Nation will be stronger after election, PBS anchorwoman Judy Woodruff tells crowd at the University of Oklahoma

The reason is simple, Woodruff said — the country is nearly always stronger after presidential elections, no matter who wins.

A presidential election is a “giant political earthquake,” Woodruff said. Elections give the electorate a chance to voice their opinions, and they give policymakers a better idea of how the public thinks on certain issues. In that regard, she said, they can be clarifying events.

The country has been plagued by partisan rancor for the past several years, Woodruff said, but she expects to see lawmakers become more willing to find solutions that are acceptable to both sides.

“The country will survive after the election,” she said. “I do believe that we will work together as a country.”

Woodruff, a senior correspondent and anchorwoman for “PBS NewsHour,” discussed the impact of President Barack Obama's re-election on the country's future Monday at a President's Associates dinner at OU.

During the speech, Woodruff said she expects to see real tax reform. Exit polls showed 68 percent of Americans favored raising income taxes on all taxpayers to shore up the nation's fiscal situation, she said. That sentiment among the electorate will give lawmakers an incentive to get things done.