American voters have spoken and the results are clear. But are they, really? Much like previous “change” elections, it would be easy to misread what voters expressed yesterday. Indeed, if that occurs—yet again—then we risk doing even more damage to the country, and to people’s urgent desire for a sense of authentic hope.
Here’s what I mean.
Once last night’s results sink in, the question is whether our elected leaders will actually heed what people from all political persuasions are desperately in search of, or whether this will be yet another period of overreach and more politics as usual.
If my travels crisscrossing the country over the past few years illuminate anything, it is that Americans are hungry for a new path forward—what I call a “new civic path.” They want to come together to repair the country and build a more promising future—for everyone. Such a path is decidedly not about engaging in more divisive politics or political gamesmanship. Nor is it a knee-jerk “return” to something we supposedly had before.
Let’s face it. Things were not so great before for lots of people, from all walks of life.
No, we do not need a return to the past. Nor do we need a hard turn left after our recent hard turn to the right.
Instead, we need our leaders to turn outward.
I’ve been working deeply in deep “red,” “blue” and “purple” areas throughout the U.S—from Reading, PA, to Owensboro, KY, to Northern California. No matter where I go, I find the American people want to focus on what matters to them in their daily lives. They want “change” in such areas as youth opportunities, mental health, senior care, whole health, and housing and homelessness, among others. They yearn to create a more “can-do” narrative in the nation. And they want a renewed sense of decency, belonging, and empathy. These aspirations are not Democratic, Republican, or Independent—they’re American aspirations.
So, today one party celebrates and the other licks its wounds. But we need politicians across the political spectrum to lift up their heads, turn outward, and refocus their sights on what truly matters to the American people. We need to get beyond political rhetoric and posturing. Only then can we truly get this country on a stronger footing moving forward.