The results of the 2010 mid-term elections ought to be a clarion call to politicians of all stripes to get their act together and start to seriously listen to and act upon the concerns and priorities of everyday citizens. The tidal wave of political change that marked these elections proves that people are not misinformed or don’t understand. Instead, they know precisely what is going on in Washington politics, they don’t like what they see, and the expression of their expectations resulted in a profound and historical shift in American politics. Americans have had enough as they’ve watched their retirement savings, investment portfolios, home values, and job security decline. The consensus was a repudiation of government that overspends, incurs massive amounts of debt, and creates unprecedented deficits. Anyone who believes that the voters were saying something else is under strong delusions. Voters reacted resoundingly against a Presidential administration and Congress that threaten to shackle us for generations with spending, debt, and deficit levels that suspend most imaginations. Taxpayers don’t want the government taking more of their hard-earned money and spending it in ways that will ultimately raise their taxes even more because our nation’s pockets are not deep enough to afford the trillions of dollars that will be needed to service our debt to other nations and to execute the new legislative mandates that have caused so much angst among voters. The electorate understands very well that our national credit rating and credit worthiness are at stake.

A broad lack of confidence in the will or ability of Democrats and Republicans to govern has essentially led more people to describe themselves as Independents. This trend toward political independence is meaningful because it proves that people are indeed paying attention to the political circus and how it’s affecting their livelihoods. After all, this is how a democracy is supposed to work. Elected officials have shown a greater commitment to their ideologies and special interests than to the needs of constituents and the broader public for a long time. Both parties have consistently failed to serve the people in ways that make sense, fiscally, physically, and morally. Liberals and conservatives alike criticize the Tea Party; however, this grassroots movement exemplifies the essence and energy of a fully functioning democracy. For a political force that is barely two years old, these activists and concerned citizens have gotten everyone’s attention and promise to be a force to be reckoned with in the foreseeable future.  All of the haters should take note of the Tea Party’s ability to organize and galvanize themselves as a strong and enviable political voice.

President Obama now has to prove whether he is able to rise to the occasion and show executive leadership. His effectiveness as CEO of our nation is going to be determined by his capacity, or lack thereof, to do the right thing and make tough, smart decisions regardless of their political ramifications. He could possibly regain the confidence of the American people by showing a greater commitment to doing what’s good and right for our country, rather than bowing down to political ideology. The President’s challenge may be even more daunting, given that he lacks experience in leading or governing. Executive management is still new and uncharted for him when you consider that he was a U.S. senator for about two years when he decided to run for the Presidency. Even though he has no proven record of balancing budgets, cutting costs, or building consensus as a governor or executive, this is a great opportunity for him to show what he is really made of. Will he continue his unprecedented spending spree and multiply the size of government bureaucracy or will he regroup and attempt a marked policy shift toward the center?

Our only hope for real accountability, fiscal responsibility, right-sized government, and bipartisanship in American politics is for the electorate to continue to send categorical messages via the ballot box and the growth of grassroots movements like the Tea Party. The state of American politics is sickening when you consider how tainted the processes are by special interests, propaganda, money, hubris, and corruption. One can only hope that the outcome of the 2010 midterm elections portend a renewed sense of purpose by our elected officials to do the people’s business, fulfill their constitutional mandates, or risk being replaced. It doesn’t matter what your political party affiliation is, this country simply cannot sustain the levels of spending that we have experienced during this first decade of the 21^st century. If political leaders don’t sense the urgency of where we are headed, then we are likely to follow the course of Greece. Not only will we be bankrupt and unable to pay our bills, we will be the laughing stock around the world because of our fiscal irresponsibility.