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I realized the same soon after 2008 election. My son had been born just a month before. I cried when Obama won. It wasn't long after that I realized I was made a fool of. Hope and Change remained Nope and Same.

And even today still.

2008 or 2016. Both fake elections. All fake candidates. Don't expect 2020 or 2024 to be any better. We'll be lucky if we make it that much longer.

You talk about 2008 and 2016, meanwhile I was awoken to the lack of democracy in 2000 when the Supreme Court appointed Bush as president despite Gore getting more votes. They did this because of some convenient voting irregularities in Florida, a state that George's brother Jeb just so happened to be governor of. And I'm sure older people than me might cite other years, like when Democrats conspired to make McGovern lose to Nixon or when JFK was assassinated. The USA hasn't ever really had legitimate democracy.

It has taken me a good year to process what I know understand to be reality. I almost wish I could go back to my previous belief system, but I have grandchildren to worry about and so I have to stay alert to the dangers. Please take care of yourself. It is an awful paradigm shift. The devils really are here.