Moving Forward

It's over. Election Day has come and gone, and Barack Obama has been reelected to a second term as President of the United States. It seems like the campaigns have been going on forever, and in one night, it all came to an end.

Now it is time to move forward.

Yes, I know many people are disappointed about the outcome, and they have made it very clear that they do not think Obama was the right choice. It is scary to think about how the bitter battles between candidates in all states will ultimately effect how well everyone works together to handle the upcoming challenges for America. It is a bit disconcerting to know that this country is so divided, with almost half the country voting against the incumbent. It appears that little has changed in the last four, eight, twelve years. We are still so polarized in our political beliefs and opinions. 

And yet both candidates have voiced the need for unity and bipartisanship to help the country fully recover and achieve economic growth. Change and improvement is not possible without collaboration between parties, but everyone seems to have their own agenda. And many who are angry about Romney's loss could bring that animosity to the table during House and Senate meetings, preventing any positive results.

Regardless of the winner, our country would still be facing this fiscal cliff, we would still be dealing with high unemployment and a slow economic recovery. Now it is time to toss our biased views aside and work together for the greater good of the country. The fact that both sides can be so stubborn and uncompromising is the reason we are in the position we are in. As a close friend of mine said, we dig our heels in and refuse to budge, and then we're surprised when things go to hell. Americans want results and right now, that fiscal cliff is looming in the distance.  Congress needs to get its act together, adopt a true bipartisan strategy and tackle this challenge.

The question still remains, however, of whether or not people will actually live up to the bipartisan image they touted during the election, or if they will go right back to their old ways and not work across the aisle for the greater good of the country?

I am hopeful that things will get better, even though I am nervous about the fast-approaching issues. For those who have given up hope and want to abandon the U.S.--if just for a little while--there are options. (I'm thinking Jamaica, Turks & Caicos or the Bahamas.) If any of you signed up for JetBlue's "Election Protection" giveaway and voted for Romney, I hope you win and enjoy your temporary trip out of the country. (At least I hope it's temporary, I wouldn't want a mass exodus from the U.S.)