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America charts its journey through history per the decisions and actions of our elected officials, coupled with the way each citizen meets the challenges of our daily lives and human interactions.

Every four years, we are asked to elect a skipper for our ship. Every two years, our nation takes inventory of the House, and approximately 1/3 of the Senate.

We vote. With each election, we make course corrections. The seas change. The leadership navigates accordingly. The ship moves forward as we vote again and again throughout our nation’s history.

Echoing what I posted early morning on November 6th, it is painful to be on the losing end. Yet, one can only truly champion democracy when we embrace the verdict rendered by the electorate, and tip our cap to the winner.

For voters like me, it is particularly challenging to respect the resounding 2024 verdict in favor of Trump, given that Trump not only failed to accept his resounding defeat in 2020 to Biden, but riled up his supporters via a calculated disinformation campaign that the 2020 election was stolen and its verdict untrustworthy. Many posters here were swallowed whole by that false narrative.

To be clear, Biden beat Trump in 2020 by 7 million votes. Trump beat Harris in 2024 by 4 million votes. Vice President Harris graciously conceded defeat. Both she and President Biden are committed to a peaceful transition of power, consistent with our nation’s longstanding tradition of leadership. Doing so is vital to the legitimacy and respect owed to the voters’ verdict.

I abhor Trump. I believe he is a corrupt and vile person. I believe that his actions leading up to both impeachments make him unworthy to be our President.

I do not believe he has the capacity to govern or unite a nation. His utter failure of leadership during the pandemic, during the unrest following George Floyd’s murder, and during the events leading up to January 6th, revealed his ineptitude.

I particularly abhor the electorate’s ambivalence in permitting Trump to be face of our nation, the role model for our children, the reflection our nation’s character and values.

Yet, I am a single voter. The collective voice of the 2024 electorate clearly had different sentiments. And that collective voice and verdict is the true power of our nation.

I tell young lawyers that we become better lawyers when we lose a case versus winning a case. In that same spirit, Democrats will take inventory from last week’s crushing defeat. We have to learn why the majority of 2024 voters placed their trust in Trump and the Republicans.

In late January, Trump will have the keys to the car, or better stated, the keys to the kingdom. Although control for the House has not been called, Trump’s power will be largely unchecked. Both the Supreme Court and the 2024 electorate have in essence, given Trump that green light.

Do I believe Trump (and the Republicans) will overreach? Yes. Time will tell. Again, the 2026 and 2028 electorate will have the opportunity to weigh in on our nation’s journey.

The sore loser part of me hopes that Trump II will quickly turn into a shit show. But, that resentment is borne in my grave disappointment that Kamala lost.

The "better angels" part of me acknowledges the 74 million voters who see America’s future differently than me. In that spirit, we owe it to the 2024 electorate to wish President Elect Trump the very best as he prepares to take office.

For all your Trump supporters, continue to relish Trump’s impressive victory last week.

Happy to see you embracing democracy again. Congratulations!