The recent health care debate – and ultimate passage of the infamous reform bill – has created a firestorm of introspection into our political process like never before.

Both proponents and opponents of the legislation besieged town halls, main streets, state capitols, media outlets, as well as marched in the District of Columbia to publicly demonstrate their personal sentiments concerning the issue.

And while most of the invective was directed at the poor performance of our elected officials, by the debate’s end this public visceral mood had found its “targeted” members of Congress. As all politics are local, the public outcry against passage of the legislation tipped news media coverage of demonstrators dropping the n-word toward African-American legislators, ranting anti-gay remarks to representatives who support gay and lesbian rights, and the ultra-alarming reports of death threats being made to policy makers.

As vested participants, there is no minimal, inconsequential or petty politics. All legislation is significant to someone, and every member of society is just as important as the next (at least that is how it is supposed to be). Arguably there are other issues less critical than that of health care and others that are more important and many more to come. But the one constant we can count on is your U.S. representatives are deciding these issues and the outcome of the debates.

One of President Obama’s many campaign promises in 2008 included the introduction of an immigration reform bill. Or, at the very least, the promise was that of the initiation of meaningful dialogue in an attempt to reframe the overall immigration conversation. This appears to be a natural, unplanned progression of legislation introduction that very well could challenge this country’s endurance for political movement.

The health care exercise was a long, heavy plod that, at its end, required many to seek that very same health care. This debate was, in fact, that ideologically injuring for many. Not to marginalize the health care issue, or any other critically relevant issue for that matter; but what could be lurking behind the immigration screen door in terms of national tolerance? It’s hard to imagine a potentially more incendiary political issue facing this country.

There are just as many moving and confusing parts to the immigration issue as with health care. History, race, free trade, religion, nationalism, xenophobia, political party courting and, ultimately, the country’s economy will ALL play critical factors in the national conversation. But hopefully what also plays a significant role in this exercise is a strong will to not circumvent the dialogue by taking a short cut to incivility.

I’d like to believe there were countless “teachable moments” during this past debate that can be parlayed into a more responsible and respectful conversation in the near future – whether we’re addressing immigration or dissimulation. But my money is that it will probably be immigration that we’ll be tackling.

Regardless of what happens with the next issue, I hope that in the final analysis, we can say that whatever hiccup, whatever once frightening trend, was overcome as a result of what was learned at a certain point in the past. This country has been blessed many times over throughout the past several hundred years. And endurance has been high atop those many blessings.