Coping with Loss

By Joseph Catena

As a lifelong conservative Republican, I was quite disheartened when Barack Obama won the presidency in 2008 and especially reelection in 2012. It was a jolt to the senses. When Joe Biden “won” the election in 2020, I was actually a little depressed. I was so disturbed by what I will swear until my death was a rigged election, that I stopped reading newspapers – and I subscribed to two per day. Life felt a little weird. I was a little less happy.

But I dealt with it.

I didn’t scream. There were no external tears. I did not request a safe space, a therapy dog, an adult coloring book, or hot cocoa on demand. I didn’t contemplate moving abroad, nor did I see jumping off a bridge as an option. You know what I did the next day? I went to work. I did my job. I watched some of my colleagues gleefully go about their day and others slog through it. Basically, those days were run-of-the-mill lousy Wednesdays. There was nothing I could do to change the results from the night before. I went on with my life. I provided for my wife and children and made ends meet, as I always did.

For my friends on the left, I have a simple message to help you cope with life in the wake of Donald J. Trump’s historic victory: stop acting like pansy crybabies and do what I did. Put your energy into doing a better job at work. If you’re a student, delve deeper into your studies. Turn your liberal studies of Third-World Male-Dominated Countries grade from a 3.5 to a 4.0. Focus on your future. Reflect on what really matters most in your life. If you have pets, play with them, and enjoy their limited time on earth. Cherish your children, your parents, your spouse, your friends, whichever apply. Life is short.

When the time is right, and the sting of your Election Night flogging has quelled, take a real look at what our new leader will do to make your life better. Think about the investments you can make or the refinancing you can do when interest rates surely come down. If you live in a border state or an area where mass numbers of illegal aliens (liberals hate that word), think about the deportations that will take place. Your economic burdens will be eased, and you just might be able to walk down your street again without fear. Once The Donald starts drilling, think about how gas, energy and food prices will come down, as they did in his first term. And of course, there will surely be a tax cut – like his first term. A few more bucks in your pocket will undoubtedly ease your angst, no? As far as foreign policy is concerned, if you have any relatives in the Middle East or Eastern Europe, it is highly likely Trump’s negotiating magic will assist in ending those wars and spare lives.

Perhaps the biggest challenge the Trump haters will have is this: stop making yourself believe false narratives. Women’s rights will not be vanquished. If you are gay or lesbian, you will go on living as you always do. If you are transgender, sorry. No free transition surgery, and you must use the bathroom appropriate to your genitalia. There will be no Word War III. Democracy will stay firmly intact. The world will not end. America will be a healthy nation in more ways than one.

Also, stop listening to radical buffoons, who are filled with vitriol. Turn off “The View.” Whoopi, Joy, Ana, and Sunny blather on with bitterness and no legitimacy. Anyone who doesn’t buy into their warped narratives is anti-woman, racist, or a misogynist according to these angry lasses. Lay off MSNBC. Any network that hires a race-baiting scammer like Reverend (I’d like to know how) Al Sharpton and nasty racists like Joy Reid or Simone Sanders has no credibility. As for Joe and Mika, is there a more pathetic couple? If you’re looking for a laugh, steer clear of any late-night television. Jimmy “Crybaby” Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, and Stephen Colbert act like their political opinions matter. Most of all, they’re not funny! If you want to laugh, watch Greg Gutfeld instead. And stay away from “Saturday Night Live” (SEE: Not Funny).

When I was a senior at Seton Hall University, where I majored in political science, I suffered my first political setback. After living through a childhood and young adulthood led by Republican Presidents, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, I was dismayed when Bill Clinton won. The next day, my professor, Dr. Richard Adinaro, a Democrat, was happy about the result, but also put things into perspective. He explained that the political wins and losses are not forever. They come in cycles. Republicans would have their day. Two years later, New Gingrich and the “Contract with America” agenda led the historic tsunami of a net gain of 54 seats in Congress. A net gain of 8 seats in the Senate – not counting 2 party switches from Democrat to Republican gave the G.O.P. historical turnarounds and a major check and balance against Clinton. How right Dr. Adinaro was!

Embrace the next four years. Life will go on and the sun will shine. Enjoy the good times. You won’t be disappointed. And stop being a bunch of obnoxious whiners! You lost.

Deal with it.