This story was updated on Nov. 24 at 1:15 p.m. with new responses.
As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, we asked National Journal's Political Insiders to reflect for a moment on "what should the country be thankful for right now." Their observations ranged from the patriotic to the partisan. But if there is any way to describe the overarching sentiment of the Insiders after a hard-fought election, it may be this: What guides the country's leaders should be the nation's enduring values, not swings in the polls or political pursuits of the moment.
Political Insiders say that the country should be thankful for:
"I am thankful for our fighting men and women, who have far more courage and resilience than any of us here in Washington."
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- Jeff Peck, Democratic lobbyist
"The age demographic group, both women and men, 65 and older: Regardless of their 20 percent vote swing from '08 that we just witnessed, the country should be grateful for many of their recurrent qualities. In this sense-it's their participatory action that usually supplies-above all other groups-a reasoning of where we are, and where we need to be. It's a well-earned lesson, and as the wise W.A. Percy would offer, 'What must be learned at last had as well be learned early.' "
- Chris Henick, Republican operative
"I think the country should be thankful that we have the freedom to make choices. They may be choices that improve lives or sometimes diminish them, but they are our choices as individuals and as a nation. We should be thankful for it and we should embrace it every day."