This article originally appeared in The Detroit News November 12, 2024.

Many professional pollsters and television pundits made poor predictions just before last week’s election, but I am willing to make a prediction about an election four years from now:

In November 2028, we will have another election. In January 2029, Americans will gather in Washington, D.C., for another inauguration and a peaceful transition of power.

In the meantime, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear cases and issue opinions. We will soon participate in the next local, state and federal elections. Congress will continue to function (though often poorly). Our political and private institutions will continue their work.

My prediction: America will shine on.

Both political parties predicted the end of democracy if the other side won the presidential election. Perhaps they will put this irresponsible campaign theme to rest. It is as useless as the platitude politicians repeat every four years about this being the most important election of our lifetimes. Worse, arguing that the country will implode unless one’s own side is in charge is dangerous — it invites division, hatred and trickery.

How do I know America will shine on? Because Americans love to work together to solve problems. In his 1835 book “Democracy in America,” Alexis de Tocqueville wrote about the associations Americans formed. Political scientists such as Robert Putnam call it social capital. Others call it civil society.

Civil society doesn’t happen on Fox News, MSNBC or X. Rather, it is the voluntary cooperation that happens between people of good will.

You see civil society in action when volunteers serve a meal at the homeless shelter. It is the people who attended a place of worship the weekend before the election as well as the weekend after. It is the hospice nurse who sits with a grieving family. The man who coaches a Little League team or the woman who leads the holiday toy drive. It is the neighbors who greet each other while walking the dog, even though their political yard signs proclaim different allegiances.

We cooperate in meetings of all sorts: the Rotary Club, PTA meetings, book clubs and trivia nights. This is real life, and it happens in our schools, businesses, community centers and parks.

This is how Americans work together to solve problems.

The 2024 election certainly had its challenges. We saw political violence and a change of candidates mid-election. Many states changed their voting rules in the last few cycles, allowing early voting and absentee voting. Other states tightened security measures to guard against mistakes or fraud.

Perhaps you wondered, “will this be 2020 all over again?” And yet with all these challenges, the system functioned, the votes were counted and early the next day we knew the outcome.

Vice President Kamala Harris’ concession speech accomplished a lot. She delivered it within hours of the race being called, rather than dragging it out with hopeless recounts and litigation.

Harris’ tone was feisty — she used the word “fight” 19 times — and that’s understandable for a candidate seeking to console her team and volunteers. But she used the opportunity to remind people of ideals we all hold:

“And America, we will never give up the fight for our democracy, for the rule of law, for equal justice and for the sacred idea that every one of us, no matter who we are or where we start out, has certain fundamental rights and freedoms that must be respected and upheld.”

Americans love to work together to solve problems. I look forward to what’s next.

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