The Year 2015 in Politics: Saturday Political Soap box 119

Our President, Barack Obama.  I am proud to have voted for him four times.

Well, yes.  It would be awesome if I took the time to research and did a month by month review, source-ripped from the headlines.  Instead, we're going to have to settle for my general impressions of the year as a whole.

The President has had another very good year.  Given the fact that he deals with a tea party dominated Congress that is much more interested in his political destruction than they are in actually leading, I would say he has done very well indeed.

Economically, unemployment is at 5%, a rate lower than the entirety of the Reagan administration, and lower than anything conceived possible when we were in the depths of the Bush Recession. The Stock Market is up dramatically from the Bush Jr. years, although it slid slightly in 2015.  GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is up, and manufacturing is on the rise.  We are on the longest streak of positive private job growth in American history. For better or worse, we are producing more oil than ever before, and the price of gas is much lower than any 2012 Republican contender thought it would be.   The budget deficit has been reduced to a degree that I didn't think was possible.  We may actually have something close to a surplus in the last year of Obama's presidency.

There is still a great divide between the rich and poor, with a shrinking middle class.  These are institutional problems dating back at least to the Reagan years. It would seem the President has slowed this shrinkage, but has been unable to reverse it.  I don't see how anyone in their right mind could conceive of how returning to the Republican policies that sparked this decline, would in any way improve things. Until we receive a Progressive majority in Congress, I can't see how this gets reversed.

The debt continues to be a problem, but many economists believe it to be a manageable percentage of the GDP.  The government budget IS NOT THE SAME as a household budget - households can't print money.  Governments must run deficits in the bad times and surpluses in good times.  Balanced budgeting is a silly idea, at least consistently from year to year.  Besides, the only way to eliminate the debt is to take in more than you spend (by A LOT), and use that extra to pay off the debt.  Republicans will NEVER allow this to happen.  This is historically proved with Bush Jr's coronated reign - he took the surplus left him by Clinton, and returned it, mostly to the very wealthy.  Republicans will never allow a surplus - they will demand the money be returned via tax cuts or rebates directly to the wealthiest taxpayers.

Domestically, we saw Obamacare successfully defended for the umpteenth time, and is performing better than almost anyone expected.  The perfect solution, Medicare for All, continues to lie out of political reach. Gay marriage is now the law of the land, honored throughout the entire country. There is beginning to be a recognition that there is an excessive amount of police violence, especially against minorities.  There are now more people returning to Mexico than coming to the United States.  Immigration from that section of the world is now a negative number. A number of conservatives, especially in South Carolina, recognize the Confederate flag as the divisive symbol of racism that it is.

But hate and vile continue to flow.  The forces of bigotry are becoming louder, even if they are outnumbered.  We have many battles to go, and as tiring as it is, we must continue to oppose their embittered voices.  Domestic terrorism is real, and exceeds any threat from foreign terrorists.

In foreign policy, you have the mixed bag you ALWAYS have with other countries and situations you cannot fully control.  No matter what you do or don't do, there is always unintended consequences. Nevertheless, the Iran Nuclear Treaty, and the Climate deals, with China and with the world as a whole, are big deals and major steps forward.

The greatest crisis that the United States and the world faces continues to be global warming.  You don't think so?  Even the problems in Syria have been exacerbated by climate change, as massive droughts eliminating large chunks of farmland is one of the major reasons the population was displaced and made vulnerable. Much of the Middle Eastern unrest can be pinned to food shortages, as much or more than it can be to those who misuse Islam for political ends.

In the Presidential race, I have been pleased at the rise of Bernie Sanders.  The fact that a 74 year old self proclaimed Democratic Socialist could be a legitimate contender for the Democratic nomination is one of the most hopeful signs I have seen in a long time.  This despite the fact that he has almost been completely shut out of mainstream media.

On the other hand, one of the least hopeful signs I have ever been witness to, is the dominance on the Republican side, of the worst, most dangerous candidate of modern times, Donald Trump.  He represents the very dark side of American life, and the fact that this foul-mouthed, misogynistic, racist, spoiled rich kid is the number one contender for the Republican nomination makes my heart sick.

Here's to hoping that 2016 will play to the more positive trends of 2015!