My Raw Thoughts A Few Minutes After the 2024 Presidential Election Was Called 

Shock. Horror. Disbelief. Disappointment. Hollow vindication. These are a few of the violent emotions that swept over me this morning when the Associated Press confirmed that a psychopathic criminal filled with hatred has been re-elected President of the United States. 

Surreal. I would never have dreamed this would happen after the traitorous attempted coup and cold-blooded murders of Jan. 6. How could this happen? How? 

Yes, I blame social networks, the mainstream media that cares more about profit than democracy, and Putin and his massive and very effective disinformation campaign. As a kid, I remember growing up and hearing that America can only be defeated from within. I fear today is that day of defeat. And it took ruthless billionaires like Musk, Zuckerberg, Murdoch, and Putin to help make that unthinkable reality come to life. 

But mostly, I blame the American people. 

1. I have long been an avid student of history. Throughout the ages, politicians and religious leaders who pledge to usher in a golden era mean one thing. A golden era for themselves. It is almost always the people who have been duped (in this case, the MAGA herd: uneducated white people, religious people, and Latinos) who suffer the greatest. Always. Throughout history. 
2. Americans have grown lazy. The immigrants they vow to deport by the millions are the people doing the grunt work of America. Who will do it when they are gone? Not the Americans I know. They are too busy getting high, playing games, and playing the victim. 
3. Americans are myopic. They know nothing about the real world. Less than one-half have a passport. FOX News, social media, and perceived suffering shape their warped worldview. 
4. Americans are ignorant. Gallup Polls show that 20% of Americans have not read ONE book over the past two decades. Americans in most major subgroups read fewer books now than in the past. Reading appears to be in decline as a favorite way for Americans to spend their free time. To be ignorant means to be destitute of knowledge or education. 
5. Americans love to play the victim. T***p’s crybaby antics play perfectly to most Americans. “That is so unfair!” “I’ve been treated so poorly.” “No one has been treated worse than me.”
6. America has always been a nation of entitled white men who subjugate and take advantage of everyone who is different. This election proves once again that remains the reality. And the abused have chosen to crawl back for more. 
7. Americans are selfish. They want their little perfect bubble. They do not care about the future of our planet, the freedom of other countries, or their grandchildren. They only care about themselves. And they don’t take the time or just don’t care to vote. Or if they vote, they choose a strongman over the messy business of democracy.

Yes, this is a harsh assessment. But it does not scratch the surface of the hollow inner void of the majority of Americans who voted for T***p (or did not bother to vote) in the 2024 Presidential election.

A few years ago, we began planning for what we feared would happen on Nov. 6, 2024. It is one of many reasons we did the challenging work of becoming immigrants to a new and better country. A country more suited for who we are: who do not believe in utopian promises, who value hard work, who are unafraid to broaden our perceptual view, who value knowledge over ignorance, who are compassionate to all human beings, not just white American males, who take time to study history, who read avidly, who refuse to play the victim, who refuse to subject ourselves to abuse, and who value global philanthropy. 

Are we perfect? Far from it. We have much to learn, much to improve, much to accomplish. But unfortunately, we were right about our decision to leave America. We woke up Wednesday morning so grateful we now call ourselves Spaniards. On our last phone call, my Mom asked me when I was coming home. And I firmly replied, “Mom, we are home. Spain is our home.”

A few days (or years) from now, as I recover from the utter shock of this tragic moment in history, I may temper these words. I am open to that possibility. I am raw and hurting for my birth country. Many tears have been shed here this morning. But I vow to be resilient, compassionate, equanimous, and empathic—to everyone, not just those who look like me. 

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