The elections are over in the United States. Some say a message was sent to the incumbent party. Whatever your affiliation, one thing is clear: there were plenty of mud throwing messages, in both directions. Yet, those attacking messages serve neither side’s constituents. Thankfully though, the elections are over and it’s time for us all to get back to work. So what do we do now? We serve.
We serve across political lines: Republican or Democrat, Tea or Green, Liberal or Conservative it does not matter. Those in public office have a responsibility to serve their constituents. The constituents in return, owe it to their representatives to serve them. All, regardless of affiliation. Send your representative your thoughts. Listen to your constituents. Serve each other and we’ll win together.
We serve objectives, not policies: Too often, divisions form around the policies championed by affiliations. We need to remember what is important is not who gets the credit, but how we can achieve our objectives. Therefore, whether or not you support the current health care legislature, whether or not you align to a specific tax increase and whether you are for, or against specific legislation is not as important as broader improvements. We must all focus on the root again – our objectives, not our specific policies. Our compromises will bring about success faster than our differences.
Regardless of your political affiliation, it’s time to put the self-serving, mud-slinging messages from the election behind us all and get down to serving constituents. Most elected officials have the interests of their constituents at heart. As a result, we owe it to them to help them be as effective as possible and they owe to us to serve our needs. We will all be more successful if we work across political affiliations and focus on objectives more than policy.
Question: How do you believe we can be more effective at serving in politics and government?
I am of the opinion that politics will always be divisive. That said, the framing of focus on what we share in common more than what separates us, seems appropriate. I hope we see more real leaders, willing to work across the aisle.