Republicans took a beating. Democrats had barely finished celebrating before they started arguing over who should lead them.
Americans watching the aftermath could be forgiven for wondering whether either party remembers that the country needs governing.
Democrats will control both chambers of Congress in January, but Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries face pressure to change leadership. Republicans have their own contest after Mike Johnson decided not to seek House minority leadership.
Winning hasn’t settled the Democrats' disagreements, and losing has sharpened the Republicans’.
I’m a conservative with a heavy independent leaning. I wanted a different result, and I’m concerned about what the next Congress will pursue.
I know I’m far from alone in that worry.
I also refuse to believe that an election loss has exhausted America’s ability to recover, correct mistakes, and build something better.
Our history gives me good reason for that confidence. Americans have felt frightened, angry, and uncertain about their future before. Their choices helped determine whether the country moved forward.
We have the same responsibility now.
Consider the election of 1800. Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr tied in the Electoral College, leaving the House to choose a president. Threats of violence and fears of national dissolution accompanied the dispute. A political settlement ultimately produced a peaceful transfer of power.
The men involved had bitter disagreements about the republic’s direction. They nevertheless accepted a constitutional framework for resolving their struggle. Americans today inherited the benefits of that decision, along with the obligation to preserve the institutions that made it possible.
Then consider 1968. Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were assassinated; riots scarred American cities; the Vietnam War divided families and communities; and the Tet Offensive deepened the national crisis.
Of course, Walter Cronkite did NOT help matters.
People living through those months had ample reason to fear what came next.
The wounds lasted, and damaged communities faced years of rebuilding. Remembering that suffering should make us careful with easy reassurance. It should also remind us how much courage ordinary Americans have shown when their country needed them.
Cooperation has produced practical results, too. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan and congressional leaders worked on legislation to address the Social Security financing crisis. Reagan publicly credited Tip O’Neill and bipartisan negotiations when the House approved the plan.
The eventual law needed difficult compromise.
We can debate those provisions today. We can also recognize that people with competing convictions accepted responsibility for their decisions. Governing requires enough patience to examine another person’s proposal and enough humility to acknowledge when part of it works.
Republicans should study why they lost and offer policies that improve people’s lives. Democrats should remember that a congressional majority brings obligations to Americans who voted against them. Both parties need to understand that families face bills and worries that survive every campaign.
The rest of us have work closer to home. We can argue firmly without humiliating someone. We can volunteer, attend local meetings, help a struggling family, and teach our children how to lose graciously and win generously. Those habits strengthen the country wherever we practice them.
I think about the woman who tied my shoe when a shoulder surgery left me struggling to do it myself. She saw someone who needed help and knelt down. I never learned how she voted, but I certainly remember her kindness.
Recommended: A Stranger Tied My Shoe. I Never Forgot What She Gave Me.
America still has people capable of that simple generosity. Our future depends on giving those instincts room to grow, in our homes, our communities, and our government. We’ve inherited a country worth the effort.
I believe we can leave it stronger.