The candidate preaching love trumps hate won by 1.7 million votes. More votes than people living in Maine. More votes than voters in 11 other states. Yet to the loser goes the spoils. To be clear: we, all — we, our children, our parents, our grandchildren, friends, and neighbors — we are the spoils in a long, hidden war.

There are so many lessons to be learned, so many of them contradictory, harsh, and worrisome, it’s hard to know where to begin. Let’s start with this: optimism is a losing strategy.

Throughout the past several Presidential campaigns, the Democrats touted optimism. Hope and change, love trumps hate, stronger together. There is a lot right about appealing to our better angels.

But liberals and moderates have coupled that with undue optimism about the electorate and our institutions. This optimism continues to put Americans at peril. We believed that Americans would see through a constant stream of misinformation from right-wing news. That our press would move past the easy stories they were fed, past false equivalence, and towards investigative journalism that weighed real facts. That eight years of clownish, baseless attacks on President Obama’s birth certificate by an oily reality television star would be laughable. That rural voters would differentiate between inevitable global market forces and craven promises. That sexism, white supremacy, and bullying would turn the stomachs of enough Americans. That an intransigent Congress that swore it would work against a popular President — one who actually won both the popular and electoral college votes — was a terrible strategy. That lying about climate change would harm the liars. All wrong.

This election was not merely between two candidates. It was between two warring beliefs about American values, a willingness to stoop to anything versus a foolhardy belief in goodness. Democrats emphasized shared values — equality for all, a safety net for all, sharing the burden for public goods such as infrastructure, health care access, retirement, the environment. Democrats thought that holding the moral high ground would win the war.

Republicans gave in to the basest instincts of their party, the culmination of decades of strategy backed by enormous funding, by the libertarian side of the right wing. Nationalism backed by fake news sites, a willingness to lie about anything, a strategic war fought through every single channel. The nationalist right even coopted leftists, helping secure the low voter enthusiasm and turnout that was essential to their technical win. This is not the Republican party of Margaret Chase Smith. This is the party of “Build the wall!” “Lock her up!” “Trump that b—-!” The party that mocked the disabled, American war heroes, women, Muslims, Mexicans.

For decades, liberals, moderates, and many Republicans mistakenly believed there are things that are just not done, not by anyone, for any reason. Now, with hate crimes by the hundreds, the echoes of “Hail Trump!” Nazi salutes in the news, the end of feckless optimism can’t come soon enough.

What do we do?

First, we must not believe this will be OK. It’s the optimist’s nature to see the glass as half full. This glass of poison may end our democracy.

Second, we must fight. Not only is the leadership of a narcissistic oligarch to be feared, at every step down the path it must be resisted, constantly, resolutely, not normalized. If you fear for our nation, as I believe we should, then pick a day of the week, and block 20-30 minutes to become what our democracy has always required: an active, informed citizen. Hold our leaders to account, at every level of elected office. Contribute financially or as a volunteer to the organizations that are under threat. Add the DC phone numbers for Senators Collins and King. Try it out this week. Call to express your shock that Collins approves the ascension of Sen. Jeff Sessions, with his well-established racism and sexism, to become our nation’s top law enforcer. Call to tell King that “wait and see” is not the brave stance we deserve. Not when Trump is larding his pantry with the voices of right-wing nationalism, those who detest gays, and who helped trash our national discourse through Breitbart News. Tell them that when the KKK hails Trump’s victory, it is time to fix bayonets. Call Congressman Paul Ryan, itching to privatize Medicare and Social Security. Tell them no, every week.

Finally, we must reach out. Half the voters did not vote. What is left of my optimism hopes that while a mere quarter of voters chose the popular vote loser, more of those who did not think they had a stake in this election will join in ending this reign of error.

Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between.

Jackie Sartoris is a former Brunswick Town Councilor