Joe Biden has been elected as our next president in a close contest while the Republicans are likely to hold their control of the U.S. Senate and make gains in the House of Representatives. Our country remains deeply divided and is still stuck in the middle of the greatest challenge we have faced in generations with the pandemic continuing to claim American lives and devastate our economy.
So, what comes next? First, my deepest hope is that after a divisive campaign our country is able to come together. For some time, our country has grown increasingly polarized, a process that accelerated over the last four years and was supercharged in the lead-up to the election. These divisions serve none of us. They can tear at personal relationships and even families, prevent us from better understanding those who are different from us and, in general, bring out a nastiness that shows our worst rather than best selves.
Taking individual efforts and hoping our leaders follow suit to end the demonization of the other is long overdue and is something I hope to see as we move past the election season. With it, we can better focus on the challenges that stand before us, first and foremost, controlling the coronavirus. Providing clear guidance and ensuring compliance with the steps that we all need to take to limit the spread of the virus, working to help businesses survive a winter season when cases are expected to rise and developing strategies for local governments as they face budgetary challenges are of the utmost importance and need to be prioritized over political considerations.
Second, assuming the Republicans maintain control of the Senate as expected, with divided government in Washington compromise will become a necessity. To accomplish anything of lasting value the president-elect will need Republican consent. This will surely be a stumbling block and a frustration for Democrats like me, but it is the reality.
Fortunately, it is my view that Joe Biden is especially well-suited to manage the hand he has been dealt. As a veteran of the Senate for over three decades and having run a campaign where he promised to govern as an “American president,” every indication is that he will seek out compromise. Such will be needed to pass legislation to help us combat the pandemic and rebound from its devastating impact. Success will go a long way toward restoring civility in our politics. For the sake of all of us, I hope he is successful.
Finally, speaking as a Democrat, I hope my party looks closely and humbly at the results of the election. Polls projected a landslide that did not occur. President Trump received over 70 million votes, a tally that represents the second most votes that any Presidential candidate has ever received. In crucial swing states like Pennsylvania, Republican candidates for Congress actually obtained more votes than Democratic candidates, suggesting that a different Democrat at the top of the ticket would have been defeated. We need to understand why this occurred and seek to make inroads with voters of all stripes. Doing so will be good for the party and will reap benefits for the country as a whole to the extent citizens of any political persuasion feel that a political party does not care for people like them.
The costs imposed by the pandemic, tragically felt most acutely by those who have lost loved ones, have been severe. As with any adversity, during the course of the pandemic I and many others have thought long and hard about the things in our lives we once took for granted. One consistent reflection I have had is that so many things we place import on seem insignificant when contrasted with what is most valuable in our lives. Similarly when it comes to politics, our focus often drifts towards petty divisions rather than grander hopes that most Americans aspire to for our country.
A Biden victory, the realities posed by divided government and the recognition of the diversity of opinion in our country made apparent by the results of the election present an opportunity for a reset. Here’s to hoping our leaders take it, and that in our own lives we make greater efforts to work towards unity rather than division.
Peter Fishkind
Great Neck
