by Dr. Jacob Mathew, Malankara World

Malankara World has a policy of not getting into politics. So, why are we covering the US Elections in this week's edition? That is a fair question.

This year's US Election was widely followed all over the world. The results of the election will have major consequences on how we practice faith in the USA. So, this is of interest to the church. Plus, there were two main candidates who were very different in major aspects. One was, at best, atheist; the other one professed to be a saved Christian. It was clear that if Hillary Clinton has won the election, the effects on the organized churches in the USA would have been significant. Also by appointing liberal judges to the Supreme Court, whose appointments are life time, the effect would have lasted a long time. So, the question was should we go with Hillary Clinton, who was a darling of the liberal media as well as the wall street and other major contributors and foreign governments.

Trump, on the other hand, was being laughed at for making "politically incorrect" statements. No one gave him a chance, based on what the media said.

On the other hand Evangelical churches were strong supporter of him. They were praying for his victory. There are some evidence that there was some divine intervention in this election.

I personally talked to a African American Pastor who was a strong supporter of Donald Trump from Day 1. He also gave a strong presentation supporting Trump in the Republican National Convention held in Cleveland in July. The conventional wisdom was that African Americans are all for Hillary. The picture he painted of Trump was very different than what the main street media portrayed. I also read what several other religious leaders said about the candidates. In my mind, it was clear that, if you are a Christian there is no choice other than voting for Trump.

In order not to get into politics, we have refrained from discussing the issues till the election is over. It seems the majority of people were expecting a sweeping Hillary Clinton victory. This was supported by biased media who were in bed with the Clinton Campaign. The extent of those corruption was clear from Wiki Leaks later. The polls were virtually rigged to show that the election will be landslide for Hillary. I guess, the logic was that, when Republicans and Evangelicals learn that there is no chance for a Trump victory, they will stay at home assuring a Clinton Victory. (A similar thing happened in 2012 election when Romney lost the election because many people stayed home.)

Sometimes when tell a lie continuously, after some time, you yourself start believing in the lie. I think this happened this time in the US Elections. Hillary and the liberal media started telling the lies and later started believing these are truths. They realized the error in the last few days; by then it was too late. Trump supporters (mainly Christians) were frightened by the prospect for the big Hillary victory and came in droves to vote for him propelling him to victory.

Many people, after being bombarded by Soros paid commercials depicting as the "avatar" of Satan in TV commercials, wondered how Christians can support a person like Donald Trump. No one claim that he was a candidate for Sainthood. (Christianity is the religion of second chances; so it is possible he can be a saint too. Read about St. Paul in his early days as Saul that persecuted Christians.) I think, in my mind, the major difference was that when you hear Trump, he speaks his mind and he accepted his errors. Hillary talked what you want to hear. She told a private audience that everyone as two sides - a public side and private side. She also had a convenient "memory lapse" when you ask her questions she do not want to answer.

As stated earlier, the Evangelical Churches were a strong supporter of Donald Trump and the Vice Presidential candidate Gov. Pence. Pence is a strong evangelical church member. He said his belief can be summarized as follows:

Christian,
Conservative,
Republican

in that order. For him Faith and God always comes first. After listening to him many times, my conclusion is that he is very sincere in his faith.

Here is a clip about the Evangelical viewpoint on Trump/Pence.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Keim2luui6w

Another clip by Mike Pence explains his faith:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtfE2W1a1KQ

Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine were the Democratic Nominees. They stand for many things the church teaches us as wrong - such as abortion, euthanasia, and same sex "marriage."

We have articles by Monsgr Charles Pope from Catholic Church, Dr. James Dobson and Pastor Bill Randles from the Evangelical Church that explain the issues and their perspectives. We also have an article by a Muslim Indian Journalist about voting for Trump and another Journalist talks about the significance of Trump victory.

For most of us, this election was a referendum on God. In the end, God found a way to take care of the situation. Reminds me of the bible verse from Isaiah:

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
-Isaiah 55:8-9

As we explained many times in Malankara World, God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. An internet writer commented about Trump as follows:

I know of no Christian who actually thinks Trump can save America.
God might save America by choosing another Cyrus.

As an aside, I think God is placing a burden on Trump. You can see its evolution if you look closely. Trump is changing.

He has changed a great deal from the Trump of yesteryear.

Don't underestimate our Lord. He might have picked a heathen cum Apostle to go to battle for us...

Those who know for sure are always those who are wrong.

God's intentions cannot be deciphered.

Particularly by men who consider themselves Godly (He confounds them first).

That said, I think we are watching God's handiwork...a creation for our own times...for our own eyes.

He is always at work...not some distant creator, but a Player...getting down into the mud with us (didn't Jesus get down in the mud with us? In fact, didn't Jesus draw all the mud to Himself for our sins").

He isn't some distant being...He is here with us...in spades.

We have bit parts...He has the starring role.

Even Trump is beginning to realize that he is just a bit player in a larger, eternally greater drama.

When I think of Trump, I think of King David. David was a murderer with one exception - he confessed his sins, and asked God for forgiveness. (Psalm 51). David is so highly regarded by God that Messiah was to incarnate in his family.

Trump's redeeming virtues are his honesty and humility - two qualities prized by God.

He owned his words and apologized, something that garners a lot of respect from Christians. It takes lot of courage.

When Hillary was confronted with her stuff, she immediately resorted to "He's lying" or "I don't remember".

Another internet writer commented:

Trump comes across as real and down to earth and most Christians I know are still aware enough of their humanity that they are willing to forgive someone for their own faults when they deal with it appropriately.

Not one single person I know can sit on their moral high horse and point fingers at Trump for his choice of words 11 years ago.

This is why Evangelicals come across as holier than thou and out of touch with everyone else.

Everyone seems so shocked by their support of a man like Trump? We've all been there.

And besides, just who else is there to support to take down Clinton? Do we just let Clinton win because we can't find a candidate who is 'pure' enough in our eyes to run?

NOBODY is. We ALL have our skeletons.

And a person nicknamed Texasgirl commented:

While I agree with some of your beliefs you are leaving out one very critical part. Forgiveness. Not even one of us who have accepted Christ is worthy of the Blood that was shed on the Cross. We do not know Trump's heart but we do know that he has humbled himself, several times publicly, and admitted his mistakes and flaws and asked for forgiveness. God forgives each of us if we have a repentant heart and ask Him to forgive us. Forgiveness is at the very foundation of everything we believe in as Christians. Without God's grace, mercy and forgiveness, not one of us would be forgiven. Our focus should be on praying for every one of our leaders and trusting in God to move in their hearts.

It is our duty to speak out and hold our politicians and representatives to their word. But we put our faith in God. There are some who are putting their faith in Trump...but I know that many people have the same point of view that I do. And, any person who calls himself a Christian yet votes for or supports/defends a politician who supports abortion has given into worldly sin. They do not know The Word and do not serve God if they believe that abortion, killing His innocent unborn children, is justified. Too many pastors/preachers have watered down the Word of God and some are guilty of outright distortions and deceit. ...

It is also good to remember that we were electing a President and not Pope or Patriarch.

Finally, as our leaders are facing the transition from one administration to another, we need to pray for them. They face tough challenges ahead of them.

Paul said:

"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions…"
-1 Timothy 2:1-2

USCCB recommends the following prayer:

Prayer

God of all nations,
Father of the human family,
we give you thanks for the freedom we exercise
and the many blessings of democracy we enjoy
in these United States of America.
We ask for your protection and guidance
for all who devote themselves to the common good,
working for justice and peace at home and around the world.
We lift up all our duly elected leaders and public servants,
those who will serve us as president, as legislators and judges,
those in the military and law enforcement.
Heal us from our differences and unite us, O Lord,
with a common purpose, dedication, and commitment to achieve liberty and justice
in the years ahead for all people,
and especially those who are most vulnerable in our midst

Amen.

By Msgr. Charles Pope

Be Catholic. Vote as a Catholic with a Catholic moral vision. Advance the Kingdom of God.

Satan is no idiot. He has successfully convinced most Catholics that moral issues are political issues. And in so doing he has successfully shut down a huge amount of moral exhortation and reflection. This is especially true in a political season such as this, when the distinctions between the candidates on critical moral issues could not be clearer or sharper.

Among the moral issues that have been most politicized are non-negotiable issues for any Catholic:

abortion,
euthanasia,
embryonic stem cell research, and
same sex "marriage."

These are non-negotiable issues because there is no room for nuance or degree of support. You are either for them or against them. There is no middle ground. They are outright forbidden by Church teaching and no Catholic may agree with or support abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research or same-sex "marriage" in any degree whatsoever. This goes for every Catholic from the highest political officials to the lowliest and most unknown Catholic in the pew. This precedes politics, party loyalties, political leanings or any such thing.

But did I mention Satan is no idiot? Indeed, he has convinced many that Catholics who clearly articulate Catholic moral teaching on these non-negotiable issues are merely "talking about politics; and how dare they!" And cowed by this satanic trick and lie many clergy and other Catholics sadly cave and run for cover in speaking to these issues at all, not just in political seasons. Other dissenting Catholics buy Satan's lie because it gives them cover and helps to silence foes.

To again be clear, abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, and same-sex "marriage" are moral issues, and the Church must teach against them no matter where the political lines fall.

The Catholic position on these matters currently coincides with one political party's platform over another.

But this is not the intention or fault of the Catholic Church. These are matters that most Americans once agreed on and are now matters that have divided out along political lines.

The Catholic Church has not moved one inch.

Rather, it is a confused culture that has changed and politicians and parties have moved and maneuvered for reasons of their own. But to say the abortion is a grave moral evil is no more political today than it was in 1950. And just because politicians and dissenting Catholics say it is political does not make it so.

I, and I pray every other faithful Catholic, will vigorously and confidently refute the charge of "being political" when we teach on these non-negotiable truths.

I pray we will refute such charges as did St. Paul when he said, We do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. (2 Cor 4:2). No true Catholic or disciple of Jesus can do anything other than to manifest the truth plainly and draw others to conversion.

An additional problem at the intersection of Catholic moral teaching and politics is that there are a number of other moral issues that, while important, admit of distinctions and varying solutions.

They involve matters in which reasonable people will differ. These include matters of economic justice, care for the poor, immigration issues, and so forth. Unlike the non-negotiable issues above that admit of no exceptions or middle ground, these sorts of issues can call forth various policy solutions.

To exhibit care for the poor is a critical moral issue that is very important to God.

It is one the moral issues most often mentioned by God, and his prophets reserve some of their most severe scorn for the neglect of the poor.

However, the best way to care for the poor is debatable.

Should it be a work of government? If so, at what level, federal, state or local? Or is private and personal care for the poor more in line with the biblical mandate? Further it is hard to find anyone who seriously denies that the poor should be cared for. The issue is how, and by whom, and what methods are best.

Immigration too is a serious moral issue, also very important to God.

In over one hundred places in scripture God insists that we must care for the "stranger and alien" in our midst.

Here too though, there are legitimate questions as to border security, and concerns for law and order in immigration lest the nation be overwhelmed. I am particularly upbeat about immigrants and immigration. The Catholic Church is right to insist on biblical norms and challenge this land of ours to greater generosity and compassion toward immigrants in difficult situations. But these are virtues and teachings that are not absolute and admit of some limits.

And much the same could be said of economic policies that admit of different views wherein reasonable people will differ.

The key element to be sought is just system that rewards hard work and does not unjustly exclude or favor.

But all this illustrates a problem at the intersection of Catholic moral teaching and politics.

The non-negotiable issues are largely listed on one party's platform and the negotiable (in terms of their details and applications) are listed on the competing party's platform.

Here too, this is not the fault of the Catholic Church, or of any faithful Catholic, lay or clerical. Our moral teaching remains ours wherever the political lines fall. And moral teaching does and has always ranked certain moral issues as more critical or clear than others. This is often due to their exceptionless quality (you don't just sort of have an abortion or support it), and also to the immediate, intentional and unambiguous harm they do to individuals and to the moral law.

On the eve of an election and as a priest, I frequently am baited to comment more directly on politics by naming names, and parties. I will not do so. The temporal order belongs to the laity, not the clergy. But as a priest I must convey the moral teachings and insist that Catholics connect the dots when it comes to voting. And my advice is simple: Vote as a Catholic, not as a Republican, Democrat, conservative, or liberal. Vote as a Catholic with a Catholic moral vision.

It is a simple fact, beyond the control of the Church, or of any individual and faithful Catholic, that most politicians of a certain party support the right of others to kill pre-born children.

This is a heinous crime and cannot be papered over by jargonistic terminology or overlooked by moral equivocations such as "Well, he is right on the other issues." Would the excuse that "he is right on the other issues" hold if the word abortion were replaced by genocide or slavery? Abortion is not an abstraction. It is a horrifying reality whose death toll has reached over 50 million in this country alone.

Proverbs 24 says, Rescue those who are being led off to death; hold back those who are being carried to slaughter. And if you say, "Behold, we did not know this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive you? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work? (Prov 24:11-14) If we do not oppose this moral evil, we are part of the problem and God will judge us.

The same holds for euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, and same-sex "marriage."

We cannot remain silent, let alone honor and promote those who hold these views. Do not neglect the other moral issues - but these non-negotiables, for the reasons stated and due to their deadly quality and/or the severe moral harm they cause, must be our first concern.

In rare cases, the situation exists where no candidates with a Catholic moral vision on these most critical issues exists, or where difficult decisions related to several non-negotiable issues run into complex cross-currents (e.g. a candidate who is pro-life but also supports euthanasia or same-sex "marriage"). Indeed, there may be certain elections, national or local, where the best a Catholic can do is limit the damage. But the point must always be to do the best we can to advance the Kingdom of God and its values.

I fully expect certain comments to emerge here that dismiss this article and the view it expresses as merely political. I once again vigorously dispute such a claim for the reasons stated. Neither I, nor the Catholic Church, nor any individual Catholic created the political climate of today, wherein one political party rejects the most crucial Catholic moral teachings. We have not changed; the world and its politics has. We will not, we cannot, be silenced by false accusations and a distorted political environment.

Did I mention that Satan is no idiot? He has successfully convinced most Catholics and most Americans that moral issues are political issues. In so doing he has, with our human sinful connivance, managed to divide Catholics and others so that we fight each other rather than moral evil.

I say to every American, that we must come to our senses and stop peddling death through abortion, euthanasia and embryonic stem cell research. The culture of death must end. Stop redefining sexuality and marriage and all other sins against the family and the body such as fornication, adultery, contraception, and homosexual acts. No candidate for office should be thought fit or deserve our vote who supports such deadly and confused practices. It is also true that we must find ways to welcome the immigrant, ensure economic fairness, and care for our poor more effectively. But in these matters there will be legitimate differences as to how best to accomplish such goals.

To all Catholics I say, be Catholic. Vote as a Catholic with a Catholic moral vision. Advance the Kingdom of God.

About Msgr. Charles Pope

Msgr. Charles Pope is currently a dean and pastor in the Archdiocese of Washington, DC, where he has served on the Priest Council, the College of Consultors, and the Priest Personnel Board. Along with publishing a daily blog at the Archdiocese of Washington website, he has written in pastoral journals, conducted numerous retreats for priests and lay faithful, and has also conducted weekly Bible studies in the U.S. Congress and the White House. He was named a Monsignor in 2005.

by Pastor Bill Randles

I have a lot of friends and readers who are baffled by what they consider to be the misguided "evangelical Christian support" for Donald Trump in America. It doesn't make sense, especially in the light of the recent appalling locker room comments, revealed by Trump's enemies (and by God, for there is nothing hidden that won't be brought to light and nothing secret that won't be shouted from the housetops!). It just doesn't make sense that although Trump is so manifestly immoral, Evangelicals would stick by him, even when the 'brave' leadership of the Republican party runs for the tall grass.

I get that it might be baffling to some, seeing that it has become very obvious that Trump is (or has been) a base, vile, crude and immoral man, about as far from being Christian in the evangelical sense as any candidate that ever ran, to my knowledge.

What's going on here? Is this the sign of the total decline of American Christianity, and an omen that evangelicals in America are strongly deluded?

Mind you I am on no way trying to push Trump or to justify him in any way nor do I think Trump can save America or stave off the judgment that we deserve. All I want to do is give some perspective and clear up a few false assumptions. Also I assure you I don't think I can speak for all Christians, not to mention all evangelicals.

America is a very political place, partly because we have a system of government that, in theory, says that everybody has a say, and partly because we have undergone a long social revolution which wrested influence from the former Judeo Christian worldview and is in the process of enthroning Atheism and its 'morality' and tenants upon the nation, once founded by Puritans.

Since, in theory, we all have a say in government, Christians also take politics seriously. We have in my lifetime had the "religious right", the "moral Majority" the "Tea Party", Operation rescue, the pro life movement, etc etc etc, all attempts to couter and staunch the tide of secular humanism (atheism) as it rolled up one victory after another in American life.

There have been no referendums on most of these appalling advances, such as abortion or so called "gay marriage". These have been for the most part imposed upon us by activist judges.

The reason a bombastic character like Trump has arisen, (Humanly speaking) is because the Republican Party has so betrayed its base, in breath taking terms, time and again, particularly since the rise of Obama, promising to restrain his absolute trashing of what is left of the constitution, promising to cut spending and to staunch the tidal wave of third world immigrants which bring crime, unemployment and low wages all across America.

In the last two off elections (non Presidential) the Republican party gained 1000 seats in State and Federal government, by running on a platform of stopping Obama. Immediately, in nearly every case, Republican officeholders turned right around within days of the election and handed Obama budgets with no restraints on the programs they promised to defund!

There was a star lineup of fine professional politicians who ran in the Presidential Republican primary, the who's who of "conservatives" - 16 strong, and Trump, one of the least characters in America for various reasons which would become evident.

Trump is not a politician, nor a theologian. He is not pretending to be an evangelical (as Gore and the Clintons and Jimmy Carter did). In fact, he is openly and unashamedly a pretty worldy guy. He uses profanity, has a checkered past and is not pretending to be a "poor man" who made it big. (I am praying for him regardless of the election result).

How did Trump triumph over 16 "A-team" conservative Republicans? He spoke some sense and without the usual political couching of terms. He promised to stop the flow of Mexican (illegal) immigration. He promised to stop the flow of Muslims (Obama brought in 1 million in 8 years!). Sorry; but it is obvious to all but the politicians, wherever Muslims go in the thousands, so also does violence, terror and mayhem. He promised to defend Freedom of religion.

The others may have been conservative but they didn't get the level of anger and feeling of abject betrayal Republicans, conservative, and evangelicals have felt over the last twenty years. Cruz, Rubio and the rest all postured as every other conservative politician has done, mouthing platitudes about Reagan, the good old days, the need for spending restraint, but, at the same time, accepting the status quo of unlimited immigration, acceptance without question of Islamic immigrants, and the globalist presuppositions which undergird trade, immigration and defense.

They thought of this election as just another "Conservative vs Liberal battle" which they would conduct using Roberts rules of order, while the left brings a switchblade to the debate. The Republicans are the "good guys", never stooping to answering to calumnies of the Right, the constant use of the term racist to describe their constituencies, and the paralysis while the left takes our nation down the gutter.

But Trump fights all of that, rejecting political correctness (which is a culturally toxic force here), and not apologizing for wanting to pursue American interests.

Consider the contrast.

Hillary: Christians must change their Religion

Who could blame Christians for not wanting more of Obama's destructive policies? IT IS EASY FOR THOSE OUTSIDE TO JUDGE AND CRITICIZE CHRISTIANS IN AMERICA, accusing them of idolatry and compromise for supporting Trump, but would you leave us to Hillary? A career criminal, a psychotic warmonger (Libya) who boasted of Gaddafi's death? No Christian I know thinks Trump is Christian, but even Caesar received the prayers of the Jews in the days before Christ. I know of no Christian who actually thinks Trump can save America. It is a simple choice of a career criminal or a very crude man with a checkered past who seems to be leveling with us and understands some of the frustrations we have.

I don't know what the outcome is going to be, nor do I know if Trump will end up being a beast himself, once in power, ( It could happen, who knows?). But I do think there really is a "ruling elite" at the top of American society, composed of Democrats and Republicans, who do not mind at all the downward direction this country has taken, as long as their power remains intact. Evidently there is little or no difference between Bushes and Clintons. Who knew?

Trump doesn't seem to be one of them, and it seems they fear him. He may be something worse, or something better, or he may be a man in transition, but I hope you understand why many rally around him in spite of his obvious flaws.

We have gone beyond the tired old "conservative/liberal" schism in this nation, we are now at the "Nationalist/ Globalist" level, and who can blame Christians for wanting to retain some semblance of the nation they once knew?

I know, that our Kingdom is not of this world, and politics will not save us, only Jesus can do so, please pray for America and the Christian remnant in that idolatrous, backslidden country.

by Dr. James Dobson

"Every four years, when Americans head to the polls to choose our next president, it's easy, and frankly common, to label each election as ‘the most important in our lifetime.' However, given the unprecedented nature of this current presidential contest, that statement is finally proven true. Each candidate proposes radically divergent visions for the future of our country, making 2016 a great turning point in the history of America.

By Deroy Murdock

Congratulations to President-elect Donald J. Trump.

Never having run for so much as city council, he tried his hand at politics and, in his very first campaign, scored Earth's most powerful office. He did so by beating the amalgamated might of the Clinton and Obama machines - two of the most capable and accomplished political operations in U.S. history.

Trump did this while enduring the constant, scorching hostility of Hollywood, Broadway, and nearly the entire popular culture. He also survived a relentless headwind of scathing media coverage. Atop their brutal dispatches, some 430 "objective" journalists, the Center for Public Integrity reports, donated $381,814 (96.3 percent) to Clinton and $14,373 (3.6 percent) to Trump between January 1, 2015 and August 30, 2016.

Trump and his supporters were accused of hate, even as unhinged Leftists graffitied "Kill your local Trump supporter" in Boston, demolished with a pickaxe his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and subjected Republican party offices to vandalism and even arson.

Trump also conquered on the cheap. He spent $270 million for his 59.8 million votes while Hillary poured $521 million into her 60 million ballots. That equals $4.51 per Trump vote versus $8.68 per Clinton ballot.

Agree or disagree with Trump, his relatively inexpensive defeat of these forces is a truly staggering accomplishment.

This stunned his supporters as much as anyone else.

When Fox News Channel declared at 2:40 a.m. that Trump secured Pennsylvania and, thus, the White House, hundreds of Young Republicans at Manhattan's Turnmill Bar exploded with glee. They seemed as astonished as they were thrilled.

"I can't believe this is happening!" one Trumpnik screamed with joy.

"We did it! We actually did it!" cheered NY State GOP finance director Orestes Jacinto at Rosie O'Grady's, a watering hole near Trump's Election Night headquarters at the New York Hilton.

Trump fans spent Wednesday morning's wee hours in a state of ecstatic disbelief.

Trump triumphed in part by belying the shopworn claims of liberal journalists that his campaign was built on bigotry.

"There is an underlying racism that we can't get away from that is a big part of this story, and also questions about, 'Can a woman be president of the United States right now?'" veteran journalist Carl Bernstein moaned on CNN soon after Trump won.

Despite such hideous accusations, the "racist" Trump actually outpaced 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney among black voters, 8 percent to 6, and among Hispanics, 29 percent to 27, according to Pew Research. The "sexist" Trump nearly tied Romney 42 percent to 44 among all women and topped Hillary among white women, 53 percent to 43. (Romney won 56 percent of white women to Obama's 42.)

Hillary lost, in part, because she underperformed Obama among minorities. While Obama won 93 percent of the black vote in 2012, she took only 88 percent on Tuesday. Among Hispanics, Obama scored 71 percent versus 65 for Clinton.

So much for the "racist Trump" lies.

Congratulations as well to Trump's top strategists Steve Bannon, David Bossie, and Kellyanne Conway (the first woman to command a winning presidential campaign). They deserve enormous credit for this spectacular victory.

But Election Day's real heroes, who merit infinite gratitude, are America's voters. The electorate rejected the Democratic Left's sneering arrogance. Hillary Clinton called tens of millions of them an "irredeemable" and "basket of deplorables." Bill Clinton described Trump's base voter as "your standard redneck." Obama said that "the guys out there" oppose Hillary's displaying political ambition because "when a woman suddenly does it, suddenly you're all like, 'Well, why's she doing that?'" (Perhaps Obama thinks the four of 10 women who backed Trump expressed self-hatred rather than misogyny.) Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber notoriously mocked "the stupidity of the American voter."

Too many Democrats laughed at too many regular Joes and Janes. And now, those Joes and Janes have the last laugh.

Thanks to the voters, America dodged a bullet Tuesday night.

A Hillary Clinton administration would have meant four more years of Obama's high taxes, relentless spending, regulatory meddling, economic redistribution, and political retribution against opponents. A thousand Lois Lerners would have bloomed.

Trump's final fortnight on the hustings boded well for America. He hugged his teleprompter, stayed on message, and spurned Twitter. This serious, disciplined, and presidential candidate prevailed. Trump grew into his role as GOP nominee and, likewise, will grow into the presidency.

Trump will bring management prowess to Washington. While Obama never even ran a lemonade stand before winning the White House, the $9.5 billion Trump Organization includes nine venues overseas, 10 hotels, 17 golf courses, and 24 U.S. properties. Trump's payroll numbers 22,450, reports PrivCo, a private-company database.

As for Obama, he will pay dearly for his unilateralism and curdled disdain for bipartisanship.

Obamacare slithered through Congress with zero GOP votes. Poetic justice will see a unified Republican government repeal and replace Obama's calamitous signature law.

The self-destructive Iran-nuclear deal - imposed as an "executive agreement," rather than a treaty - probably will be atomized.

Obama flogged America with the Paris "global warming" agreement and his attendant, $993 billion Clean Power Plan. He obligated America to its terms, subject to ratification by other global signatories, essentially outsourcing the Senate. A GOP Congress likely will junk this lawless, needless nonsense.

And, with a stroke of a pen, President Trump will vacate Emperor Obama's decrees - i.e. executive orders and "guidance letters" - on immigration, transgender bathrooms, due-process limits in college sexual-harassment cases, and lots more.

The result? Virtually every one of Obama's nationally ruinous policies will be cremated by next spring. Within months, Obama's disastrous legacy will be erased. He will have little more long-term impact than a traveling con man who badly overstayed his welcome.

So, here's to voters from coast to coast. On Tuesday, they saved America.

By Asra Q. Nomani

A lot is being said now about the "silent secret Trump supporters."

This is my confession -- and explanation: I -- a 51-year-old, a Muslim, an immigrant woman "of color" -- am one of those silent voters for Donald Trump. And I'm not a "bigot," "racist," "chauvinist" or "white supremacist," as Trump voters are being called, nor part of some "whitelash."

In the winter of 2008, as a lifelong liberal and proud daughter of West Virginia, a state born on the correct side of history on slavery, I moved to historically conservative Virginia only because the state had helped elect Barack Obama as the first African American president of the United States.

But, then, for much of this past year, I have kept my electoral preference secret: I was leaning toward Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Tuesday evening, just minutes before the polls closed at Forestville Elementary School in mostly Democratic Fairfax County, I slipped between the cardboard partitions in the polling booth, a pen balanced carefully between my fingers, to mark my ballot for president, coloring in the circle beside the names of Trump and his running mate, Mike Pence.

After Hillary Clinton called Trump to concede, making him America's president-elect, a friend on Twitter wrote a message of apology to the world, saying there are millions of Americans who don't share Trump's "hatred/division/ignorance." She ended: "Ashamed of millions that do."

That would presumably include me -- but it doesn't, and that is where the dismissal of voter concerns about Clinton led to her defeat. I most certainly reject the trifecta of "hatred/division/ignorance." I support the Democratic Party's position on abortion, same-sex marriage and climate change.

But I am a single mother who can't afford health insurance under Obamacare. The president's mortgage-loan modification program, "HOPE NOW," didn't help me. Tuesday, I drove into Virginia from my hometown of Morgantown, W.Va., where I see rural America and ordinary Americans, like me, still struggling to make ends meet, after eight years of the Obama administration.

Finally, as a liberal Muslim who has experienced, first-hand, Islamic extremism in this world, I have been opposed to the decision by President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party to tap dance around the "Islam" in Islamic State. Of course, Trump's rhetoric has been far more than indelicate and folks can have policy differences with his recommendations, but, to me, it has been exaggerated and demonized by the governments of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, their media channels, such as Al Jazeera, and their proxies in the West, in a convenient distraction from the issue that most worries me as a human being on this earth: extremist Islam of the kind that has spilled blood from the hallways of the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai to the dance floor of the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla.

In mid-June, after the tragic shooting at Pulse, Trump tweeted out a message, delivered in his typical subtle style: "Is President Obama going to finally mention the words radical Islamic terrorism? If he doesn't he should immediately resign in disgrace!"

Around then, on CNN's "New Day," Democratic candidate Clinton seemed to do the Obama dance, saying, "From my perspective, it matters what we do more than what we say. And it mattered we got bin Laden, not what name we called him. I have clearly said we -- whether you call it radical jihadism or radical Islamism, I'm happy to say either. I think they mean the same thing."

By mid-October, it was one Aug. 17, 2014, email from the WikiLeaks treasure trove of Clinton emails that poisoned the well for me. In it, Clinton told aide John Podesta: "We need to use our diplomatic and more traditional intelligence assets to bring pressure on the governments of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which are providing clandestine financial and logistic support to ISIL," the politically correct name for the Islamic State, "and other radical Sunni groups in the region."

The revelations of multimillion-dollar donations to the Clinton Foundation from Qatar and Saudi Arabia killed my support for Clinton. Yes, I want equal pay. No, I reject Trump's "locker room" banter, the idea of a "wall" between the United States and Mexico and a plan to "ban" Muslims. But I trust the United States and don't buy the political hyperbole -- agenda-driven identity politics of its own -- that demonized Trump and his supporters.

I gently tried to express my thoughts on Twitter but the "Pantsuit revolution" was like a steamroller to any nuanced discourse. If you supported Trump, you had to be a redneck.

Days before the election, a journalist from India emailed me, asking: What are your thoughts being a Muslim in "Trump's America"?

I wrote that as a child of India, arriving in the United States at the age of 4 in the summer of 1969, I have absolutely no fears about being a Muslim in a "Trump America." The checks and balances in America and our rich history of social justice and civil rights will never allow the fear-mongering that has been attached to candidate Trump's rhetoric to come to fruition.

What worried me the most were my concerns about the influence of theocratic Muslim dictatorships, including Qatar and Saudi Arabia, in a Hillary Clinton America. These dictatorships are no shining examples of progressive society with their failure to offer fundamental human rights and pathways to citizenship to immigrants from India, refugees from Syria and the entire class of de facto slaves that live in those dictatorships.

We have to stand up with moral courage against not just hate against Muslims, but hate by Muslims, so that everyone can live with sukhun, or peace of mind, I finished in my reflections to the journalist in India.

He didn't get the email. I didn't resend it, afraid of the wrath I'd receive. But, then, I voted.

About The Author:

Nomani is a former Wall Street Journal reporter and a co-founder of the Muslim Reform Movement.