What To Expect in the Next 4 Years

After an election, it's only natural to wonder what will come next. In 2016, countless people were asking themselves that same question with no idea what to expect. There had never been an election quite like that one, with two candidates quite like those candidates. Four years later, the 2020 election made the 2016 election look boring. After such a groundbreaking, once-in-a-lifetime election cycle, America is staring down a very different four-year future.

Return to Norms

The last four years have been a long succession of shattered norms. From policies to behaviors to international relationships to theories on the role of government, norm after norm after norm has been left broken or completely dismantled. Whether you're a John Doe or John Arnold, you have to admit that some norms did need to be shaken up, but you can expect that over the next four years, many norms will be reinstated or completely rebuilt. That is no bad thing.

Crisis Management

However, the first priority of any administration in the current moment will be crisis management. The coronavirus pandemic has raged out of control for far too long, and the incoming president's first priority will be to manage that crisis. Any management at all is bound to be better than the complete lack of management that the previous administration exhibited, but the incoming president has cited two priorities that pretty much everyone can agree on.

Healthcare

One focus area that is likely to be controversial despite its overwhelming public support is healthcare reform. In the immediate future, there will likely be more broadly coordinated efforts at the federal level to make sure that healthcare workers are properly protected and that there is a national strategy to combat the still-raging pandemic, but longer-term, you can expect the incoming administration to try to strengthen and repair some of the existing issues with the Affordable Care Act.

Economic Recovery

The second focus area is going to be economic recovery. The pandemic also devastated the economy, and the unnecessarily disorganized and delayed response to the pandemic exacerbated the inevitable damage, resulting in the loss of countless jobs and small businesses. The new administration will prioritize economic relief and do everything in its power to stimulate the economy, not just for large businesses but for the poor and middle classes as well.

Sustainability

A bonus feature of that economy will be the promotion of sustainable infrastructure. The new administration intends to bring green jobs and green energy to areas that have been the most devastated by this economic recession. It is an opportunity to get people out of work back to work at the same time that it rebuilds and refreshes the aging infrastructure that the previous administration neglected. This would also be a chance to return to international norms by rejoining our old allies in the fight against climate change.

Bipartisanship

However, a return to norms means a return to a world where the president does not admire dictators, and that means that the president will not be embracing absolutism. While this is a big win for democracy, it will make the president's job a lot harder, since he will have to work with former opponents across the aisle. Building a bipartisan coalition won't just be a return to the old norms of politics, it will also be essential. Since the incoming president likely will not have an overwhelming majority in all branches of government, a return to the normalcy of bipartisanship will have to be the keystone of the incoming president's policy plans.

It's easy enough to say what the future president plans to do. He has been clear and detailed about his intentions, and the American people came out like never before to endorse those plans. It's a little harder to say what he will be able to achieve. Good faith efforts will be needed on both sides. Just because the election is over doesn't mean the country is not still in crisis.