A vote is loud.

Whether that vote is cast joyfully or with trepidation or begrudgingly or without all the information or as protest—it makes the same bold statements:This is my choice.I am with this person.I consent to their conduct.I co-sign their actions.I endorse them.

A vote doesn't have qualifiers or caveats or escape clauses. It simply says Yes or No.

And as we’re witnessing a rapid and expansive dismantling of our nation’s systems, a complete mockery of our Cabinet positions, a pervasive chaos enveloping everything from our social services to our healthcare to our Military to our essential needs to our standing in the world, the one question I keep wanting to ask his supporters is:

Is this what you wanted?

Did you want prices on groceries and gas to stratospherically rise as he taunts our long-time allies?Did you want a delusional billionaire to have access to our nation’s financial resources and your personal data?Did you vote for unlawful spending freezes on programs that provide veterans their benefits, poor children a school lunch, the elderly their hard-earned retirement?Did you intend for immigrant families to be terrorized in their workplaces, schools, and homes, with no regard for due process or for legal and human rights?Did you want us alienated from the world by having us abruptly removed from every global humanitarian and diplomatic partnership we have participated in?Did you vote to have the stock market intentionally-tanked so that your life savings could evaporate while those in power profit off the carnage?

Is this what you voted for?Because if this isn’t what you voted for, you better be vocal now.

Many people have said that those regretting their vote are now embarrassed and tired of being shamed—and for this reason they will stay silent.

My response was and is: You don't get that privilege.

Silence is not a luxury anyone can afford in days like these. If you voted for Donald Trump and you're ashamed of that fact or if you feel like you're being unfairly criticized I'm sorry but that isn't what this is about right now. Your shame doesn't trump your responsibility. Your regret without a response is useless. No one is interested in shaming you, we're interested in hearing you.

To be silent now, after voting so loudly is irresponsible and unhelpful.Your silence doesn't protect refugees or avoid disastrous Cabinet appointees or pay treatment bills for the soon-to-be uninsured.It doesn't shield marginalized communities from hate crimes or uncover the truth about Russia's role in our democratic process or challenge the President's flagrant nepotism.Your silence doesn't encourage lawmakers to push against their party even if they feel they should, and it doesn't show solidarity with activists in the streets spending themselves to advocate for equality and justice.It doesn't discourage the President and his spokespeople from rolling out an unrelenting stream of lies or attacking those doing real, Constitution-guarding journalism.It doesn't hold those in the highest levels of power and influence accountable for disregarding every procedure, rule of law, and safeguard established to ensure that citizens are protected from those governing them.

Your silence doesn't do anything right now but allow you to divorce yourself from your vote, to avoid any accountability for the man you've chosen, and to perpetuate the erratic, reckless, criminal behavior that is endangering all of us.

What this means, friend, is that if you are indeed regretting your vote in any way—this would be the time to stand up and say so. Millions of us are out here doing the work of pushing back and speaking for the marginalized and poor and disregarded (including Trump voters), and we're marching and we're calling our elected officials and we're busting our butts to keep our Constitution intact.

And all the while, the narrative the President is selling is that this is a partisan, Liberal Media-created mirage. He's attempting to manufacture a political civil war via social media to divert attention from the insidious stuff happening right now that should be horrifying all of us.

And every day you say nothing, our Republic is more and more vulnerable, more and more compromised, more and more in danger of losing the very essence of its freedoms and liberties.

All this to say, I'm really sorry for your embarrassment, but even more concerned about your silence.

Your vote in November, for whatever reason you cast it—was loud.

And if you regret that vote or if you don't consent to what you are seeing from this man and this Administration, your volume now is necessary too.

Please join those of us who are resisting together because we love America more than a political party, because this isn't about any of us, it's about all of us.

Please speak, and speak up.

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