Finding silver linings in Trump presidency hard but critical work

During this time of year, it is customary to do some inner soul-searching and to think about all of the things we are thankful for. But from a political perspective, it is tough to look around and find many things for which we should be thankful.

It has been easy for the majority of Americans, who did not vote for Donald Trump, to look at the past year and feel despondent at the state of our politics and the future of our country.  

{mosads}However, it is incumbent upon us, especially at this time of year, to find those silver linings in the events of the past year, to uncover the reasons why we have experienced what we’ve experienced and to apply them aggressively and proactively in order to change what needs changing for the sake of our future and that of the country we all love.  

So I will give thanks to the one thing that has plagued many of us for the past year. I will give thanks for the election of Donald Trump. Here’s why:

I have always been a big believer that there is a reason things happen the way they do — not that we have no responsibility for our actions, but that things happen for a greater purpose that we cannot see in the moment.  

So what could possibly have been the silver lining in the election of Donald Trump? What could our country possibly have to gain from a candidate who has been the least prepared for the job, the one with the worst temperament for the responsibilities the job carries and the one who does not care to live in a reality of facts and truth?

Perhaps there is a bigger lesson in this for all Americans. Maybe the biggest lesson of this election is that our republic, our democracy and our way of life all depend on our vote. Our voice does matter. Our vote changes things.

When we all vote, things change for the better. But when Americans feel their voices are not being heard, or that their vote does not matter, then the result can be for the worse.  

This election taught many of us that we can never take anything for granted; that no matter what the expectations are for a certain result, nothing is set in stone — until it is. Then, it can be too late to lament not having had a say or not having voted.  

So, thank you President Trump for teaching Americans just how important their votes really are, and I thank all of those Americans who are taking this lesson to heart. We have already seen the results of this lesson sinking in, the hard work that has been done since the 2016 election to ensure things can be turned around.  

So I also give thanks to the resistance; all the millennials; the communities of color, who are running candidates and winning;  and the more than 20,000 women who have put their names on ballots. Instead of complaining, they are doing.  

We are all doing what we can to right the wrong that resulted in the outcome of the 2016 election.  

As such, I also give thanks to Donald Trump’s tweeting habits. They remind us almost on an hourly basis just how important the work of the democratic majority really is.  

I give thanks to the brave Republicans who stood their ground and stopped horrific, deadly bills in their tracks, knowing how harmful they would be to the majority of Americans, many of whom are their constituents.

Better late than never for these Republicans, who now know their commander-in-chief will never be “more presidential” or actually care about uniting the country or helping working- and middle-class families instead of his billionaire friends. 

I give thanks to the brave women who finally came out against men who allegedly abused and harassed them throughout the years — Harvey Weinstein, Mark Halperin, Roy Moore, Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), Charlie Rose (and I am sure there are more to come).

They demonstrated that we are living in a watershed moment when women can come out with their stories of sexual assault and harassment and be believed.  

I give thanks to the brave women who came out against Donald Trump and to the media outlets highlighting their stories. Until Republicans who now believe Moore’s accusers also believe Trump’s accusers, we will never reach the real tipping point.  

But every little bit counts, and I am grateful the conversation has turned to the hypocrisy and lack of desperately needed moral leadership that comes from the Oval Office.  

I also give thanks to Donald Trump for helping to define for our children exactly what real leadership, moral fortitude and strong personal character are not.  

Parents would love to have a commander-in-chief they could hold up to their children with pride, to show them how leaders of the free world should conduct themselves. Alas, having the opposite to teach from works, too.  

Finally, I give thanks to the proof that what Donald Trump put into motion can be stopped. It was proven in the elections three weeks ago.

But let this also be a lesson to all of us: Democrats won those elections through hard work, candidates committed to our democratic values, diversity, dignity and the power of everyone’s vote.

So, let’s all give thanks to the opportunities the 2018 elections present to all us. Let’s give thanks, and then let’s all get to work. 

Maria Cardona is a principal at the Dewey Square Group, a Democratic strategist and a CNN/CNN Español political commentator. Follow her on Twitter @MariaTCardona.