5725jbphotoii_7For the past few years, many of my friends from around the world have struggled with America and our new relationship with the world, and have articulated to me their concerns in more ways than I can number, list or include here. The bottom line was their stated frustration with our political state of affairs, wondering out loud whether America was radically changing direction with respect to the world at large, for good. 

Anyone who knows me, knows that I believe passionately in "rainbows after storms." That you literally cannot have a rainbow, without a storm first.

Well, just when frustration around the world with our great country seemed to be at an all time high, in comes the American people to set things right. This is the magic of America.  Within a few short years of a mounting chorus of the frustrated from around the world, and I am talking about otherwise reasonable and rational leaders, business people, and friends, this past week there was in America something that can only be described as a national referendum by the American people on the state of politics in America.

At the end of the day it was not America calling for a Republican Party, nor with all due respect to my passionate Democratic friends, the Democratic Party either. It was a call for the "Get It Done" Party, and the message that Americans seemed to send to the elected bodies of this country is "let’s get on with the job, of getting the job done," and by the way, insert some new ideas that the majority of Americans can buy into.

And so, to me, the beauty of this past week was not the shift in political power in the House and the Senate, although I think that a level setting and a balancing of power on some level was valuable in the process of policy making in this country, the beauty of this past week was the absolutely peaceful transition of power. Amazing actually, when you think about.

No where else in the world could a country go through what we have gone through over the past few years, and then have a passionate call for change as was set forth this past week, and have it all done, from start of frustrations to the entrance of change, quickly, peacefully and without rancor. The peaceful transition of power. This is an amazing aspect of the America I know, and something we seem to take for granted. This said, respectfully, it is something most places in the world spend enormous levels of human capital (individuals giving their lives), today, trying to get anywhere close too.

And so, while America is far from perfect and we still have a lot of work to do, this public and peaceful signaling of a "difference of opinion," and then following that the public and peaceful expression of a need for change, and following that the peaceful transition of power, is something unique and beautiful to America. It is a continuing signal that to the world over that the powerful and positive American experiment in democracy continues today.

While some may believe that a certain political party "lost" on this past Tuesday, one thing is certain; America the beautiful, and America the free, won.

Onward with HOPE,

John Hope Bryant

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