An article in today's Washington Post brings to mind an interesting topic that has come up in several discussions over the course of the Fall 2010 semester: Just what is this change we've been hearing so much about? What HAS changed?
As we've discussed, the 2010 elections reflected growing discontent with President Obama and the Democratic Party, as the American public continues to struggle with everything from high unemployment to mass property repossessions and outrageous gas prices.
Voters cited these economic issues, among others, as failures on the part of the Obama administration to deliver on his promise of "Change We Can Believe In."
In November 2008, the month that Senator Obama defeated John McCain in the national election by 192 electoral votes, the national unemployment rate stood at 6.9%, the highest rate of the decade, according to the United States Department of Labor.
The nation collectively booted the Republican party to the curb in this election and welcomed not only America's first African-American president, but a young, charismatic Senator who personified the idea of progression.
In November 2010, however, the national unemployment rate stood at 9.8%, having reached a high, during that span, of 10.1%.
Americans felt slighted. While some changes were made, including the much-criticized health care bill, the nation continued its downward spiral, with little "hope" left to cling to. Voters expressed their discontent by electing several fresh new faces from the GOP and the upstart Tea Party Movement.
But what "good" change can we expect from this latest about-face? More Americans are out of work, out of their homes, and seemingly out of hope. They're willing to embrace change, which would include a drastic reduction in the national debt which stands, as of the moment of this writing, at $13,857,074,872,764.
But their newest elected leaders? It would seem that once they reach positions of power, they're quite content carrying on "business as usual."
The article in today's Washington Post focuses on the participation of the incoming GOP freshmen in big-money fundraisers, in what is described as an effort to recover the accrued debt that is customary in a high-level political campaign.
Who are these contributors, you may ask? The same K Street lobbyists that were deemed despicable and unacceptable by these same first-time legislators as recently as one month ago.
With millions of dollars in debt needing to be re-cooped, and citizen-contributors hanging on to what little they have left, the only dollars left to be donated are the same that -- according to the GOP -- got the country in such big trouble in the first place.
Same as the old boss, indeed.
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