Saturday, November 3, 2012

Do You Remember 4 Years Ago? A Plea for Re-Electing Barack Obama

Do you remember 4 years ago when Republican Secretary of Treasury, Hank Paulson, submitted 2.5 pages of paper to Congress asking for $700 billion? Do you remember how he wanted $700 billion, to distribute as he saw fit, with no strings attached, and said that if he didn't get the money by Monday, the United States wouldn't have an economy?

Do you remember when the state of the economy was so drastic that John McCain "suspended" his Presidential campaign?

Do you remember when America was on the brink of another Great Depression, the economy was losing over 750,000 jobs per month, banks were failing, the housing market was collapsing, and the American automotive industry was on the verge of extinction?

Do you remember not having a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or a Credit Card Bill of Rights? Do you remember when Americans with pre-existing conditions couldn't get health insurance?

Do you remember when health insurance companies could place lifetime limits on care, rescind coverage whenever they wanted, and weren't required to disclose the reasons for rate increases or how much of a customer's premium actually went toward health care?

Do you remember when Americans could go bankrupt if they got sick?

Do you remember color-coded terror alert levels, "weapons of mass destruction", the "Coalition of the Willing", and the War in Iraq?

Do you remember waterboarding?

Do you remember when America was waging war against "Islamic extremism" instead of fighting a war against al-Qaeda? Do you remember when Americans traveling abroad were embarrassed to admit that they were Americans? Do you remember "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell"?

Do you remember 4 years ago? Do you remember how bad it was? Do you remember Osama Bin Laden?

Do you remember the Valerie Plame scandal, the lack of preparation for Hurricane Katrina, and the firing of U.S. Attorneys for strictly political reasons? Do you remember George W. Bush?

When voting this election, please remember how, in the midst of all these national crises, Republicans placed party politics above governance, and were merely obstructionists who, not only opposed but, filibustered almost all of President Obama's legislation. Please remember that Republican Senate Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell, said his top priority was to make Barack Obama a one-term president. Please remember that Mitt Romney's policy proposals are no different than George W. Bush's except that Romney has actually said he's not concerned about the poor, likes firing people, and that his job is not to worry about 47% of Americans. Please remember how bad it was when these Republicans were in charge, please remember how much better off the country is than it was 4 years ago, and please remember to vote for President Barack Obama.