"And now the work begins," wrote Dr. Maya Angelou in "Commencement Address."
With President Bush's approval rating at a historical low and a likely voting split (according to polls) in the neighborhood of 53/47 any outcome in this year's Presidential election will ensure that our starting point for "and now the work begins" will be at a level above what we currently have - we're pretty much guaranteed that, whoever wins the Presidency, they will start out with at least double the approval rating of our current President.
The challenge for whoever becomes President will be to forge tolerance and coherence across an ideological divide created by small minds. We, as a people, became great because we have always found ways to keep our grand ideals in motion. The ideals that our country were founded upon (ideals of tolerance, freedom of choice, curiosity, adventure and equality) became the foundation that allowed for a melting pot of cultures and ethnicity to give rise to the greatest country the world has know.
We have nothing to fear from grand ideals that call out the best in us. And now the work begins is a clarion call to return to our grand ideals before we collapse under the weight of divisiveness.
