Two sides of the coin

As the country is still processing the results of the Nov. 5 presidential election (Donald Trump won for those of you who have been living under a rock or refuse to recognize facts), I stand by my statement from two weeks ago: America prevails.

But, some think the election was a result of institutional misogyny and toxic masculinity. 

This is an opinion piece that appeared last week in the Chicago Tribune from Christine Ledbetter, who now lives in Pike Co., Ill. and is a former senior arts editor at The Washington Post:

“When Trump ran against a man, he lost. But when his opponents were women, he won. This man, accused of sexual assault by dozens of women, said at a Wisconsin rally that “whether the women like it or not, I’m going to protect them.” An ironic statement from someone women actually need protection from.

Through both campaigns, Trump defiled Harris and other women of political prominence with name-calling and threats of violence. Trump intentionally mispronounced her name as “Kuhmala,” said she lacked intelligence and questioned her race. He called Nikki Haley, the daughter of immigrants from India, “Nimrata.” He suggested rifles be trained on former Republican U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney’s face. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is “an evil, sick, crazy b—-”  and Hillary Clinton “a skank” and a “crook,” according to Trump, a convicted felon.

Following the bro playbook, JD Vance referred to Harris as “trash” and said female leaders were “a bunch of childless cat ladies.”

If Trump and Vance were in middle school, they would have been suspended. Instead, defaming and maligning women got them elected to the nation’s highest offices. 

We are weary of being reminded to view history’s long arc, that progress is not linear. Susan B. Anthony, days before she died, told suffragists that failure was impossible. Tragically, she never got to vote legally, although she was arrested for trying.

Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman in Congress and the first to seek the presidency, said she faced a double handicap. “Of my two handicaps, being female put many more obstacles in my path than being Black,” she said.

Decades later, Barack Obama overcame racism to serve two terms. Harris with her double handicap could not scale those two obstacles.”

But 53 percent of white women voted for President Trump. Ingrid Jacques wrote in USA Today that the condescending tone the Harris campaign and supporters used down the stretch was the problem.

“Much like in 2016, I didn’t vote for the woman at the top of the ticket Tuesday.

It’s not because I have fear of a female president. I’m all for the idea. 

But don’t expect me and other women to line up for a candidate simply because of her sex – or any other immutable characteristic. I want someone who will stand for my principles and beliefs. 

Vice President Kamala Harris, who avoided going through the Democratic primary by booting President Joe Biden last minute from the ticket, proved a completely uninspiring and unsubstantial candidate.

And a lot of voters saw through the charade – including many white women.

But don’t expect me and other women to line up for a candidate simply because of her sex – or any other immutable characteristic. I want someone who will stand for my principles and beliefs. 

Vice President Kamala Harris, who avoided going through the Democratic primary by booting President Joe Biden last minute from the ticket, proved a completely uninspiring and unsubstantial candidate.

And a lot of voters saw through the charade – including many white women.

In what many expected to be a nail-biter of an election, former President Donald Trump easily trounced Harris. 

It’s because he was the better candidate and because he spoke directly to voters’ top concerns. Period.

Yet, that reality hasn’t prevented the tired hand-wringing that Harris’ loss must be tied to something nefarious, such as America’s inherent racism and sexism. Or, even worse, some on the left will try to say many white women didn’t have the wherewithal to stand up to the men in their lives.

To that, I call BS.”

The liberal trope that there were all of these women who were going to vote for Harris while telling their husbands they were going to vote for Trump was very insulting to women. A husband and wife can’t openly disagree? That’s news to me. Would someone please let Ellen know that?

I don’t pretend to know how DJT 2.0 is going to turn out, but it won’t be the apocalypse and it won’t be paradise. It will be somewhere in the middle.

Right where we are now.