A Better Deal For The American People

By Patrick Weadon

On the morning of November 7, some facts became obvious about Barack Obama. Despite the devious tactics by opponents who were bent on destroying him, it is now clear he is not a communist. Neither is he a closet Muslim bent on establishing Sharia law in our nation. He most assuredly was not born in Kenya. What he is, indubitably, is president and headed for his second term in office.

So, what should Mr. Obama do during this next term? My hope is that he will heed the words of the late Hubert H. Humphrey who, in his famous 1948 Democratic Convention speech on the topic of Civil Rights, asserted that it was time for America to emerge “out of the shadow of states' rights and to walk forthrightly into the bright sunshine of human rights.” He further asserted that “People – people - human beings – should be the main issue of the 20th century.”

Humphrey understood centuries of racism and injustice had made it impossible for African Americans to reach their potential as human beings. The wisdom he imparted that day, however, is applicable not only to racial inequality but economic inequality as well.

The destruction of our nation's middle class has taken place despite undeniable evidence that our country has thrived when we have taken the time and the effort to bring hope and opportunity to all of our citizens. At critical moments in the past the American people have risen up and demanded more from their leaders than the status quo. In the 1930s, our nation cheered FDR's call for a "new deal." In the 1940s, Harry Truman delivered the "fair deal" to help America deal with the challenges of the post-war world.

These past efforts to bring about economic fairness in our nation always took place amid the cries of plutocrats and reactionaries who ranted and raved that the leveling of the economic playing field would put our country on "the road to serfdom." In fact, in each case the opposite occurred. Productivity soared, hopes were lifted and in time these initiatives would produce a vibrant middle class.

Sadly and regrettably, the egalitarian and magnanimous spirit of those times is a distant memory. For that reason, the first priority of the next Obama administration should be once again to shuffle the economic deck to give the American people a "better deal."

The tenets of the better deal are not the product of the modern age but rather lie at the very heart of what it means to be an American.

Thus the better deal, should it be implemented, will not be a product of a socialist or collectivist past, but a simple step on the road to the fulfillment of America’s destiny. It will demand sacrifice from all of us, but in the end America will become a better place when all of its citizens have the opportunity to reach their potential.

Senator Humphrey concluded his 1948 speech by noting that the United States to his mind was the last best hope on earth. I agree. It was true then, and it is true today, but it will not be true for future generations of Americans unless “We the People” choose to have the courage, guts and determination to make it so.

“Come gather round people where ever you roam,

And admit that the waters around you have grown,

…and you better start swimming or you’ll sink like stone,

For the times they are a changing.”

-- Bob Dylan