Historic Health Care Vote Reflects Renewal of Confidence in America

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, signed into law by  President in March, 2010 is the most sweeping social justice legislation to move through Congress in over forty years.

This is one of those rare instances when calling a vote "historic" is not an exaggeration.   Guaranteeing affordable health care for everyone in America has been a goal of reformers for nearly 100 years, going all the way back to Republican President Theodore Roosevelt.

The historic vote reflects a renewal of national self-confidence that America is up to the task of solving our most pressing problems.  We used to be a nation brimming with confidence that our democracy had the capacity to achieve great things.  But over the last thirty years, naysayers have promoted the self-defeating idea that economic and social problems were beyond our capacity to remedy.

Like Social Security and Medicare, which were highly controversial before they were enacted, Wisconsinites will not even think of giving up these benefits once they are established.  It is imperative that we use the renewed sense of national purpose the historic health care vote provides to fight back against the efforts of "bitter end' opponents to block implementation, or repeal the law before it can take full effect. As a nation, we also need similar boldness and faith in American democracy to make progress on other critical agenda items, especially the jobs crisis that threatens to undermine the American dream for so many.