The Morning After

POLITICS

Moving Forward

Yesterday, Tuesday 6, 2012, President Barack Obama was re-elected as President of the United States of America. His victory speech rung a familiar tone of hope –

“…Tonight, despite all the hardship we’ve been through, despite all the frustrations of Washington, I’ve never been more hopeful about our future. I have never been more hopeful about America. And I ask you to sustain that hope.  I’m not talking about blind optimism, the kind of hope that just ignores the enormity of the tasks ahead or the road blocks that stand in our path. I’m not talking about the wishful idealism that allows us to just sit on the sidelines or shirk from a fight. I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting.

America, I believe we can build on the progress we've made and continue to fight for new jobs and new opportunities and new security for the middle class. I believe we can keep the promise of our founding, the idea that if you’re willing to work hard, it doesn't matter who you are or where you come from or what you look like or where you love. It doesn't matter whether you’re black or white or Hispanic or Asian or Native American or young or old or rich or poor, abled, disabled, gay or straight. You can make it here in America if you’re willing to try…

And together, with your help and God’s grace, we will continue our journey forward and remind the world just why it is that we live in the greatest nation on earth… God bless these United States.”

While, hope is a critical aspect of moving forward, action is the most important element. I, for one, am confident that President Obama will take action and move the United States forward in the right direction. Consider what he has done already for the United States:  

1.  President Obama, along with Democrats, implemented an auto industry rescue plan, and saved as many as 1 million jobs.  This resulted in GM returning to its place as the top car company in the world.

2. He helped pass the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act, which expanded on the Making Home Affordable Program. This assisted millions of Americans to avoid preventable foreclosures. The bill also provided $2.2 billion to help combat homelessness, and to stabilize the housing market. 

3. He, along with Congressional Democrats, pushed through and got passed Dodd-Frank, one of the largest and most comprehensive Wall Street reforms since the Great Depression.

4. President Obama pushed through, signed and demanded the Pentagon enact a repeal of the discriminatory “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy that forced soldiers to lie in order to be eligible to fight for their country, and put our troops at risk by disqualifying many qualified soldiers from helping.

 

5. He put an end to the Bush-era stop-loss policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan beyond their enlistment date.

6. President Obama, along with Congressional Democrats, supported and signed Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act, which made more money available to enable better medical care for veterans.

7. He repeatedly increased funding for student financial aid, and at the same time cut the banks completely out of the process.  

8. He ended the Iraq War.

9. He ordered and oversaw the Navy SEALS operation that killed Osama bin Laden. This assisted in the improvement of national safety and security.

10. President Obama ordered energy plants to prepare to produce at least 15% of all energy through renewable resources like wind and solar, by 2021.

This list is merely a snippet of what President Obama has done for the United States. Click here to check these facts (above) and to find nearly 200 more specifics of the president’s actions during his first term.

Any Thoughts?