ATTN Fellow Progressives: The "Political Revolution" Has Already Begun

[New Breed Leader]

https://establishmentbar.blogspot.com/2019/12/attention-fellow-progressives-political.html

Consider that under President Obama we:

Put an end to the Bush doctrine of pre-emptive wars;
Finally, after decades of trying, institutionalized the idea that healthcare coverage merits a collective effort and that the wealthy and those who profit from the healthcare sector have an obligation to contribute through progressive taxation;
Chose diplomacy over the “Bush Doctrine” of belligerence, preemptive wars and unilateral militarism;
Broke the unholy alliance between Detroit and Big Oil in getting U.S. automakers – voluntarily – to double fuel mileage over the next decade;
Forced BP to fund a multi-billion dollar damage pool in the aftermath of the disastrous Gulf of Mexico oil spill, avoiding a decades-long Exxon-Valdez court battle and corrupt low-ball settlement;
Protected more than 550 million acres of land and marine resources from development, through the creation of national parks and utilization of the Antiquities Act on behalf of conservation;
Put in place overdue pollution limits for power plant smokestacks, which are major sources of air toxins like mercury, as well sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which lead to smog, soot, and acid rain pollution;
Established regional Climate Hubs and several initiatives to help farmers, ranchers and rural communities combat climate change and adapt to extreme weather, and a landmark agreement with Mexico providing greater flexibility in the management and restoration of the Colorado River, which allowed the river to reach the sea for the first time in decades;
Enhanced fuel efficiency and pollution standards for vehicles. Consumers are saving money at the same time that we're reducing greenhouse gas emissions, our communities are breathing cleaner air, and auto manufacturing in America is resurgent. Cars were put on a path to average over 50 miles per gallon;
Enacted the [first major environmental law in two decades, passed with bipartisan support, fixing our broken chemical safety system;
Banned drilling in the Arctic;
Got Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest private employer, to commit to getting half of its energy from renewable sources;
Enacted the most stringent banking regulations in 75 years, and now have the authority to break up failing financial institutions if their collapse poses a risk to the broader economy;
Got big banks to pay over $100 billion in fines and penalties, undergo annual stress tests, make out a living will to ensure that in the event of their failure they can be dismantled without threatening the financial health of the broader economy, limit their own proprietary trading, and face scrutiny and accountability by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which was set up to root out fraud and abuse and has already recovered billions from fraudulent banks and other financial institutions;
Got the banks out of the student loan business and freed up billions of dollars for student loans;
Encouraged dozens of cities and several states to raise their minimum wage after Congress refused to raise the federal minimum wage;
Repealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” allowing gays to openly serve in the military, and ensured that marriage equality is now the law of the land in all 50 states;
Prohibited insurance companies from denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions and imposing annual or lifetime caps that limit coverage for patients;
Required insurance companies to cover contraception;
Capped profits for health insurance companies;
Got 31 states and the District of Columbia to expand Medicaid under the ACA – after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down mandatory expansion – and provide coverage to 11 million low-income Americans, including 4.5 millions citizens with a Republican governor;
Gave millions of people the economic security of knowing they won't be bankrupted by medical bills;
Boosted renewable energy;
Got almost 200 countries -- including China, the world's largest carbon polluter – to pledge to address climate change;
Eased travel restrictions and normalized relations with Cuba to mark the end of the Cold War in the Western Hemisphere, relieve isolation for Cuban citizens, marginalize hardliners, strengthen the hand of reformers, and undercut attempts by Russia and Venezuela to forge wider hemispheric links;
Extended favorable trade conditions upon 11 member countries that exhibit enforceable, verifiable labor and human rights standards and environmental protections – a first among international trade agreements, and meant to liberalize these countries and “globalize” human and labor rights and environmental protections by outlawing human trafficking, cracking down on forced and child labor and other human rights violations, raising environmental and labor standards; allowing labor unions, a guaranteed minimum wage, and a free, open and unrestricted Internet – by linking expanded economic opportunities with the world’s largest economy with adherence to and support of the liberal Western values that the U.S. has historically upheld; and
Led the world’s other great powers to forge an international agreement to limit Iran’s nuclear program to peaceful purposes – without firing a single shot.

And President Obama had to do this in a toxic, polarized political atmosphere, without cooperation from Congress for most of his term in office and without the political carrots provided by earmarks.

Unfortunately, to some these efforts were not enough.

And 2016 marked the most bitterly divisive and polarized Democratic primary season since 1968, and these divisions were exploited and exacerbated by a Russian military intelligence operation exploiting our open society, social divisions, and social media platforms, and then amplified by domestic political networks fueled by secret, unregulated contributions.

And the result was the election of Donald Trump, quite possibly the most unfit, unqualified and corrupt president in the nation’s history.

And because of that devastating loss, so much of that recent progress is now at risk under an administration that has overturned or undermined consumer protections and regulations designed to protect the public from predatory business practices and the environment from pollution and profiteering, that has exacerbated inequality, limited redress for the disenfranchised, the powerless, the struggling, and for racial, ethnic, religious and sexual minorities, and also alienated longtime allies and security and trading partners.

So now, as we approach an election just as consequential as the one in 2016, the choice before us is simple: Can we unite and find common ground with those who share our goals, who are just as committed to progress and accountability, but who might differ slightly on tactics and strategy and the pace of change?

Or will we continue to eat our own and once again allow ourselves to be divided and demoralized?

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. I used to have a link to the HUNDREDS of accomplishments of the Obama WH and

would post it on the net here and there.

But people STILL whine that he and other mainstream dems are not progressive enough.



And none of them are as progressive as I am, since I want to nationalize ALL energy (oil, electricity, natural gas) and provide cost free access to cell tower with a phone and the internet. And more...like UHC. But until monkeys fly out of my butt which has the same chance of those happening I will stick with candidates who have a proven track record.

[guillaumeb]

2. Well said.

We are each our own perfect candidate.

But we vote for who we feel is the best available candidate.

[Eliot Rosewater]

4. OK, thanks, but YOU and I need to work together to show others here how to do this. OK?

I dont like you know who but I will support him aggressively if he is the nominee...

I need you to do the exact same if he is not, OK?

Maybe if you and I post to each other about this over time it might help?

I am game if you are.

[guillaumeb]

5. I voted for "the nameless one" in the primary,

and literally worked for HRC in the election. And most of the people who I know like me did the same.

And at this point, I am posting positive news about all of the candidates.

[Eliot Rosewater]

6. Great, so how about we do this, consciously we do threads about the positives of all.

I will comment on yours and you mine.

I guess to do this the right way I would have to start by saying something positive about Bernie...

(insert joke here like me tapping my fingers trying to think of something, but I kid...I wont do that )

Anyway, we can work on this together after the new year maybe. If you do a thread I can comment, etc.

Thanks

[The Blue Flower]

3. Great post

Many thanks.

[abqtommy]

7. The op lost me with this sentence: "And the result was the election of Donald Trump."

Democrats did not contribute to the "election of tRUMP. That was accomplished by the use of carefully coordinated conspiracy and corruption by the Reich Wing and the Russians. It saddens me to trash an otherwise informative op, but I have no other choice.