but one cannot help opining on cause and effect.  Many of us who are stunned today must admit to being deaf to the numbers of disaffected people.  

I think it will become clearer that Trump's election is to a great extent ( but not entirely) due to a backlash to the speed of changes that progressives/liberals have been inflicting on the not-so-silent majority.  Political correctness has gone amok, where many voters felt their rights and beliefs were being trampled in the progressive dust while the PC gang remained intolerant in smug moral superiority.   Hillary's failure to be elected has little to do with her gender and a lot to do with the fact that she is generally disliked and distrusted.

So now it is up to Mr. Trump to follow through on his promises to make America great.  Will that be manifested by  "Trump" being etched in big letters into the White House Portico? Will he invite Putin to spend a few nights in the Lincoln bedroom while they plan world domination?  

Or, will he actually help Veterans, reform immigration, improve the balance of trade, appoint responsible judges to SCOTUS, etc.?

Time will tell.   I am not optimistic.