As the 2016 Election unfolded before us, we went through a series of emotions. From excitement and hope to despair and self doubt, we as a nation have had quite the year. The election has had its ups and downs, scandals and surprises and we will be sure to remember this time for years to come.
1. Remember when we were all excited about the election and the possibility of electing a new president?
Remember the good old days? Hope in our hearts, a smile on our faces, a skip in our steps as we began the journey into election season. We celebrated our democracy and the fact that we would soon have the chance to elect the new leader of our fair country. What a time to be alive!
2. That moment when we heard that reality TV star Donald Trump was running.
Sure, Donald Trump entering the race surprised us, but hey! Reagan was an actor and look how great things turned out for him! How bad could this Trump guy be? And besides, it's not like America would ever actually elect him, let him run! Everyone should have a shot at the white house!
3. Millennial's rejoiced when sweet Bernie Sanders entered the race.
Finally a candidate for us! Someone who wanted to help us pay for school, raise the minimum wage and work towards equal pay for women, Bernie's got us! We found hope in a Senator from Vermont who we believed would lead us to victory!
4. And we were stunned when candidate Donald Trump became the Republican Nominee.
Wait, hold up! This Donald Trump guy got the nomination? Over many seemingly more qualified candidates, Trump had prevailed to become the nominee for the Republican party. Whether it was because of his straightforward way of handling major issues or the draw of someone who had not spent their life as a career politician, Donald had captured the nations eye.
5. Soon America chose Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders as the nominee for the Democratic Party.
While we celebrated the choosing of a woman, we were heartbroken by the fact that our dear sweet Bernie had been passed over. Hillary had a history of some rather shady dealings and we worried about how trustworthy she might be as we said goodbye to our hopes for a Sanders presidency.
6. And for a moment we had hope in third party candidate, Gary Johnson.
Could it be? A third party candidate we could get behind. No longer did we have to chose between a reality TV star and a woman with an unclear past. Gary Johnson supported the legalization of our favorite past time while keeping it real on the campaign trail.
7. All hopes were dashed and our spirits sunk as we realized Gary was just a little bit crazy.
How could we have been so wrong? Giving interviews with his tongue hanging out, being unable to name key places and world leaders and having generally no idea of how politics or being a human worked, Gary it seemed, was not our savior.
8. And we watched as Donald Trump continuously made the debates about Hillary's emails.
Though she wasn't always forthright about her time as Secretary of State, Hillary had moved on from the email scandal long ago. Donald Trump? Not so much. It seemed every debate or face to face meeting became about her emails rather than a chance to answer for any of his shortcomings.
9. We all struggled with who to vote for, our consciences tugging at us to cast a vote that allowed us to sleep at night.
Was corruption on any level acceptable? Do we support a man with a history of disrespecting women and other cultures? The struggle was oh so real. Many of us debated on Facebook, wrote open letters to be shared around the internet and prayed that somehow all this could be over with.
10. Damn, why were there so many ballot measures? Like who has time for that?
Gosh Dangit! We just wanted to vote for like the three things we had seen advertised on TV between episodes of our favorite Fall Television shows. Why were there so many words on these ballots and did they count if we left some of the questions blank?
11. As the election results started coming in, we watched stunned by the results we saw playing out before us.
We all waited in anticipation for what we assumed was a victory for Hillary Clinton. Articles were written and memes were made in preparation for our first female president. Was she the one we wanted? We were torn, but humbled that we were living in a day and age where a woman was finally given the opportunity to become the leader of our country. And then like that it all changed. Suddenly Trump led in the poles and our nation watched in shock as he claimed each key state and moved on to become the President-Elect of our country. The media is still asking itself how they got it so wrong.
12. Hillary may not have been perfect, but she showed us what was possible. It was hard to say goodbye.
A nation still in shock watched as Hillary Clinton gave her final speech and walked off into the night. She showed us what was possible, women all over America felt empowered and wondered what they could accomplish with the tenacity and perseverance of Hillary Clinton. Was she perfect? By no means, but she gave us hope for a more equal America full of opportunities.
13. And sadly, since the election America has become divided as protesters refuse to accept a Trump Presidency.
While many accepted the fate of our nation for the next four years, others refused to accept Trump as their president. Riots and protesting have begun in may major cities in America, leaving us wondering what the next few years will be like under our new leader.
While the election may not have turned out like we expected, we had some laughs along the way. Lets do our best to love each other and turn our differences into opportunities to be better.
