A Bernie supporter voted for Trump, but here’s the kicker

She voted for him as a “joke.”

Just as I suspected, if some fervent Bernie supporters couldn’t have him as president, they were fine with us having Trump. You may have seen the Vice video where L’Wren Tikva, a young Jewish woman and Bernie supporter, says she voted for Donald Trump because she hated Hillary Clinton. The original video runs almost 45 minutes, but the video below is cut to 11 minutes. Her comments about voting for Trump start at minute 2:39.

Did you hear where she said it was a joke? Kudos to the young woman who calls her about the privilege of casting a vote that didn’t really matter to her. I wonder how many others did the same thing. It’s one thing to write in Bernie Sanders or Jill Stein or whoever else didn’t make it onto the ticket. It’s another thing to vote for a man who bragged about sexually assaulting women.

Casting your vote as a woman for a man who harms women? I couldn’t do it, and I’m disgusted with any woman who willfully gives power to men like this. She voted for him as a joke because she had enough privilege not to worry about what marginalized groups did.

Access to a legal abortion affects every woman, so as a young woman, she might feel an impact. However, when we talk about the day-to-day lives of black and brown people and members of the LGBTQ community, we’re having an entirely different conversation.

Trump is systematically stripping us of our rights as he gives more rights to white people — and to rich white people specifically. Although not part of his official duties, Trump also empowers his supporters to act on their hatred. Hate crimes continue to rise in this country, and none of us should be surprised. The leader of the free world socializes with neo-Nazis and Alt-Right members. He allows them an audience and a voice. In other words, he gives them permission not only to hate but to act on that hatred.

Any white person who thought voting for Trump or having him in office wouldn’t really matter, you’re right. It wouldn’t matter. To you. We told you. We were blunt in our reasons why he shouldn’t be elected president, and you didn’t listen. Now, as many of you look on in shock as the country devolves further into violence and hate, pause for a minute and look over at us:

We’re not surprised. We’re disgusted, but we’re not surprised. We knew what would happen. And it’s happening every day to people who already felt threatened and afraid. Now things are worse than ever, but hey at least you didn’t vote for Hillary. At least you voted your goddamn conscience, right?

That’s all that matters.

If you’re still telling yourself Hillary would have been as bad — or worse — than Trump, stop kidding yourself. You know that’s not true. It’s time for you to admit what you allowed to happen. Take responsibility for it. Look around and listen as we tell you horrors we continue to experience in this country. Think about what many people in this country have lost because Trump is in office.

Think about this:

Immigrant children remain in cages. Members of marginalized people fear for their lives as people have now been given a license to kill. Women’s rights are going down the toilet, and the most affected remain black and brown women. Our health needs have always been second-class to white women. With every abortion clinic that closes, non-white women have fewer healthcare choices.

Obamacare is safe for now, but if Trump gets his way, it will go the way of abortion clinics. In 2018, nearly 12 million people enrolled in the ACA. If the ACA goes away, those people won’t have access to affordable health care. Think about that. Most adults have a preexisting condition. Under Obamacare, they can still receive insurance. In many cases, it’s the only affordable insurance option for them. Millions of kids are also covered under Obamacare because they too have preexisting conditions.

This is what this young woman bought when she voted for Trump. She helped empower a president to separate families, further marginalize the already marginalized and create an environment where oftentimes, the only goal is to survive.

So to this young woman and others like her who didn’t take that vote seriously? Look what you did. Look what you costed people. Don’t look away now or make excuses. Open your eyes and take it all in — the suffering, the violence, the hate.

Then ask yourself if your vote was worth it.

Follow me on Twitter: @LeciaMichelle11