In the fall of 2006, the United States was on fire. Americans decided to take their country back and give power to the Democrats, who had been in the minority for more than a decade. With the Democratic Party in control of the legislature, change was slowly creeping up, but no one saw it coming as swiftly as Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. He was young, charismatic and intelligent.

He could captivate and inspire an audience like very few before him, and his sincerity and faith in change for America were things in which many Americans came to believe.

With the presidency destined to be held by Obama, the country witnessed what a supermajority of Democratic power looked like. And it looked pretty damn good compared to the last eight years. But here we sit in 2010 with the same uncertainties: double-digit unemployment, no sustainable job creation and a war in Afghanistan. We have not moved one step toward prosperity, but instead have gagged hope and bound her up with partisanship and rhetoric so disdainful, it is an embarrassment to political discourse.

When then-Sen. Obama ran on his platform of hope and change, many Americans did not know exactly what that change would look like, but many trusted that it would look better than what President Bush had given us during his tenure as president. We trusted if we elected him, he would be transparent, he would get us jobs, and he would be the leader we had always wanted – the one we had been waiting for. But he wasn’t. And look at us now. We are in an election cycle where partisan rhetoric runs rampant in everything from television ads to newspaper articles.

So during this election, Democrats and Republicans alike have chosen to take their country back again. The most terrifying part of this election cycle, however, is what is means for not one party, but both.

With massive losses for the Democratic Party in both the House and the Senate, Obama’s legislative backbone has been broken. He will have to work much harder to get legislation passed, but it provides the Democrats still in office with an opportunity to shine and exhibit the kind of compromising behavior that has been lacking lately. As for the Republicans, the gains in both houses present an opportunity to provide the American people with a new view of Republican leadership and values. Recently, the Republican Party has been branded solely by the Tea Party, a seemingly extremist right-wing coalition of limited-government and limited-taxation enthusiasts. Unfortunately, this election has muddied the waters of what each party truly values.

The problem with this election cycle is not that there are wing-nut candidates running wild all over the country on both sides of the aisle, but that the American citizenry has fallen victim to partisanship and issue voting. At the core of the American political party system, parties are separated by values, not issues.

Votes were intended to be cast on the evaluation of a candidate and his or her personal attributes and values in relation to that particular individual. And when one steps back and truly examines what the values of both parties are, they are more closely aligned than many believe.

So in an evaluation of the Republican Party’s values, it is clear that the Grand Old Party values fiscal restraint, limited government, a right to life, states’ rights, a strong national defense and individual freedom. The Democratic Party, on the other hand, values the welfare of all American citizens, equal opportunity, human interests, personal and social liberty and a commitment to diversity. In different ways, the Republican and the Democratic Parties value Americans. Many Americans identify more with one party than another, but in the end, we have more in common than not. Therefore, we should expect that values will transcend issues when it comes to members of Congress casting their votes. When this happens, it’s because they are voting for America to succeed, not their party or their party’s constituency.

So, once again, we are on fire, and this Tuesday was clearly our fire alarm. But what does this mean for us? More than anything, it is a resounding call to our leaders in Washington D.C. that this is our new expectation of them. Regardless of party, we now expect personal integrity, trustworthiness, conviction, adherence to principle, teamwork and passion.

While we may get free health care, new jobs or a tax cut, in the end if we cannot trust our leaders on the most basic level, how can be expect anything more from them?