Our Government--It's Messy, It's Chaotic--But It Can Work. These Elections Prove It

Like so many others, I lament a great deal about our nation and our government: the corruption, the chaos, the vitriolic accusations hurled from one side at the other. Yet at the age of 88, I have long held a fundamentally optimistic view of the American people. Eventually, common sense, pragmatism, and good values prevail. The recent midterm elections provide a good deal of evidence to support that belief. We have reordered the leadership of our government in a dramatic way. This is by no means the first time; it has happened many times in our history. And the very fact that such a transition can occur is a fundamental indicator of our strength. Compare this to Russia. The Russian people are suffering under many of the same problems we face in the United States: an interminable war, high inflation, and abundant evidence of corruption. And yet think of the difference in what voters in our two nations can do about it. We have a chance to change the system. Realistically, today, they do not. I marvel at how, despite all the infirmities of our governance — the gerrymandering, the toxic political environment, the outsized role of money in elections — we somehow manage to muddle through. Despite high tariffs and the cost of the Iran war, our economy continues to progress. Job creation is reasonably strong, unemployment is low, and inflation, by normal standards, is not very high. How can this be? The basic reason is that every day, millions of Americans get out of bed and go to work. New businesses are being built, many of them through AI. Corporate leaders are finding ways to navigate around tariffs. Agility has become the watchword of business excellence — and agile the American people are. This turn of events, which I find so encouraging politically, cannot be taken for granted. It will not proceed on autopilot. Now is the time for good governance: government that actually helps people live better lives, in an environment grounded in good values. I am hopeful — very hopeful — but not complacent.