1/ In the days before the election, I wrote two columns. The first said Trumpism is a cult and cult members show up. The second said we must count every vote - period.

It seems those two things are playing out. His followers turned out in huge numbers. And we're still counting.

2/ What surprises me a bit is the widespread shock at the tightness of the race. Many seem truly surprised that such a large portion of the populace would still support Trump.

I'm not. Throughout his presidency we've heard repeated calls of, "This is not who we are!"

3/ I respect those calls, and truly wish they were true. But they're not. If this - **waves hands wildly in all directions** - was not who we are, it wouldn't be happening. There wouldn't be GOP lawmakers too chickenshit to stand up to Trump because voters back home would...

4/ ...punish them. Trump's approval rating wouldn't have held steady in the low- to mid-40s while he kidnapped children at the border, fleeced taxpayers relentlessly and bollocksed up the worst health crisis in modern American history.

But all those things happened.

5/ I get the desire to hope and pray our country is largely good and decent people. But the evidence says otherwise, and it has been saying otherwise for four full years.

What's happening this election should be no surprise. I look at the shocked reaction and think about...

6/ ...my favorite "what the hell were you expecting" lyric, from Notorious B.I.G.: "What ya think all the guns was for?"

What did you think all the hate, the trolling, the wide-eyed fist-pumping at Trump rallies was for?

7/ A huge swath - damn near half - of this country is either racist or just fine with racism, a distinction without a difference. Those same people are easily taken by any conman - no matter how incompetent - offering a path that lets them blame their own struggles on others.

8/ The Rush Limbaugh/Fox News brainwashing of America is real and soul-crushing. It will persist, regardless of this election's winner.

I don't mean this thread to be adding to the doom-and-gloom. Frankly, it's pragmatic, and one can find optimism in pragmatism.

9/ The truth is, any victory against all - **again waves arms wildly in all directions** - of this is an achievement. Those who cling to old thinking and to power don't go away easy. But they will go away.

So don't be surprised that America is what it is.

10/ It's a mess, but it's our mess. So whether it's this election, or the next, or the next, or anything in between, we keep fighting for and believing in something better.

We can't bend reality to our sense of right and wrong. That's what the other side is doing.

11/ We can just keep putting in work to create real change. Change built to last.

That takes time. And a clear-eyed acceptance of the world around us, no matter how grim.

#CountEveryVote. Keep the faith. And remember: A win is a win, no matter the size.

END