Thankfully, it’s over.

That was the likely reaction of many U.S. citizens when the polls closed last Tuesday, the final counting of votes commenced and the winners of the vast majority of races were declared by that night or early Wednesday morning. When the curtain came down on Election 2024, so did an assault on the public’s attention and consciousness, with ceaseless TV and radio advertisements, interminable robocalls, emails and texts touting candidates and begging for “emergency” donations — all drenched in a common feeling of apprehension and dread over “the most important election of our lifetime.” Well, at least since the last one. Or was it the one before?

But who knows? Perhaps that prognostication will prove correct this time.

Through it all, voters endured campaigns from the municipal level to the presidency filled with attacks that weren’t merely negative but deeply mean-spirited and divisive, underscored by contemptible lies and topped by one presidential candidate calling his opponent, “trash,” “sick” and “depraved,” while the other insisted he was “unstable,” “unhinged” and “a fascist.”

The Republicans are still celebrating, and rightfully so, with a stunning sweep that consolidates their supremacy in all branches of the federal government. The Democrats are in mourning, also with cause, consigned to the political wilderness for at least two years.

The local and regional elections were, for the most part, far less vitriolic, with Republican incumbents U.S. Rep. Nick LaLota and state Sen. Anthony Palumbo holding serve, and Democrat Tommy John Schiavoni chosen to replace long-serving Independent Fred Thiele in the state Assembly. We wish them all well — and given the often overlooked and under-appreciated reality that state, municipal and regional politicians have a far greater practical impact on their constituents’ day-to-day lives than their federal counterparts, we will do our part to hold them accountable for the decisions they make and the policies they support over the next two years. We encourage our readers to do the same.

On the national level, there are also some hopeful signs. The losing candidate for the presidency, Vice President Kamala Harris, quickly accepted the results and made a gracious concession speech. President Joe Biden invited president-elect Donald Trump to the White House for a meeting a week after the election.

At the very least, that’s a welcome — and much needed — change from last time, when the losing candidate refused to accept defeat and insisted — without credible evidence — that the free and fair election had been rigged against him. That refusal to accept the truth and unreservedly support the peaceful transition of power was a disqualifying factor for millions of American voters. But in the end, it didn’t matter to the majority of them.

Those norms of accepting defeat, offering congratulations and pledging assistance to the victor — which have been foundational to the success American democracy for two and half centuries — appear to be back on track. At least for now.

Here’s to a new era in American political life. We live in hope.

The post Editorial: Moving on appeared first on The Suffolk Times.

Source link

24World Media does not take any responsibility of the information you see on this page. The content this page contains is from independent third-party content provider. If you have any concerns regarding the content, please free to write us here: contact@24worldmedia.com