I felt like I had been living in some deep, dark recess for the last 6 months. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold out and knew I was getting close to my breaking point.  All that torture from the fighting, the negativity, the robocalls….
Yes, I’m talking about Election Day.  It came and went, and it felt like I had emerged from some cave to see a beautiful sunrise with a rainbow, flocks of birds, and even a unicorn.  I’m sure a lot of you may have felt the same way, seeing how many people on the news from all sides of the political spectrum were tired of all the political ads and were just ready for the campaigns to be finished.
Now that the votes are in, the political landscape in D.C. hasn’t really changed.  Yes, there are new incumbents in Congress, but the House is still controlled by Republicans, while the Democrats still control the Senate and the White House.  This has many wondering if the next 4 years will mirror the past 4 years of deadlock and mudslinging, rather than bipartisan problem-solving.   There are countless issues America is facing right now.  Everyone knows that we cannot keep pushing problems to the backburner.   
Following President Obama’s acceptance speech, and the comments made by John Boehner the following day, news outlets have been speculating whether the political fever in has broken.  In his speech, Obama referenced that we all have the same end-goals, but that our ideas on the paths to take might remain divided.  He could have come out blaming the Republican Party for the problems over the last 4 years, but took a higher ground to say that (in my opinion) that we all have our difference of opinions, but that doesn’t make us bad people.  In fact, it’s what makes America a great country.
“We are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions, and we remain more than a collection of red states and blue states. We are and forever will be the United States of America.”
John Boehner was in the news the following day saying that Republicans would be open to new taxes under the right conditions.  This was something where the Republican Party had previously refused to budge.     
This also comes off the heels of Hurricane Sandy.  In particular, it was the cooperation, communication, and more specifically, praisings between Governor Chris Christie and President Obama.  Christie had been a vocal critic of Obama on the campaign trail, and here he was, setting an example of what Government could accomplish when partisan politics were pushed aside for the greater good.
Are these signs of changes to come?  Do the Parties finally realize that the American people are priority #1, instead of their own personal gains?
Whether you’re a politician or not, there will be times in your career when you may have to cooperate with someone who may not agree with you, or maybe even someone where both of you don’t even like each other.  It can be extremely difficult.  However, you shouldn’t focus on the part that you don’t want to do.  The true challenge is coming together for the good of all involved. 
Great leaders work with their greatest opposition to solve problems and achieve something great.  I’m hoping that we’ll see greatness emerge in D.C. over the next 4 years.
Leave your comments!