I've just finished preparing my tax returns, of course. As usual, I get to send a check to Washington. Turbo Tax told me that my tab is about $600. Curious figure, that.
I send the IRS a check for $600 in April.
The IRS sends me a $600 check in May (my "rebate").
The economy is stimulated by this transaction.
At first this confused me. But I quickly realized that breaking even is about the best one can hope for these days. In fact, breaking even is a boon. Most folks have been losing the financial game for quite a while now. Losing their jobs, losing their homes, losing their dreams.
Meanwhile, Obama is getting slammed for ascribing bitter feelings to these people who are falling further and further behind, one step at a time. He has allowed that he may have chosen the "wrong words." I agree. Sort of.
The working class -- so recently discovered by Clinton and the NY Times (which still conflates working class with middle class) -- they know they're being taken advantage of. They know they are exploited, given the short end of the stick.
They also know that their political power is limited in the face of unimaginably wealthy opponents. They understand that the promise of democracy is failing them, slipping from their grasp.
But they're willing to fight back. That's why millions of new voters have been racing to the polls, anxious to wield what power they have, hopeful that their numbers alone will be meaningful. The numbers are staggering.
These folks aren't bitter. They're pissed off. And there a lot of them.
That's the lesson of this campaign.
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