A Post-Election Letter to Hillary

Safety pinThe other day I wrote on Facebook that I was having trouble going into book marketing mode because of the outcome of the presidential election. It seemed crass, unseemly, to be cheerily promoting my book when I was feeling so distraught. In response, several people suggested that I send a copy of Getting Naked for Money to Hillary Clinton. I liked the idea for…well, many reasons, some of which I’ll detail here.  I inscribed the book “To the president of my heart. Long may you prosper” and enclosed the following letter.

November 14, 2016

Dear Hillary,

I’m sure you’re getting lots of mail – maybe literally tons – from people telling you how much you and your campaign have meant to them, how heartbroken they are at the outcome. I hope the fact that you have touched so many lives has brought you some solace. Me, I waver between fury and despair and hope that all the energy you’ve generated – in spite of what the press said about an “uninspired” campaign – will bear fruit, even in these dark hours. I’m not sure which is worse: The uncertainty of how bad things could be or the absolute certainty that nothing good can come out of this election.

I’ve enclosed a present to you, my memoir. There are many reasons I’m sending it to you, including the facts that it’s funny and so might be a nice distraction. Also, you have a cameo role in it. Years ago, when you were the First Lady and checking into the Hilton Palacio del Rio in San Antonio, I waited outside to shake your hand. What made the event memoir-worthy was the blind rancor that had been directed toward you by my hostess,  the hotel’s PR person, for no reason. It’s all there, in Chapter 10.

But what I really wanted to tell you was how you helped me finish and publish the book. It’s taken me at least a dozen years to write this memoir, with rejections by agents, the sense that I was getting too old to publish it, blah, blah, blah. Your presidential runs, both in 2008 and this latest, kept me motivated. If you could pick yourself up and dust yourself off, I could too.

You may not be president, though you won the popular vote and you should be, but you will always be my inspiration. No FBI interference or voter suppression – and I firmly believe both were your downfall, not anything you did – can change that.

Your eternal fan,

Edie Jarolim

This is day 3 in my NaBoMarMo Challenge. The last time — just last week, though it seems a century ago — that I posted about how Hillary Clinton inspired me, some people unsubscribed to my blog. That’s okay. I’m not going to be timid about politics any more. This is a safe space for those who are #StillWithHer — thus the safety pin illustration — and also those who are not, though I reserve the right to delete any hateful comments.

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About the Author

Edie Jarolim is a writer and editor living in Tucson, Arizona. Sign up on this blog to get updates about her humorous tell-all/memoir, GETTING NAKED FOR MONEY: An Accidental Travel Writer Reveals All.

8 Enlightened Replies

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  1. Marilyn sutin says:

    Wow, beautifully said. I hope she enjoys the escape into your world

  2. Elaine says:

    How lovely Edie. This brought tears to my eyes. I still can’t get over this all, don’t know how we can move forward. Now I am motivated to stay home and finish your book – at least to Chapter 10! (Have been too horrified to do much productive since election, reading too much about hate-crimes and horrible appointments – should have just read the book !)

  3. David Benn Crawford says:

    Hi Edie,

    You describe my state of mind too. As of now, neither President-elect nor Congress can represent our interests. Soon enough, the Supreme Court won’t either. Since our voices will not be heeded in any branch of our government, we are in a terrible fix.

  4. David Benn Crawford says:

    I would add that November ninth was the seventy-eighth anniversary of Kristallnacht, a fact that did not go unnoticed.

    I greet all the pap telling me to get in bed with the alt right “for the sake of the country” with utter revulsion, contempt, and disdain.

    In fact this so-called election looks more and more like the Bierhaus pütsch (coup) that it really is.

    • Edie says:

      Yes, many of us noticed the Kristallnacht anniversary. And the night before the election, I posted a piece comparing Trump and Hitler, something I don’t do lightly as you know. The choice of Steve Bannon as part of his team should strike fear into everyone’s heart.

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