News-Record.com

The News & Record’s Voterspeak panel talks about making good with the losing party.

QUESTION: “The campaigns for president have been rough, especially considering the ads and attacks from both parties. If the candidate you want for president loses, what do you want the winner to do? How can he reach across the aisle? What would he need to do to mend fences and lead this country?"

And Voterspeak says:

Jeff Bartolet, 38, Republican: "I'd like to see whoever wins work toward establishing independent regulation of government-backed financial institutions; i.e., unannounced audits of financials, drastically reduce salary/pension/severance caps for CEO's, limit fringe benefits, etc.
"There also needs to be independent reviews of government research on global warming, medicine, health insurance, bioethics, and immigration. Eliminate the bureaucracy behind the 'expert' panels and let those with expertise in these areas from both sides of the political spectrum speak openly.
"Much more rides on this election than most think. The Democratic party is doing everything they can so they won't have to reach across the aisle, aiming for the filibuster-proof margin in the Senate and buying prime-time to gain control of the executive and legislative branches. If that happens, they will have two years of unfettered power and will probably try to fill the judicial branch with activist judges. If McCain wins, he has proven himself a man who puts country before party, so he will most likely reach across the aisle to work with Democrats to resolve the economic situation while keeping America safe from terrorism."

Phyllis Davis, 64, Republican: "If my candidate of choice for president does not win I would want the opposition to rethink redistribution of wealth. It would be unfair for young people to believe that "big government" will provide for all their needs. Why would young people strive to be a success in life if someone else worked hard and long to succeed for others to share in their wealth. I think that is sending the wrong message to our young citizens. He would need to know the difference between a "privilege" and a "right" as described in our constitution and convey that to the base of voters that elected him. No one should depend on a "hand out" as a way of life. Redirect the ones that are there now and educate the ones that might grow to depend on hand outs in the future."

Kendall Garvin, 29, unaffiliated: "Trying to heal the party lines is something that will be very hard to do in a short period of time. One thing that the winning candidate can do is to remember that he is an individual and not tie EVERYTHING into what the party wants. Another thing is to advocate for compromises to bring the parties together."

Trevor Hamm, 25, Democrat: "If I were running the Republican campaign, I would develop a clear vision about where they wanted to take the country as it relates to the economy, energy policy and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Then I would focus all of their efforts on trumpeting that vision instead of talking about Joe the plumber and continuing to try to come up with things to make people afraid of Obama."

Mike Kelly, 60, Republican: "The campaigns waged by this year’s combatants have been tame relative to, say, that of 1828 in which the morality of Jackson’s wife was questioned, or to the “Daisy Girl” of 1964 or more recently to the “Swiftboating” of Kerry. Obama and McCain have inflicted minor injuries on one another, really. Certainly nothing that cannot be overcome if not completely forgotten.
"I think that the horrendous state of our economy, strangely enough, will serve as a salve to the wounds sustained during the run-up to the election. This may seem counterintuitive, but the fact is we have a hell of lot more to worry about than if some pol had his feelings hurt.
"One talks of mending fences. America has more than just fences that need fixing. The winner must take immediate measures to fix our economy. And in so doing, he will necessarily have to enlist those members of the other party. If the new president cannot sublimate party politics in order to right our floundering economy then he has no hope of leading this country anywhere."

Marlene Costa Nielsen, 67, Democrat: “If John McCain is elected president, I hope that he will find the best foreign policy and economic advisors, regardless of party. I would like for him to work with Congress to allow the Bush tax cuts to expire in 2010 and find a way for present illegal immigrants to become U.S. citizens while securing our borders. We need to become one country again after the long and bitter campaign season."

Kate Peeples, 27, unaffiliated: "If Obama wins the election, I would expect McCain to put to use all of his positive leadership qualities and skills - most of which have had to be shelved during the latter parts of the campaign - to ensure his fellow Republicans' cooperation with the new, Democrat-led government. He has talked all along about his experience "reaching across the aisle," and whether or not we have doubted that record all along, in the event of his defeat, McCain should take the opportunity to continue that kind of leadership.
"Since North Carolina is still considered a battleground state, though, I thought I'd try to look at this question from the other side, too. So, if McCain wins, I think Obama should use the incredible momentum his campaign has built up to keep people involved in the political and governmental machines. Civic responsibility doesn't stop with voting. And even if another Bush Republican does take the oath of office, there will more than likely be a Democrat-led, if not majority, Congress. Usually that means more time wasted as the two sides dig in, but I think Obama is the kind of leader who can discourage people, including elected representatives, from simply blocking the other side's way, and instead encourage cooperation. Naturally, I would expect him to lead by example."

Deonna Kelli Sayed, 34, Democrat: "If Obama (my preferred candidate) isn't elected, I would hope McCain would be McCain again. I'd want him to distance his administration from all the Bush cronies. I'd like to see some of Obama's people in the new administration as an act of bipartisan good faith.
"Certainly, I'd want to see more attention paid to the middle class. McCain's discourse on the average person doesn't go beyond Joe the Plumber I'd really like to see huge diversity in his advisors regarding health care. Personally, I would feel deeply alienated from his administration with Palin as VP. I hope he would clearly define her role to be as minimal as possible."

Ruth Mary Weston, 54, Democrat: "There used to be this thing called sportsmanship. It meant playing by the rules as hard as you could. It meant treating your opponent with the same respect, win or lose. No gloating, no taunting, just a handshake and a look in the eye.
"Sportsmanship keeps you cool-headed so you can analyze the game for strengths and weaknesses. It concentrates your energy for constructive use instead of dissipating it on excessive celebration or depression. And, perhaps most importantly, it prevents making implacable enemies in case you end up on the same team later.
"If each of us chooses sportsmanlike conduct, regardless of who wins, we’ll show our new leader the way to really get together and solve problems we agree on."