Like it or not, The Soap Box is back, baby!
And we'll just start by bringing back one of the many great but unheralded features of the Saturday Soap Box - another dip into the Speculatron to divine where our nation's politics is headed.
To sum up:
The Affordable Care Act, after a rocky initial launch (only because of website problems), has been very successful, exceeding even my expectations. Eight million registered through the private exchanges, and millions more added through Medicaid, or put onto their parent's plan. CBO projections are very positive, and the plan will save even more money than initially predicted. Like any major piece of legislation, there are flaws and imperfections that will need to be fixed and adjusted for, and this can be done, if only Republicans can put the interests of the country first. Don't hold your breath.
The economy is improving, with private job growth continuing to rise. Many of the very wealthy have greatly increased their wealth, some like the Koch Brothers, more than doubling it since President Obama came to office The Stock Market has doubled in the Obama administration. The economy has not improved as much as it could, because unlike any other recovery in our history, including those in Republican administrations, the public sector has shrunk and been under constant attack and derision. The flow of targeted money to infrastructure, education, proven economic stimulants such as unemployment insurance payments and SNAP, virtually anything that helps the poor and middle class, has been stemmed and reduced. The economy will improve even more when the Republicans put interest of the country first, and open up the spigot of targeted stimulus. Don't hold your breath.
The President got Bin Laden. He uses drones in an aggressive way that has hampered the ability of terrorists to organize and launch attacks. He has handled foreign crises, including Libya, Syria and the Ukraine in ways that may not be perfect, but have, in my opinion, made the situations better, and have kept us from having more boots on the ground. All these problems are ongoing, and is like playing Star Trek multi-dimensional chess. They require constant diplomacy and vigilance. And, if in a bi-partisan spirit, the country acts united in the times it needs to, support each other instead of sabotaging our progress, we should increase our chances of seeing things through. Don't hold your breath,
The President rescued the car industry, He helped pass Lilly Ledbetter, and stands at the forefront of women's equal pay. He wants an increase in minimum wage and background checks on guns, both things that a majority of Americans want.
So all these positive things can only mean one thing for the next election, right?
Yes, that's right.
The Republicans will hold the house (maybe a loss of a few seats, but still hold) and win back the Senate.
Why? Is there some great conservative, reactionary tide sweeping the nation?
No, not really. The country is slowly growing more progressive. So why?
Because conservatives come out for midterm elections and the new progressive voters do not. If you don't show up, you can't win.
And thanks to the Supreme Court, the airwaves and Internet will be swamped by a deluge of cash, coming from some of the same wealthy businessman that have profited so much in the last few years, convincing you that voting for a Democrat is equivalent to voting for Satan.
My advice to my progressive friends who only vote part time - you want to change this country and ensure that it continues to move forward rather than backwards? Then become full time voters. Do not miss an election. YOUR VOTE MATTERS!!!
Whew!
Good to be back, folks!
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