So many thoughts run through my head as I try to comprehend the election results.

Let me be upfront and say that I have never been a supporter of the former and soon-to-be future president. That doesn’t make me a liberal. That makes me an American who longs for the days of what the Republican party used to be. I’m a right-of-center guy who supports people like Liz Cheney, Adam Kinsinger, Chris Christie, and others who have spoken out about what a second Trump administration could look like.

I keep thinking about my father. I wonder what he would think of all of this. He was an old school Republican. A conservative who fought in World War II. Would my dad be angry that America elected a man who praised Hitler’s Generals? Would he vote for a man who said he wanted to be a dictator? Would he sit around all day and watch Fox News and fall in line with all the other old school Republicans that have kissed the victor’s ring?

I wish I knew.

Another lesson my father taught me was to “Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.” The American people wished for an authoritarian leader, and they got it.

So where do we go from here?

In this divided world, I think there’s one thing all Americans can agree on. The America we’re about to see is different from the America we’ve known all our lives. The people have spoken. The message was loud and clear, even if we don’t know what that message means. We know that the future president has “a concept of a plan.”

Will things be as bad as some fear? Will it be as wonderful as some believe? My guess is the answer lies somewhere in the middle. I hope that even though the Republicans had a very good election night, there are enough guardrails in place to keep things on the right track. That if the man with 34 felonies tries to take things too far, enough Republicans and the courts will keep things in check.

I don’t doubt that I’ll agree with many of the President-Elect’s policies. I also don’t doubt that many of the things he promised on the campaign trail will not be delivered. I’m sure some illegal aliens will be rounded up and sent to their home countries for a photo op and a future campaign ad. But I seriously doubt he’ll be able to do it on the grand scale he and Steven Miller say they would like. For one thing, it would cost billions of dollars and decimate the farming, meat packing, roofing, and other industries that rely on them for labor. In a mass round-up, immigrants who are here legally would get caught up in the melee breaking up families and causing more problems.

I know what my father would have said about that, but then again, it was a different time back then.

So, what’s it going to be America? What does the future hold?

I wish I knew.

I wish I knew what was really in the hearts of my friends who voted for Trump. Were they just concerned about taxes? Did they think illegal immigrants were coming here to rape their daughters and kill their fentanyl-addicted sons? Do they have racist or misogynistic tendencies and couldn’t vote for an African American female? Or did they not care about any of that because they have always voted for the Republican no matter who that candidate was?

I’ll admit I’m having a tough time reconciling with the Trump voters in my life. I keep thinking of how after experiencing the horrors of war, my dad always did what he could to keep the peace. He was a Goldwater guy, but his brothers were all in for LBJ. Yet they didn’t let their political differences get in the way of their bonds. I need to remember that.

I wish I had easy answers and the next four years were not going to be filled with chaos and turmoil. I hope that when I wish for nothing but the best for America and the world that I just might get it.

I miss you Dad.

Tom Becka is a long time Nebraska broadcaster who for over 30 years has been covering Omaha and Midwest issues on both radio and TV. He has been a guest on numerous national cable and news shows, filled in for nationally syndicated talk radio programs and Talkers Magazine has recognized him as one of the Top 100 talk show hosts in the country 10 times. Never afraid to ruffle some feathers, his ‘Becka’s Beat’ commentaries can be found online on Youtube and other digital platforms.

Opinions expressed by columnists in The Daily Record are not necessarily those of its management or staff, and do not constitute an endorsement or recommendation. Any errors or omissions should be called to our attention so that they may be corrected. Contact us at news@omahadailyrecord.com.