What’s next, America?

 The people have spoken, and now the pundits and politicians are parsing what it all means. Some say the Republicans lost because Mitt Romney and his team didn't campaign well enough. Some say Barack Obama won because he and his staff brilliantly focused on the right demographic—women, young adults and people of color—to carry the swing states. Some say the popular vote was close, and President Obama enters his second term without a clear mandate to govern. Some say the president won a lopsided electoral victory and earned four more years with a solid mandate.

Here's what we know: A Democrat remains in the White House. Republicans control the House of Representatives. Democrats gained a larger majority in the Senate. Republican appointees out-number Democratic appointees on the Supreme Court.

Our federal government is about as evenly divided as the American people.

Many politicians, pundits and ordinary people reflect on the bitter campaign season, see the split in Congress, acknowledge the partisanship that dominates government and media, and claim our country is irreparably divided. Given their perspective, it's small wonder government has succumbed to cutthroat politics and partisan malaise. In that context, the people expect very little, and politicians deliver exactly what is expected.

But let's look at America another way. Yes, we're divided right down the middle. That's right—almost evenly split. So, the job of our elected officials is to do what's best for the whole country and reconcile the division. That will mean taking up a cause that's been anathema in Washington and statehouses for far too long—compromise.

We're not two countries, but one. If we're all going to fare well in the future, then the country needs to work. Government needs to function smoothly. With goodwill and creativity, our elected officials can find compromises that boost the entire country, not their particular part of the populace. 

As I've noted before, we need to take steps to punish partisanship and promote unity. And as I've also noted, we need to empathize with each other and seek the common good.

Calling for constructive cooperation and creative compromise is not naivete. It's what citizens should reasonably expect of their leaders. If America is going to thrive, we must expect fealty to party to diminish and loyalty to the whole of our nation to arise.

In the coming months, we should pay attention to how our elected officials behave. If individuals or parties or other groups block progress and refuse to work for the greater good, then we should vote them out of office the next chance we get. Of course, we won't have that opportunity with the president, but he should be made to know his legacy will be ruined if he does not work for the good of all Americans, just as the legacies of the House and Senate leadership will be  tarnished if they do not reciprocate good-faith offers of compromise and unified progress.

We only thought the campaign season was strenuous. That was simple compared to the task of diligent citizenship. Let us assure all our leaders we're watching them and counting on them to repair the rifts, work together like mature adults, and make our country strong again.