Those were the words that my mom said to me last night, when we knew the Democrats had won. "I haven't felt that in awhile" she continued. She's right she hasn't. She is about to hit the Medicare Part D
doughnut-hole in addition to the cost of her premiums and drug prices increasing. It really has been despair for the poor and lower middle class who have been punished and shunned by Republicans these many past years.
I felt the emotion last night and I still do today about those words that there is hope now.
Bob Herbert wrote about this today in the
NY Times (free this week)
The George W. Bush era, which will ultimately be seen as a fear-induced anomaly in American history, all but breathed its last on Tuesday night. It will be replaced by a new, less fearful and more hopeful period, led by a cast of characters that is astonishingly diverse by American historical standards.
He was mostly referring to the diversity of the new congress and especially to the first female Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, but that is still significantly hopeful. The diversity means that more people will have representation by people who understand their concerns about health care, gas prices, heating bills, decent wages, environmental issues, education and saving social security.
You will see much of this in just the first 100 hours of this new diverse congress.
We will start by cleaning up Congress, breaking the link between lobbyists and legislation and commit to pay-as-you-go, no new deficit spending.
We will make our nation safer and we will begin by implementing the recommendations of the independent, bipartisan 9/11 Commission.
We will make our economy fairer, and we will begin by raising the minimum wage. We will not pass a pay raise for Congress until there is an increase in the minimum wage.
We will make health care more affordable for all Americans, and we will begin by fixing the Medicare prescription drug program, putting seniors first by negotiating lower drug prices. We will also promote stem cell research to offer real hope to the millions of American families who suffer from devastating diseases.
We will broaden college opportunity, and we will begin by cutting interest rates for student loans in half.
We will energize America by achieving energy independence, and we will begin by rolling back the multi-billion dollar subsidies for Big Oil.
We will guarantee a dignified retirement, and we will begin by fighting any attempt to privatize Social Security.
We still have a lot of work to do, but now we have HOPE.