“What Now” After Hurricane (Election) 2010?

As I write early in the morning following Hurricane 2010 I can say with certainty that the political ads have thankfully ended.  The lawn signs will be placed in dumpsters come sunrise all over the country.  The red-white-and-blue bunting  will be rolled up for two years.  In just a few hours millions of Americans will wake to a new day, and one question.

“What now?”

The Wisconsin State Journal gave Senator Russ Feingold their endorsement last Sunday because they felt his Republican opponent Ron Johnson did not have enough detail and substance on the issues of the day.   Behind the facade of campaign commercials bought with endless piles of cash there was more a vacant look than a policy wonk with ideas.  That simplicity allowed for a win at the polls, but it is not a prescription for sound governance.

The lasting images from too many campaigns this cycle was the dodging and weaving away from specifics and details that must surface if any of the issues that America says it wants fixed are to be dealt with.  Even FOX News on Election Day, when interviewing  former New York Governor Pataki, lamented the lack of details when candidates spoke about their plans.

The only thing we know is that every Republican has a visceral reaction to tax increases.  That is the only economic policy that came through loud and clear.  In the end it not a sustainable policy, but only a political mantra.

How the deficit would be lowered or brought under control was never outlined with any amount of clarity by the candidates who talked the loudest.   The closest we got to how deeply some want to slash federal spending was when one candidate offered up Alzheimer’s research funding as a tough cut we may need to confront.   If short-sightedness were currency our deficits could be cut in half instantly.

One thing came through Election Night with no doubt.  The American public is scared and unsure of  the future, and they will lash out in order to try to find solutions.  They understand at some level the demographics are changing around them, the return of jobs is going to be slow, and America has world competition in ways that never existed before.  All this makes for reactions at the ballot box as was demonstrated Tuesday.  In other words, voters are in no mood to be fooled with. 

Exit polls seem to show they will not look kindly upon those who undermine attempts at pulling together to find remedies to the national problems.  But as I sat and watched the results roll in, and mulled it all over I wonder if the voters themselves understood the duality that was taking place.

One on side are the moderates and independents who cast ballots hoping for a government that works, with the needed compromises to make the nation chug onwards.  On the other side are the Tea Party types that think compromise is where the train left the tracks, and have dedicated themselves to some self-described principles that will result in Washington being more prone to gridlock than to bi-partisan solutions. 

They both can’t be right.  I suspect the Republicans will force the Tea Party to blink as most understand the message from Tuesday.

This is not the time for gridlock. Or a time for Republicans who hope to have a confrontation with the White House. 

The country is angry, and I think stirring the pot any more would be most unwise.

There are no guarantees that the fragile economic recovery will not require more governmental assistance.  Even though there are many new elected faces sworn to holding firm to their ideas about government the public will still need to be considered first and foremost when policy is crafted.  Unemployed workers who number in the millions not only need to find good-paying jobs, but require assistance until that time arrives. 

As I have mentioned on this blog I am concerned if our political system, which has suffered gut punches this year, has the ability to rise and meet a potential new crisis.  The formidable challenges that face this country are numerous, and while the elections are over and the choices made, I am not sure the intellect or the desire resides in the new faces to create a better America.  If another house of cards started to falter I am not sure there is the good-will between the parties to rise to the occasion.  Tuesday we saw lots of new politicians elected, but I am not sure I saw any statesmen about to be sworn into office.

As I looked at television all night in search of the modern-day Howard Baker or John Danforth I was left wanting.  A lot of angry people won races based on a lot of angry voters casting ballots.  I do not think that is the best way to elect a governing class.

While divided government in the past has allowed for good ideas to percolate and be signed into law, such as the Social Security law in 1983, I am less confident about such high hopes this time.  After having seen what brought some of the faces to Washington, I think making points on the opponents seems more the desire than shaping policy that allows the lives of the voters to improve.

So like my fellow citizens who will see the sun rise in a few hours I ask  the question of the day.

“What now?”