As election season finally finds its end, we are immediately left with a void once filled by political commercials and a 24-hour news cycle stuffed full of Palin and Obama. The question quickly arises, “What is one to do between now and next November?” If your candidate was victorious, do you wait patiently for them to get into office and enact the change you voted for? Or, if you voted for this year’s loser, are regret and finger-pointing a best option?
If history is any indication, the losers will spend the next year finding error with anything and everything. For the winners… 12 months of buyer’s remorse! And, for what — so we can play this silly game again year after year? Instead, let’s put this election behind us and do something ourselves to strengthen our well being.
The wedge issue of the 2010 campaign was the economy — all of us seemingly so eager to fix the problems of the great recession with a single, swift vote. But, beyond your ballot, this economy can takeoff with the right momentum from its citizens.
Consumer confidence is a major force in the economic prosperity of a country — more than any elected official or policy. In this, our attitude toward economic prosperity has a multiplier effect many times more than the latest unemployment data or value of the Dow. We elected Democrats in 2008 because of the economy, and Republicans in 2010 for very the same reason. We must learn it is not who we are electing, but what we do after the elections.
Our economy made it through the fire and is still standing. It weathered two recessions in 10 years, was attacked by terrorists, saw its banking system on the brink of extinction, and fought several wars. And, if we can stop the political gaming for a few moments, we may be able to build that which is perhaps most important — confidence. Between now and next year’s election, let’s solve all of the major issue ourselves through a united belief in our future prosperity. It will be worth all the elections of your lifetime, and mine.