Ubiñas: Donald J. Trump is my president — and yours
And there it is ... Donald J. Trump is the President of the United States. He is my president.
And there it is ...
Donald J. Trump is the President of the United States.
He is my president.
And yours.
You may not have voted for him — I didn't. Or respect him — I don't. Or even believe he's a legitimate president — hey, I can see Russia from here.
But it's time to stop with the "He's not my president" bit. Oh, #NotMyPresident made for a cool hash tag — a top trender on Twitter after the election. But it was nothing but a superficial social media salve.
A temporary one.
So here we are.
President Trump's inauguration: Our live blog replay.
Today, on the steps in front of the Capitol, Trump took the oath of office and was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States.
God bless us all.
Especially if those who we are counting on to resist Trump and Co.'s dismantling of our democracy don't show up and step up.
Many have applauded the legislators who boycotted the inauguration. Don't count me among the many.
Not showing up was the exact opposite of what they should have done. A theatric cop-out. A shirking of their responsibilities to the American people who now more than ever need ethical, sane, watchdogs in Washington.
The first rule of resistance: for any challenge, any fight, you must first show up — if for no other reason than to know what you're up against.
Today, and every day for the next four years, is absolutely the wrong time to opt out of our new reality, no matter how distasteful or uncomfortable. And we don't need a crystal ball to know it's about to get even more uncomfortable.
Just watch the confirmation hearings and listen to the nominees who are completely unqualified or unsuitable for the cabinet positions for which our president has chosen them. Just read our Commander-in-Chief's tweets.
Some have argued that the legislators' absence is the biggest statement they could have delivered to an attention-hungry POTUS. Nope. It gave Trump and his administration a pass, an opportunity to have their moment without an in-your-face reminder of the constant vigilance necessary to keep our president and his administration in check. The no-shows get no points for staying away.
What these legislators should have done is shown up in united opposition. They could have sat on their hands, stood together in stone-faced defiance, turned their backs on him, given him their best resting bitch face.
I don't care how they chose to show their indignation — but they should have been there to show that the years ahead will not be easy for him or his administration, that they will face organized, disciplined opposition.
I keep thinking about that old saying, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."
Trump is an enemy. To the people he targeted on his way to the White House: women, Muslims, Mexicans, the disabled — and to every American who stands with them and this vibrant, diverse country of ours.
Trump is an enemy to the truth.
He is also my president. And yours. And yet it is still our duty, our Constitutional right, to resist anyone or anything that threatens the principles of this country. That includes him. Especially him.
On Saturday I am headed to D.C. to join thousands — organizers are expecting upward of 200,000 — for the Women's March on Washington.
Some are going to protest Trump's presidency. Some are going in solidarity to support women's rights, religious and racial minorities, immigrants, the LGBTQ community. Things that truly make America great.
I am going to bear witness.
I pledge to bear witness to it all, even when it's painful — especially when it's painful — because no matter who is president, this is my country.
And yours.
This country belonged to the American people before Trump. It will belong to the people after.
At President Obama's last news conference, he said:
"The only thing that's the end of the world is the end of the world."
This is not the end of our world.
We march. We fight.
We shall overcome.
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@NotesFromHel
Helen. Ubinas