Nov. 6 seems like a long time ago. It was a great success for America and for working men and women, and it was working men and women who made it happen. We are right to be proud of the strength we showed at the ballot box.

Old fashioned common sense rejected the concept of government that worked best for those with the most.

As we can see in Michigan, our opponents aren't accepting the voter's voice gracefully. But just like our victory in November was not the end of the story, we will lick our wounds in Michigan and come right back.

If we leave the field now, all we won was stopping the worst from happening. If we quit raising our voices and telling our story, the president and Senate will be our last line of defense to stop the worst new ideas of the union busters, at least at the national level. That isn't success, though, and we won't be able to build anything new, anything better.

The president has been out there campaigning like the election isn't over. We should be too.

Speaking up. Making calls. Writing letters.

Only if the collective union voice is louder than the money will we help the president see through his promise to fix a tax system that punishes work and rewards wealth.

Only if we work as hard today as we did leading up to Nov. 6 will we save Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and guarantee a dignified life for all Americans.

Then, the real victory will be returning people to work. If we are silent before government in the United States and Canada, manufacturing will continue to grow without benefiting workers and the infrastructure projects that will support the future competitiveness of our nations will sit unbuilt.

Campaign 2012 is over. The campaign for the continent we want to build is not.

Also: Hill: Michigan's Big Step Backward