Democrats Gripped by Fear and Grief as Donald Trump Sweeps to Win
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By Josh Nathan-Kazis November 9, 2016
As Tuesday slid into Wednesday, the Javits Center started hollowing out — and a day that started with electric hope ended in gripping despair.
Hillary Clinton supporter Megan Fitzgerald was standing alone and crying in an empty hall that had been packed just an hour earlier.
“It’s just so heartbreaking that this is the country we live in,” she said, wearing a Clinton t-shirt and a Clinton button. “It’s just kind of devastating to think that America could agree with someone so cruel.”
The mood at what was meant to be the site of Clinton’s victory party has shifted from disbelief to despair. Red eyes are a common sight.
Standing under a television monitor, Israeli tourist Ron Gerlitz was trying to reconcile with the abrupt shift in mood he had observed over the past few hours. “I came here because I’m interested to see the celebration,” he said. “The celebration turned into something very different.”
Gerlitz, who is co-executive director of an Israeli NGO called Sikkuy that advocates for equality for Arab citizens of Israel, said that the apparent result was bad for America, and for Isarel.
“The path to tikkun olam will be much longer than we thought,” he said.
Others were more angry than sad. “I am f—ing…disappointed with my country,” said Carolyn Cutillo.
“It’s surprising as hell,” said her friend Imril Hassan. “It just doesn’t make any sense.”
Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter, @joshnathankazis.
"Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief"
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
