This is my first diary here, so please bear with me. My purpose for writing this is because it seems as though many here (in my opinion) are no longer asking themselves a fundamental question when it comes to the policies of President Obama, his administration, and what he accepts from congress: how many people will this help? That question has turned into a myriad of other questions, such as, "how far has this strayed from my ideological principle?"; "how many are left out?"; "how does this compare to what I believe other 'liberal heroes' of mine have/have not accomplished?"; etc.
I consider myself a progressive on most issues and moderate on others, although I'm registered as an independent. I believe that, as a progressive, I generally support any policy that moves the ball forward on issues I care about. And, I always return to that basic question: how many will it help?
I will address this in the areas of healthcare, energy, education, and financial regulation below.
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