It's been a rough week, and not least because we, the United States of America, decided that Orange Cheesus Dorito Man was not only the best possible choice for a Republican ticket but also the best choice as Commander-in-Chief. Okay.
Do I worry for a Trump presidency because of what will happen to the government? A little. Every president has had good and bad policy changes made while in office. But I don’t fear it. What I do fear is the moral state of our country after being plunged into four years where it’s acceptable to act the way Trump has acted throughout the campaign.
I know a lot of people are scared today, and they aren't without reason. For anyone who is worried (and I know there are many of you, and I don't blame you), there are a few things you should know about the actual power a president can exert.
Firstly, the Commander in Chief cannot himself overturn Supreme Court decisions. This includes Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in the United States, as well as the follow-up case Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, which reinforced the decision of Roe v. Wade; it includes Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage in all fifty states. Keep in mind, also, that our judicial system does not generally overturn past rulings unless a very strong case is made against it; this means that even though Trump will undoubtedly appoint at least three new judges to the Supreme Court, their sphere of influence in overturning past rulings will be small.
Secondly, it is not within the realm of presidential power to write, repeal, or strike down any law permanently. The president does, of course, have influence over these things; but it is just that: influence. It is important to note that the division within the government will increase significantly, even with a majority Republican House and Senate; remember that, just weeks ago, our president-elect disavowed the entire Republican Party, is notoriously hazy on which party he actually owes allegiance to, and has actively worked against and alienated prominent Republicans (particularly House Speaker Paul Ryan, who, until Trump's election, was the most powerful Republican in the government). For Trump, this could mean a lot of roadblocks along the road to actually getting things done. He's burned a lot of bridges, waved away the support of fellow party members, and effectively isolated himself as Commander-in-Chief, so it's difficult to imagine his influence in the House and Senate getting very far. Tell me again how a presidential platform that operated almost exclusively on alienating members of its own party will succeed when, eventually, Trump must face a House and Senate made up almost exclusively of fellow party members he's insulted, belittled, and pushed away?
Thirdly, the president cannot do anything which infringes on the rights of states. This means that state-run programs, including welfare, housing, health insurance, and education (and several others), cannot fall under the influence of the President. The Tenth Amendment to the Constitution (which I would suggest Trump take a good, hard look at) emphasizes the rights of the states to act versus the federal government's rights to intervene. This, again, means that a President's influence over such things is not quite as sweeping as one might think.
On that thread: I have seen many people making the argument that Trump’s presidency will mean little; he’ll do his four years, and not much will change, which, perhaps, is true; he may not do anything of (political) importance while in office. Will policy change drastically? Perhaps not. But the face of the United States is changed. The ethics and values we’ve been working hard to uplift and repair have now been set back so drastically that it’s difficult to imagine a period in which the United States has ever been so divided.
The reality is this: we have elected a leader whose Vice Presidential elect advocates for conversion therapy for Trans+ and other LGBTQIA+ individuals (not to mention his insistence that being gay is a choice and that gay people should not be able to fight in this nation's military). More importantly, we, as a country, have elected in Donald Trump an individual who has boasted about sexual assault, who speaks of women with
We have gone from a president who speaks of women with esteem, who has raised two strong, smart, independent, and incredibly well-grounded daughters, who has championed the causes most important to women and advocated for gender equality, and who practices and promotes kindness, compassion, humility, strength of character, and unity, to a man who sees women as little more than props, arm candy, sex toys, and who is positively, woefully, unacceptably ignorant on the issues that plague every marginalized community in this country, from Latinos to gays to women.
To every person of color, every member of the LGBTQIA+ community, every immigrant, every Muslim, every person of Hispanic origin, every woman, and every single person who has ever felt marginalized, either by Trump himself or a member of his following, I am sorry. I am sorry that we, as a country, have made such a step backward. Never before has a candidate caused such division, unrest, and hate amongst the people of this nation, and I am so sorry that you have borne the brunt of it over these last eighteen months. I urge you to stay together, look toward the future, and be positive, but never stop fighting for your right to be treated as you deserve to be. Your fear is valid, your anxieties are valid, and your struggles in this country will not be swept under the rug. Continue to refuse to be silenced.
In conclusion: we are not bad people. But we're only as strong as our weakest link.
