The American People Deserve Better Than This Campaign

As we are fast approaching elation day, I can’t help but think the ramifications of one of the most hard-fought, expensive campaigns in American political history will continue to reverberate.

First and foremost, the real issues facing the country went largely unaddressed during this campaign.

While President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney are locked in an arduous struggle replete with vicious negative ads, neither candidate has offered a coherent and comprehensive plan to address the debt, the deficit and unemployment.

Representative Paul Ryan, Romney’s running mate, has developed his own budget and entitlement-reform proposals.  But it is not clear how either ticket will deal with the large scale fiscal challenges facing this nation, which are bringing us to the brink of financial collapse.

In fact, the most important issue facing the country – how to create jobs and reduce unemployment – has barely been addressed at all.

Unemployment (which was over 8 percent for 43 months and remains at 7.8 percent today) did not disqualify President Obama from re-election, notwithstanding the economic pain that Americans are currently feeling, and will continue to feel, once the dust has settled after November 6^th.  But what is also clear is that the American people’s dissatisfaction with the political and economic situation in our country has gotten worse, not better.  Satisfaction with Congress is at or below record lows with only about 10 percent approval.

The federal government and the political class in Washington have ongoing and, I dare say, record credibility problems with an increasingly cynical electorate.

To be sure, we saw the power of the presidency in the general election.  In both the primaries and general election, we saw the rise of powerful super PACs, political action committees funded by very wealthy individuals either directly or anonymously.  These committees have demonstrated the ability to sway the political dialog.

We also saw the power of the media to drive a narrative – whether that narrative touted Romney’s nomination as inevitable or, more recently, in pushing the story that Obama was leading substantially throughout the last several months.

This account cam complete with polls that appeared to overestimate the incumbent’s advantage.

What is probably clearest about this election is that although the campaign has further polarized the electorate, and the critical issues facing this nation have been largely glossed over the enduring confidence of the American people remains strong.

It is now time to turn to the crises that face our county.  Domestically, our fiscal situation must be addressed.  The current pace of spending is unsustainable.  A consensus must be reached – and FAST – to avoid further spiraling debt.  Internationally, the threats from Iran, North Korea and al-Qaida continue to loom large.  This will be a pivotal year for Afghanistan, as we wind down our presence there.

Despite those challenges, my hope in the months ahead is that the extraordinarily resilient nature of the American people will become as evident to our leaders as they are to everyone else.