Yes, we must

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/yes-article-1.1149351


Yes, we must
Disillusioned Obama supporters from 2008 must rally behind the President if they don't want a Romney victory
By Jamelle Bouie / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Sunday, September 2, 2012, 4:00 AM

http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1149350.1346602546!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/bouieweb2e-1-web.jpg
President Barack Obama gestures after a statement in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2011, where he urged Congress to pass a federal highway bill. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Evan Vucci/AP

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Democratic-leaning voters must remember: Obama has had a truly momentous presidency, with policies that will pay dividends if they’re allowed to stand and grow.

In addition to saving millions of jobs and preventing a second Great Depression, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act — popularly known as the “stimulus,” and endlessly derided by Republicans — pumped billions of dollars into new infrastructure, alternative energy, technology research, education reform and a complete reconfiguration of our medical records system.

As Time magazine journalist Michael Grunwald details in his book “The New New Deal,” the stimulus has funded countless innovations and helped create a high-tech industry — high-capacity batteries — from scratch.

Likewise, the automobile bailout — controversial when it was proposed — is the chief reason for Detroit’s newfound success. More than 2 million people are employed because of the auto rescue, and economic conditions are on the upswing in states with the strongest ties to the auto industry.

The Dodd-Frank financial reform bill, an unhappy compromise for many liberals, is nevertheless a vitally important piece of regulation, and a decent first step toward preventing a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis.

The Affordable Care Act — heavily demonized and widely unpopular — stands as the signature accomplishment of the Obama administration. If implemented in full, it will extend health insurance to more than 30 million Americans and ensure access for millions more.



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