What the People Want . . .

In dollars spent in campaigns, this presidential election tops all of them. In energy by the presidential candidates, mark it near the top. In changes, everything remains about the same — the president, the House controlled by Democrats, the Senate by Democrats. Will the gridlock continue?

We are not optimistic about much change because the differences are so great. Another reason is the personalities involved. House and Senate leaders haven’t shown much evidence of being in a compromising mood  ever!

The people would like to see a more compromising spirit and that goes for President Barack Obama. He talks a good game on compromise, but it’s like he is so often — all talk and no action.

The one worry is that the president will continue to circumvent the legislative branch with executive orders, some of which might be violations of the Constitution. Reports continue that he has issued way more executive orders than any other president in our history. He isn’t winning friends in Congress by his executive order practices.

With the president’s re-election, many Americans are worried that he will try to ram his liberal agenda down the throats of all of us. Nationally, he did not come close to a mandate. About 48 percent of the voters cast ballots against him. In Franklin County, 62.6 percent of the voters rejected his re-election. Voters in Missouri also rejected another four years of Obama, giving Romney 53.99 of the votes cast to 44.3 for Obama. The president did better than some Missourians thought he would do.

The president is very worried about his place in history, which won’t be written until years after his second term. His record in his first term put him in the Jimmy Carter category. If he wants to elevate his standing, he needs to be moderate to accomplish needed reforms, especially with taxes and the nation’s debt, and to get the country back on a firm economic footing.  He must do something about over regulation and gain the trust of people on defense. There are many other issues that he needs to compromise on if he is to have  a successful second term, and improve his ratings with history.

Of course, leaders in Congress also must take a compromising stance if the country is to correct its ills, especially with the debt.

The avenue is wide as to the need for strong leadership in Washington, D.C. We hope the president realizes that he does not have a mandate from the voters to try to move forward on his socialistic agenda. Bipartisanship has never been needed more than it is now.

President Obama uses the word change often. The question is, is he willing to change, or are we going to have four more years of gridlock? The president has shown detachment from many realities, one of which is the need to compromise. The election outcome should tell him that nearly half of the voters aren’t satisfied with his performance.