Jeremy Bradshaw

WRTC 103

Fielding

The Night 62 Million Americans Changed My Life

At 3:30 AM, on November 9th, immediately following the conclusion of the volatile 2016

US Presidential Election, I watched Donald J. Trump accept the presidential nomination in front

of a roaring crowd of red hats. I sat in a dorm common room, surrounded by friends either

asleep, silent, or standing with a smug smirk on their face. I reflected on everything the country

had been through, and what it may soon face. Silently, I listened to Trump speak, and began to

feel sick, then worried, and finally felt determined to act. It was at this moment when I truly

knew who I was and what I stood for. This was the moment I first truly identified as a liberal and

a democrat.

Originally, I did not consider myself an identifying member of any political party.

However as the 2016 election rolled on, I began to realize where I stood. It began as I was

studying and learning about the United States government and politics in an AP Comparative

Government class during my senior year of high school. As the Republican and Democratic

Primary debates unfolded, and my classmates and I both analyzed and ridiculed the candidates

and their seemingly idiotic statements, I began to realize that, soon enough, I would be voting. I

felt the desire to perform my civic duty, and wanted to make an informed decision when

November came around. I watched both parties intently, and I was appalled by what I saw on the

Republican side. Not only was I morally opposed to most of the candidates views on almost all
issues, I was shocked by the immaturity and disrespect that haunted the debate stage and the

campaign trail. As a lover of history, It was discouraging to me to see the party of Eisenhower,

Reagan, and Lincoln be plagued by a group of candidates who acted like middle schoolers. I

witnessed it on the Democratic side as well, and I was continually discouraged by the debates

tone, but they were, for the most part, more civil than their opposition. I took a closer look at the

Democratic Party and its values, and recognized that many of its ideals were very similar to my

own. Liberal values matched my own, progressive views, and I noticed an emphasis on equality,

protection of rights and liberties, and a focus on maintaining a course for the future, through

environmental protection as well as improvement in education and health care. As primary

season ended, I garnered a distrust of Republican politics and knew I would cast my vote for the

Democratic side of the ballot, as I had respect for both frontrunners.

As the grueling election carried on, I paid more attention to politics than I ever had

before. I watched and read the news more closely, and began to take exceptional note of the

apparent lack of moral decency exhibited by the Republican frontrunner, Donald Trump. I

watched the Republican and Democratic National Conventions as the unfolded, and began to

watch clips of Trumps rallies. I was appalled by the hate and disrespect I witnessed from both

him and his supporters. While I had never been a staunch supporter of Hillary Clinton, but I

respected her experience and was thankful for her long years of service to the country. I knew

she was almost guaranteed to win the nomination, and would gladly put down my vote for her.

However, the moment that convinced me one hundred percent was when it came time for the

nominees to accept the nominations and give their speeches. I was absolutely shocked by both

the presentation and actual substance of Donald Trumps speech, especially when compared to

Clintons. I was worried by the presentation, which looked like something out of a dystopian
film. As described by the New York Times Patrick Healy, He used dark imagery and an almost

angry tone, Mr. Trump portrayed the United States as a diminished and even humiliated nation.

His speech focused on division, hate, and frustration, as opposed to Clintons which seemed to

focus more on equality, acceptance, and working together as Americans. It was at that point I

knew I would be voting for Hillary Clinton. This served as the official solidification of my new

political identity.

From the very beginning of identifying as a liberal and a Democrat, I was aware of

stereotypes and controversies surrounding the Democratic Party and those who identify as

liberals. As a group, liberals are stereotyped as being easily offended, as well as being quick to

judge those who disagree with them. Accusations such as sexist, racist, misogynistic, and

xenophobic are often thrown around when dealing with members of an opposition group,

including Republicans and Conservatives. However, as I listened to those who identified as

Democrats, both on TV and in person, I realized these generalizations were quite often very

wrong. I was determined to be a well-informed member and to break these stereotypes.

I, like many of my fellow liberals and Democrats, was blissfully ignorant during the

campaign leading up to the general election. I dismissed the possibility of a Trump victory, since

most polls and simulations, such as fivethirtyeight.coms Nate Silvers November 7th prediction,

showed up to a 70 percent chance of a Clinton victory, I went into election night with no fears of

my candidate losing. And then, the votes began to come in. I watched as shocked news reporters

across all channels attempted to make sense of the mind-boggling data that was being relayed to

them. I regained hope when my home state of Virginia turned blue, thanks to a flood of votes

from my home district. And I nervously watched Florida, Michigan, and Ohio as their districts

flashed red and blue, begging that the truth that was right in front of me was simply a dream. As
is evident by my attached photograph, which was actually taken the night after the election for a

friend at VCU who was doing a photography project on the election, I felt discouraged and

embarrassed by my country. On social media, my woes were joined by many other young

liberals who, at that moment, much like myself, made a choice.

We decided we would not whine or cry for four years. We would mourn for a day or two,

and then we would fight. In a text conversation with my grandparents, who sat waiting at the

Clinton/Kaine Campaign Headquarters in their home of New York City, I promised my

generation would do its part to preserve everything theirs fought to protect. It was at that exact

moment that I knew I was going to fulfill my role in my new identity. From the election, to the

inauguration, and into the present, I have written to multiple congressmen, made calls to Virginia

Senators offices, and donated to Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union.

When I discovered my identity as a liberal, I discovered my desire to do good, my desire to fight

for what I believe in. I didnt just find a political label; I found out who I really was.
 Works Cited

"His Tone Dark, Donald Trump Takes G.O.P. Mantle - The New ..." N.p., n.d. Web. 30

Jan. 2017.

Silver, Nate. "Election Update: Clinton Gains, And The Polls Magically Converge."

FiveThirtyEight. FiveThirtyEight, 07 Nov. 2016. Web. 30 Jan. 2017.