Finding "Common Ground" ? Success will require unity, civility and the need to put country ahead of politics.

Success will require unity, civility and the need to put country ahead of politics.
11/04/04 Editorial: A second term
The votes tell the story.

President George W. Bush won a hard-fought but convincing victory over Sen. John Kerry, leaving no doubt who the majority of American voters supports.

Kerry could have waged a legal battle over Ohio's provisional ballots. Instead, he called Bush and offered his congratulations when it became apparent that Bush would win Ohio despite outstanding provisional ballots.

In keeping with this nation's tradition of respecting the will of the people, Kerry said in his concession speech that the outcome should be decided by votes, not a protracted legal process. That was a gracious and prudent decision.

Fortunately, both Bush and Kerry agreed in advance to emphasize the need for national unity now that nearly a year of heated political campaigning is over.

While encouraging his followers to not give up on their goals, Kerry warned of the danger of division in our country and the need to find common ground.

In his speech Wednesday afternoon, Bush told Kerry supporters that they can be proud of their efforts.

Bush reached across the aisle to Democrats when he said the issues that confront the nation will require the broad support of all Americans. He asked for the assistance of the men and women who voted for Kerry and pledged that he would work hard to earn their support.

Thanks to an aggressive effort to register voters, this presidential election recorded an all-time high voter turnout. Bush won a broad nationwide victory with the greatest number of popular votes for any candidate in U.S. history.

Bush not only received more votes than any presidential candidate in history, he also was the first to win an absolute majority of the votes since 1988.

Unlike the 2000 presidential election, Bush won the popular vote this time, and by a solid margin of about 3.5 million votes.

Once absentee and provisional ballots are counted, about 120 million voters will have registered and cast ballots in this presidential election. That will be nearly 60 percent of eligible voters nationwide, the highest turnout since 1968.

This is an excellent development that should be nurtured with the goal of increasing voter turnout in all elections. The United States traditionally has lower rates of voter turnout than many nations with less democratic experience.

In a sense, the robust voter turnout translates into a win for democracy and a loss for that perennial election bugaboo, voter apathy.

In introducing Bush to his supporters Wednesday afternoon, Vice President Dick Cheney referred to the seats Republicans picked up in both the U.S. House and in the U.S. Senate, indicating that Bush's popularity had coattails long enough to increase the GOP majorities in Congress. Cheney called the margin of victory a mandate for Bush.

Indeed, the victory carries with it a considerable burden for leadership for the next Bush administration.

Holding the reins of both the executive and legislative branches of government, coupled with the likelihood of additional GOP appointments to the judiciary, the Bush administration has the opportunity to accomplish much .

In his Wednesday speech, Bush mentioned reforming the "outdated tax code" and overhauling Social Security.

Other issues that need attention include establishing democracies in Afghanistan and Iraq, curbing budget deficits and health care costs.

Success will require unity, civility and the need to put country ahead of politics.

source: http://www.wacotrib.com/news/newsfd/auto/feed/news/2004/11/04/1099546457.18121.4606.7806.html