The day of reckoning is at hand in the aftermath of the Michigan election, but also in the wake of the Legislature's pre-election move to punch a $2 billion hole in the state's general fund by speeding up the elimination of the Single Business Tax without identifying how that revenue would be replaced or evened out by sharp spending cuts.

What's different today is how the political landscape has changed from a week ago. Then, there were questions about who the next governor would be, and what the next Legislature would look like. Now we know -- Gov. Jennifer Granholm is back in Lansing , along with a new Democratic majority in the state House and a small Republican majority in the state Senate that only narrowly escaped the blue wave.

Among the survivors are a pivotal group of moderate GOP senators that includes 34th District winner Gerald Van Woerkom of Norton Shores . Van Woerkom prevailed in an extremely tight contest against Democrat Julie Dennis, and will serve out his final term as this area's state senator. He can make a lasting contribution to his state and his constituents by being a contributor and supporter of a bipartisan coalition to solve the current budget crisis -- not by joining the hold-outs of his party in the bunker.

When we met with Senate Majority Ken Sikkema earlier this fall, we asked him about the likelihood of a progressive budget deal if Granholm were re-elected. Sikkema said he believed it was "very possible" once the political pressure of the campaign had abated. We certainly hope that's still the case.

Within the state Senate there is a right-wing faction and a moderate one, and it is as a member of this latter group that Van Woerkom successfully sold himself to voters. There, he can be a key player in a critical role if a majority of both parties can quickly move on cementing an agreement that is at least revenue-neutral in terms of the lost funds.

The voters will not tolerate any more obstructionism from the Legislature at this point. So this is indeed Van Woerkom's moment, if he will seize it.