I refuse to be that person

It's not news to you if you read this blog -- I was very much against Donald Trump's election. And, if you're one of the people who applauded when he mocked the disabled reporter, or dismissed John McCain's heroism because he captured, or called Senator Elizabeth Warren "Pocahontas," or ... or ... I do think the word "deplorable" fits you. It may even be too polite.

That said: Donald Trump will be my President on January 20. He won. I respect that.

I want him to succeed. I want to learn that he isn't the homophobe his selection of Mike Pence would indicate. I want to believe that somewhere under that bullying, power hungry facade beats the heart of a true patriot.

I respect my country. I respect the Presidency. And I refuse to be one of those people. You remember them -- the ones who insisted on disrespecting Barack Obama, referring to him as "obama" with no initial cap, or "obummer." The people who maintained that he "hated America." The people who applauded when Mitch McConnell and John Boehner vowed -- before he even took office -- to make Barack Obama a one-term President. The people who cheered when Congress refused to hold hearings for Merrick Garland. Those people alternately confused and disgusted me with their ridiculous, toxic partisanship, and I hope I learned from their very bad example.

A coworker told me his wife is still so depressed about Trump's election she can't get excited about Christmas or decorating the tree. My friend Barb says she hopes he will be impeached. My Facebook feed is filled with posts about how dismal the world looks now that we are in Trump's America.

I am still unhappy with the election results. But I have to move on. I have to hope for the best but  be vigilant and, when Trump does something that I cannot abide, I must be ready to act. Within the system. And with respect for the man and the office.

I've always been a Kennedy Girl and the Kennedy brother who lived a full life was Ted. The  Lion of the Senate authored legislation throughout the Nixon, Ford, Reagan, HW Bush and W Bush administrations. If he could fight the good fight without losing his belief in the system or joie de vivre, so can I.