Group Think: The opposite of traditional ''groupthink,'' our Group Think poses one question to a variety of smart thinkers for insightful perspectives on relevant issues.

The Election is Over. Now What?

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We asked some of Moyers & Company’s recent guests for their instant reactions to the re-election of Barack Obama. They came back with unique and succinct responses that covered everything from Afghanistan and climate change to the “fiscal cliff” and Obamacare.

Contributors

Simon Johnson | Economist
Embrace the Fiscal Cliff
"You will hear numerous voices arguing that we could not possibly increase taxes this year or next, as this will push our economy back into recession. Do not believe them."
Van Jones | Rebuild the Dream
The Game Has Changed
"There is a new governing coalition emerging in this country. It looks different, talks different and thinks different. It has a different view from the traditional electorate."
Mickey Edwards | Former Republican Congressman
Achieving Bipartisanship
"The dysfunction in Washington is less a matter of disagreement over policy than of excessive partisanship and the desire to present a cohesive front as part of an election strategy."
Wendell Potter | Senior Fellow, Center for Media and Democracy
Beyond Obamacare
"The president and congressional leaders will have to anticipate the special interests’ coming PR and lobbying campaigns and be ready with effective campaigns of their own to ensure that reform goes forward, not backward."
Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson | Authors of Winner-Take-All Politics
Breaking the Partisan Gridlock
"Over the last generation, a leading storyline of American politics has been “asymmetric polarization” -- with Democrats moving modestly left while Republicans gallop right."
George Goehl | Executive Director, National People’s Action
The Path Forward Starts with Learning from the Past
"We had high hopes for President Obama’s first term. Our expectations should remain high this time around."
Heather McGhee | Washington Director at Demos
Politics Belongs to All of Us
"As the last campaign of Barack Obama drew to a close last night, I found myself emotional, not for the candidate or even the presidency, but for the campaign."
Barbara Ehrenreich | Author
Kiss Goldman Sachs Goodbye
"[Romney] made his "47 percent" remarks and was revealed as a centi-millionaire who lives in his own bubble of super-wealth and has probably never ridden a city bus, punched a time clock, or dodged a collection agency in his life."
Bill McKibben | Environmentalist
Gutcheck Time on Climate Change
"Now we'll find out if [Obama] actually gets the crisis that climate change has become. "
Andrew Bacevich | Professor, Boston University
American Statecraft and Military Spending
"Foreign policy barely figured as a factor in the presidential campaign. So although President Obama’s victory renews his mandate to govern, it signifies little in terms specifying an azimuth for American statecraft."
Bernard Weisberger | Historian
One Cheer and a Half for Re-Election
"[Obama] is at best a moderate Republican to judge by his first term, a better bet on the future than Romney, and yet not what our desperate times need."
Ai-jen Poo | National Domestic Workers Alliance
Yes, WE Can!
"The president of the United States was re-elected by a diverse and representative cross-section of Americans."

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