Back To Barack

Barack Obama was my first presidential vote.

Like many of us, I was a late bloomer when it came to my political radicalization. I happily drifted through the first 23 years of my life with little to no understanding of how or why my one vote mattered in the grand scheme of things. It was not until Barack Obama's presidency that I began to understand how and why voting mattered. As someone who was between jobs and careers in my late-20's, I saw what a godsend the ACA was. Even though I was in good health, simply having that peace of mind that I could have affordable health insurance while I transitioned between careers was such a relief and it gave me one less thing to worry about while job searching. Knowing that it was government, and specifically good government with Democrats in charge, showed me that there was a clear difference between the two major political parties in this country and that the Democratic Party was the only major political party interested in keeping me alive for the foreseeable future.

Five years after the end of Barack Obama's second term and the country is once again being governed by good, decent Democrats. Less than five months into his presidency, Joe Biden is already proving to be a transformative president. His handling of the pandemic has been flawless. He has re-engaged our allies abroad. He has taken steps to finally wind down the war in Afghanistan. He has overturned Trump's disastrous policies against transgender troops, environmental protections, and science censorship. He has created over 1.5 million new jobs. Unemployment is under 6 percent. He has created the most diverse Cabinet in American history and even found a spot for Neera Tanden, who was torpedoed by Bernie Sanders and Joe Manchin. And Joe Biden has kept Vice-President Kamala Harris as the last voice in the room and has given her responsibilities on border issues and voting rights to empower her and her team on the world stage.

Despite all this, there still exists a prevailing sense of gloom and doom. 

Much of this is a result of the unapologetic way in which the modern Republican Party has embraced fascism. Starting with the Big Lie, the GOP has convinced over half its base that Donald Trump was somehow robbed of the 2020 presidency. Even though Donnie Stretchpants is growing more decrepit and deranged by the minute, he still has a powerful sway over party elites and those with future presidential aspirations. The Trump Loyalty Test has become par for the course for any candidates wanting to ascend to leadership positions within the party and that includes those involved in state legislatures. Starting in Georgia and now spanning 48 states, GOP elected officials have introduced draconian voting restrictions that can be viewed as nothing more than Jim Crow 2.0. The problem in 2020 is their eyes wasn't the long lines or lack of voting machines but the fact that too many of "those people" ended up voting in record numbers. Seeing bill after bill pass that limits drop boxes, early voting, Sunday voting, and ballot collecting and it's clear that the GOP would like nothing better than to make it more difficult for voters of color to vote in 2022 and beyond. 

Because if you can't win, cheat. And the GOP knows that current demographics aren't in their favor. Donald Trump lost 5 states that he won in 2020. Texas is on pace to go blue in a generation. Millennials, although not yet consistent voters, despise the modern-day GOP. Republicans are against comprehensive immigrant reform not simply because they are xenophobic (although that's a large part of it) but also because they know that any type of immigration reform done under a Democratic administration will lead to millions of votes for the Democratic Party. To neutralize this inevitable progress, the GOP is going all-in with making sure that their people can vote while their opponents cannot. Thankfully, we have Marc Elias and his team at Democracy Docket monitoring new developments daily but here we are five months into the Biden presidency and there can be zero doubt that voting rights will be the first great civil rights battle of the century's third decade. Voting rights, quite frankly, will determine the extent to which Republicans will continue to do damage in this country over the next generation. 

That is why so much is on the line with the For the People Act. And why we, as Americans, cannot rely on any one person to get us there. 

Because like Barack Obama frequently said, we are the change we seek. Yes, I'll be the first to admit that it would be fantastic if we had all 50 senators on board to pass the bill. But as of June 7th, it appears that not to be the case. While many of us are (rightfully) upset at Senators Sinema and Manchin, the truth of the matter is we need to look at alternate ways to maintain our democracy. Because our democracy is not simply about a single bill in the summer of 2021. But rather, our democracy, a healthy democracy, depends upon the sustained engagement of its citizenry. I know many of us were hoping that our activism would be able to be dialed back a bit once Joe Biden took over but what we're seeing is not the case. What we're seeing is that with a 50-50 Senate and a razor-thin majority in the House, Democrats do not yet have the ability to pass widescale, progressive legislation. Yes, it may be overwhelmingly popular with the American electorate. But until we get the entire Democratic House and Senate caucus on board, there is work left to do. 

That's where we come in.

To be that change. To let our elected officials know how we feel. To thank those who are already supportive and to ask that they engage their non-supportive colleagues. To call/email/write to those who are not supportive and tell them why they are on the wrong side of history. This next month will be critical. Chuck Schumer has already expressed a desire to pass meaningful Senate legislation, including the For the People Act. Are we, as Americans, really going to let Republicans in the minority win? Or are we going to rally the troops and get everyone together to make a massive push to protect our sacred right to vote? As President Barack Obama said, change is not easy. But change is exactly what we will have to do over the next month. Because Joe Biden needs us just like Barack Obama did. We've worked too hard to let him down now. We are the change we seek. 

And we are the ones who have the power rather than two recalcitrant Democratic senators.