So, my first choice for president didn’t win last Tuesday and now, regardless of how inexperienced I felt he was during the general election, Sen. Barack Obama is president of the United States. He hasn’t been elected to serve as president of the Democratic Party, or to serve as President of the blue states — he’s President of all 300 million Americans, and has now assumed the role as the most powerful man in the world. As hard of a night as it was for the conservative movement, it’s time to move on, rally behind our new leader as he walks into one of the most convoluted periods of the American era. Our economy is moving toward a major recession and we need a major infrastructure facelift.We’re fighting two wars abroad, our population is aging and Social Security is on the verge of bankruptcy. Russia’s beginning to reassert itself on the national stage, and terrorists are still gunning for our national symbols.It’s not an easy situation to begin your first stint as an executive, but on his campaign trail Obama offered Americans hope. Now its time for him to translate that hope into tangible results.Where does the Republican Party go from here? After losing 20 House seats and 6 Senate seats, the legislative losses almost grant the Democratic Party an unchallenged path to govern. Seats in once safe southern red states were lost, and there’s almost no Republican representation in the northeast. The party lacked a unified national message, and factions within the party are gearing up for an internal battle over the direction of whether social, fiscal or economic conservatives will drive the policy of the Republican Party in the next few years while gearing up for the 2012 midterm elections. Barry Goldwater inspired a change in Republican thought following his historic defeat in 1964, and although McCain probably personally won’t lead a revolution of Republican thought through his defeat, it will hopefully inspire a realignment of the priorities of the party and a reorientation of the party’s principles. There is hope for the Republican Party and the conservative movement, but it needs to define itself and move forward rather than taking the easy route and running as the “anti-” party. Regardless of the partisanship, I hope Obama follows through on his pledge of bipartisanship and delivers on his campaign surge. Although I’m sure I will take full advantage of my patriotic duty to turn a critical eye toward the government, I will be pulling for Obama to fix the problems facing our future because I’d rather see America succeed than a particular political party. This has been a historic election that featured two classic American stories. Republicans need to retool for the future if they expect a shot at winning — but in the mean time, the United States needs to move on and support Obama’s presidency before re-evaluating in 2012. Give Benton your take on where the political parties in America are heading to [email protected].