Contrary to my pessimism about the midterms post a while back, my attitude is beginning to change. Things are getting better in the United States of America, and we have President Joe Biden and the Democrats to thank for that.
Meanwhile, the corrupt former president awaits his fate from many investigations and probes, and his sycophantic friends in the GOP proudly stand by him. This fact reflects the stark contrast between our two political parties. One party is working for the American people—the other works for one man and a deranged group of his cult followers.
To be sure, you may not like everything Joe Biden and the Democrats are doing. Some might not think the recently passed legislation, The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), goes far enough. Perhaps you believe centrist Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema played too significant a role and whittled down the bill to something far less meaningful than what you would like.
And that would be fine if you feel that way. I, too, would love for the legislation to have gone much further. The original Build Back Better, which Manchin and Sinema basically sank by themselves, was much more ambitious and addressed many more needs we currently face in the country.
But damn it, this legislation does a lot of good, especially in climate change. It’s the most significant investment we’ve ever made in clean technology and other areas that aim to reduce carbon emissions up to 40% by the year 2030.
The bill also enhances The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) by increasing subsidies for millions of enrollees, at least for the next three years. If not for this specific fix, many people would be looking at a substantial increase in premiums for next year and beyond. And for the folks worried about what the spending will do to the budget, it’s fully paid for, mostly on tax increases for corporations and a more robust IRS that will go after wealthy tax cheats.
But the IRA is only part of what Biden and Democrats have accomplished in recent months. And, to be fair, a few Republicans crossed over to support some of the legislation, including the most we’ve done on guns in 30 years and the semi-conductor bill, which aims to bring manufacturing back to the U.S and invests billions in science and tech innovation.
It’s good to see Biden reach across the aisle whenever he can, something he promised on the campaign trail. In other words, Biden’s rhetoric on such matters was backed by action. Even some Republicans got on board, which is no easy task in today’s wildly partisan environment. I guess the old man knows a thing or two about how Washington, D.C works.
Let’s not forget, however, who the GOP is today. They’re an extreme party that continues to fall to the whims of a deranged and corrupt former president. A corrupt former president, mind you, who just had his compound in Florida searched for classified documents he failed to turn over to the Justice Department. Yes, it’s unprecedented in our history. But so is Trump, for that matter.
And it’s not just their blind allegiance to the former president. We must remember that the extreme GOP-appointed Supreme Court of the United States has shown us what it means to be bought and paid for by wealthy special interests. It’s their Court, and we, the American people, are paying the price.
The overturning of Roe v. Wade unleashed a wave of anger on the left and even many on the right. It seems that folks are not taking kindly to the personal and private interventions over women’s bodily autonomy. This ruling might be the one issue that tips the midterms towards Democrats.
But it could also be their extremist and unqualified candidates running in the fall elections. You can’t make up the stupidity of Georgia Senate candidate Hershel Walker or the carpet-bagging quack, Doctor Oz, running for the Senate seat in Pennsylvania. These guys have no business being in the Senate. Saying they’re laughingstocks is being too nice. It’s much, much worse.
The bottom line is this. The prospects for Democrats, as of this day, are much better than they were several months ago. The generic ballot, which has been a reasonably accurate barometer of who will take charge of Congress, has been ever-so-slightly leaning towards Democrats in recent weeks. Generally, in a non-presidential election year, the current president’s party does not fair well, especially in the first congressional election of the first term.
But maybe this year will be different. The winds might be shifting in the Democrats’ direction, but as they say, a few months in politics can feel like years. In other words, anything can happen. It’s hard to say what things will look like in November.
If, however, you look at the two parties and are honest with yourselves, the choice is clear. The party of Trump, the GOP, is the anti-democratic party that, at its core, wants to control women’s bodies, determine who you can love or marry, and remain solidly in the pocket of the wealthy and powerful special interests who will buy as many politicians as they can to get what they want.
Suppose you feel comfortable with that particular party. Then, by all means, vote for them. However, if you want the party that will protect our democracy and honestly tries to get things done for the American people, you will vote blue down the line.
To me, it’s an easy choice. The contrast is as clear as the bright morning sun. A party that clings to a man who tried to overturn a legal and fair election, and fields so many unqualified and unhinged extreme candidates for office, does not deserve to hold power in Washington, D.C.
Progress is not easy in our fractured political climate. But President Biden, yes, the old warrior whom the right loves to make fun of, continues to do the work for the American people. He, and the Dems, are getting stuff done. And we’re a better country because of it.
On The Fence Voters 
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