DA Voices: Post-election thoughts

How do you feel about the election?

Richie Chac, 23, business
It should have been Bernie Sanders, but then the Democrats lost because they didn’t elect Bernie as a Democratic nominee. This election is bullshit.

Chris Perez, 19, biology
I was kind of realizing I would be upset no matter who won, so I had zero happiness either way.

Raul Escalante, 35, real estate
A lot of people around here felt disappointed, but at least I voted and did my part. … It’s the way our democracy works; that’s the way it’s been working since the Constitution was written and it’s only now that it’s causing such havoc.

Tristan Barragan, 19, drama, psychology
If Trump really carries out all the things he said he was going to carry out, I just really hope he doesn’t or Congress will stop him or something. … That’s a lot of tax money that’s going to be going to a lot of places that I don’t think is constructive.

Larry Pan, 38, real estate
I should just vote without being swayed by the polling. I should just stand up for my own candidates that agrees with my own viewpoints.

Stephanie Rigsby, 25, chemistry, anatomy, psychology, sociology
I’m very concerned about a lot of my family and friends. I guess I don’t really have concern for myself because I know I benefit from colorism and I know I’m white-passing and also straight-passing.

Why do you think Clinton lost, and Trump won?

Andrew Gleaton, 19, political science
Clinton for one wasn’t very charismatic; she didn’t connect with very many people. She didn’t have a “pro” message, she just had a “I’m not Trump” message. Trump was able to touch on the fears and justified anger of the people in the Rust Belt and the Midwest.

Gabriela Ortiz, 21, undecided
A lot of Trump supporters were also silent on their support for him. I know personally in the high school close to my house, their cars got egged for being Trump supporters. I’m pretty sure there’s a lot of Trump supporters that are even afraid to voice their opinion. But they did it in the place where they were supposed to voice it and that’s voting.

Diego Gomez, 26, philosophy
(Clinton) very much so represents the establishment, and the country as a whole is tired of where the country is going. I feel the Democratic choice was Bernie Sanders and that got taken from us. The next anti-establishment was Trump.

Perez
Mostly because a lot of of the Democratic voters were kind of stubborn, because I know lots of them did not like Hillary and a good percentage of the voters decided to vote for Gary Johnson as a protest. Because of that, the vote was kind of split down, and then Hillary lost.

How do you feel about the anti-Trump protests?

Gomez
I think that a lot of people are scared, and fear can either immobilize you or push you to be better. And I feel that people are pushing each other to be better than being stuck in one position … People are angry, but I feel like in the bigger picture there’s a lot of people who realize we have to be peaceful.

Andreas Rubio, 21, finance
If they have set goals of things they’re trying to accomplish, it makes sense to me but when they just protest that Trump won then that doesn’t make that much sense, because he was elected and you can’t do anything about it.

Ortiz
Burning businesses, burning things, getting on top of cars, destroying cars, just making a huge distraction, blocking freeways. That’s a disgrace to me as a young person, to see other young people doing that.

Escalante
(Millennials) are not very accustomed to losing … Instead of engaging in debate, or communicating, trying to close that rift and come together as a country, we’re kind of splitting apart and to me that’s kind of sad.

Andrew Salinas, 27, psychology
(Us Veterans) got to work for you guys so you guys can have the right of free speech so you can protest and everything. … You busts people’s windows or doors down, you are actually hurting the people, the economy actually. There’s no point.