I believe all politics is local and personal.
After Republican control of Congress and the White House it’s time to ask Reagan’s question: “Are you better off than you were two years ago?” I’m not and here’s why.
As a cancer survivor with a pre-existing condition, the only reason I’m alive today is the Affordable Care Act. Without it I would be bankrupt, homeless and dead. Republicans tried to kill Obamacare 60 times.
As a recent retiree, I live on a small pension, Social Security and Medicare. Republicans want to slash these popular programs that we all paid for in order to give an obscene corporate tax cut giveaway to the rich and pay for their massive, near trillion dollar budget deficit.
I could go on but these are reasons enough for me to vote Democrat on November 6.
How about you?
Am I better off than I was two years ago? No. While Republican control the house and White House, I’m with you. I have a pre-existing condition and am close to retirement.
But let me add this as well. In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, effectively controlled by the Democrats, as a retail worker, I am looking forward to an 8% pay cut over the next five years. Yes, you heard it. Democrats celebrated legislation that cut worker’s pay in order to keep business owners happy.
So I’m a bit bewildered.
What is the point in trying to help a group of people, privately employed low wage workers, who are just as likely to vote Republican? Elections are now about turning out the people in your base.
For us, every increase in salary we saw since 2000 went to health insurance (you’re welcome Fred!) 2017 was the first year we saw an increase in after-premium income. I do not like Baker and I thought he was vulnerable on that issue.
Yes, and the base of the Democratic party needs to expand.
There is no place for a white lower middle class identity in the Democratic Party however. Just recognizing the truth of your legitimate discontent would be an insult to the rest of the identities because of your privilege.
The country has gone to h*ll since Tip O’Neil retired, but I think his quote should be “All economics is local.” Allowing a great divide between the rich and the poor is the real source of our crazy partisanship and inability to self-govern. One party believes in taxes, the other party believes in profits. Mathematically, they are both the same. Similarly, high wages result in high prices, which results in a demand for higher wages to cope with the higher prices. It’s a vicious circle based on two opposing but equally flawed economic interpretations of reality. The proper solution is to lower the cost of living to raise the standard of living, and equally important, pay attention to equality and pay differentials. Are we better off than we were 50 years ago? if not, why not?