The election is over and the candidate that I voted for lost. That happens in a democracy (in my case, most of the time).

What does this mean for policy and the country going forward? How should we respond? Some thoughts for people on both sides of the Trump divide.

First, let’s get over the idea that President Trump’s election is a mandate for whatever crazy idea enters his mind. Yes, Trump won, not just the electoral vote but the popular vote as well. That entitles him to a certain amount of deference. Elections have consequences. But it was not a landslide. While he won the popular vote, Trump fell short of 50 percent – he won a plurality not a majority. In fact, his victory is only the 16th largest in US history since WWII. And this was at a time of worldwide anti-incumbent sentiment and the record unpopularity of the Biden administration. Victory? Sure. Mandate? Meh.

Moreover, a lot of voters supported Trump because he was not Kamala Harris (or Joe Biden). Many if not most, had modest demands – reduce inflation, control the border, reduce crime. There is a strong tendency for new administrations to overreach. (See, for example, Biden, Joe, who thought a mandate to not be Trump was a call for the second coming of FDR.) The Trump administration is unsurprisingly already showing signs of this sort of hubris.

And, for those of us who were and are not Trump fans, there’s plenty of reason to be concerned but not yet reason to panic.

Let’s not reflexively oppose everything the administration proposes simply because it’s the Trump administration. It’s not how I would go about it, but the DC administrative state could certainly use a little disruption. Maybe some unconventional department heads asking inconvenient questions will change some of the stagnant bureaucracy. DOGE is, of course, over promising, but does anyone doubt that the federal behemoth is inefficient, costly, and mired in old ways of doing things? I’m no fan of Musk or Ramaswamy, but if they kick a little bureaucratic butt – good for them.

If done right, lower taxes and less regulation are generally good things. School choice and welfare reform are possibilities. And given Trump’s lack of fixed ideology, disinterest in policy, and transactional nature, he might be talked into supporting other worthwhile things.

As for dumb, mistaken, or wrongheaded policies (tariffs anyone?), well, we will survive. Donald Trump is not the first president with terrible ideas. Kamala Harris had more than a few policies I disagreed with.

On the other hand, if Trump follows through on his anti-democratic impulses and thirst for revenge, opposition will be a moral imperative. And we will have to hope that the guardrails hold. The deep-sixing of the Gaetz nomination is a reason for some optimism – the Senate is not totally supine. And, there will be push-back in the courts.

I’m not saying that Immigrants, the LGBTQ+ community, women, and other disadvantaged groups shouldn’t be wary – and I’m certainly not in their position – but premature panic is unlikely to be effective. If everything is a five alarm fire, then nothing is a five alarm fire.

There will be new congressional elections in two years and a new presidential election two years after that. I expect to be writing on the future about the direction that I hope both parties will take (hint: it’s not a further decent into populism), but for now let’s all take a deep breath, stay civil, stay involved and do our homework. I remain an optimist. America’s best days are still ahead.