How should the left respond?

It's been interesting how passionate the Facebook posts have been since the election results were finalized--even on this side of the border.  Passionate may be just a euphemism for outraged, hateful, threatening, but if you are someone who feels this is the end of civilization as you've known it, maybe this is a natural reaction.

But, a few thoughts.  Yes, Trump is horrible.  Yes, it's shocking how many people voted for him despite... fill in your litany of awfulness.  Still, are hateful rants going to open up a dialogue with the people you want to change?  Who's going to listen to your point of view if it's couched in profanity-filled abuse directed at them?  This ain't how dialogue happens.

Second, the ongoing protests against the results.  Makes sense; he's not the choice of many of the city voters, and they can more easily organize and take to the streets.  But there is a danger in how we approach this as we teach our children the correct response when democracy doesn't go our way.

Is the message "Be outraged and make sure he and those making decisions in the next administration know you'll be watching their actions and standing up for those most threatened?"  That's your right and hopefully the message gets through.

But if it's "We don't accept this election and we're going to keep marching and maybe eventually rioting to show our anger and denial of the outcome of the voting process", then that's problematic.  Because historically, that's what totalitarian dictators and their supporters do when they begin usurping power without the legitimacy of a mandate from the people.  It's not different just because you think you have the moral high ground.

Trump muttered about not accepting the results of what he warned would be a "rigged" election--covering himself in case he lost so he could save face and stir up as much crap among his supporters as possible.  It would be interesting to see how that might have looked and what his supporters would be doing now had he lost.

There is a professor who predicted Trump's victory before most who now is telling us Trump won't finish his term--maybe not even a full year of his presidency.  He points to Trump's unwillingness to toe the GOP line and how much happier the party establishment would be with a traditional republican like Pence.  Trump will have many scandals--his scam "university" may be the first and could easily start something rolling to get him impeached if he is charged with fraud--some analysts say it doesn't matter if the "crime" was committed before he took office; if enough in power want him out, they can use something like this to show him the door.

Trump should be held accountable--and the Republican House and Senate can't be fully trusted to do this, so the media and the informed electorate can help.  But it's time to also start finding out what's made the country so broken someone like this can be elected, and seeing if there is a starting point to bring the disenfranchised back from their nihilistic decision to support such a polarizing figure.