Election 2004 is finally over. Whether they are partaking of the spoils of victory or licking their wounds and finding a scapegoat, most Americans will quietly sheath and shelf their political swords for the next two years: campaign volunteers will head home, major donors will scale back their contributions, and even the most outspoken among the defeated Democrats will take a short break from protesting. But while most of the excitement is over, most of our political problems remain; and we therefore encourage all Lawrentians to keep politically involved during the next two years.
The end of the media blitz does not signal the end of our political problems. For the next two years, the poor in our country will still suffer, tens of thousands of children around the world will die each day from easily preventable diseases, social issues like gay marriage will spark calls for constitutional amendments, the tax code may be overhauled, several appointments to the Supreme Court are likely, the War on Terrorism will continue, and key domestic issues like crime, education, and energy will impact the lives of every American.
These issues will not wait for the next election, and we must therefore overcome the post-election lull and remain politically involved. There are several ways we can accomplish this. We can write to our members of Congress or the president, join a campus political organization, volunteer for a political action committee, contribute to a political party, write an editorial, or simply engage in debate.
It is admittedly difficult to ask the politically vanquished-or even the victorious-to return to battle so quickly following the taxing campaign of 2004. But that is our charge: it is not, and should not, be easy to be an American; and so long as there are political problems, and so long as our decisions significantly affect the fate of the world, it is our responsibility to get involved and remain involved in our political process.
Staff Ed: Remain Politically Involved
