The times, they have changed...

Question?

No question. Not really. Steve Benen...

...there's no real question as to whether the country is better off now than in January 2009.

Then the nation was hemorrhaging jobs; now it's gaining jobs.

Then the economy was shrinking; now the economy is growing.

Then the American automotive industry was on the verge of collapse; now it's starting to thrive.

Then taxpayers were sending money to Wall Street; now taxpayers are being paid back.

Then Osama bin Laden was targeting Americans and our allies; now he's dead and al Qaeda's leadership has been decimated.

Then U.S. troops were headed into the Middle East in greater numbers; now they're headed home with their heads held high.

Yep. Individually, some of us may be treading water and some of us may be sinking, but as a nation, we're doing better.

No question.

Not really.

Chart of the day.

Via Jed Lewison at DailyKos...



OK, it's not enough, but it's not nothin', neither.

Inch by inch, row by row...

The University of Chicago's General Social Survey for 2010 is complete, and…

...despite efforts to block same-sex marriage in states across the country, more Americans support same-sex marriage than oppose it.

And it's getting better all the time...

When he's right, he's right.

Very far right, in fact, but just the same, credit where it's due to Rep. Steve King (R-IA)...

"They can't help themselves; it's in their DNA. These people are Leftists," King said of Democrats. "They don't see this country the way that we do. Their idea of American Exceptionalism is yet to come."

I imagine he managed to vocally capitalize leftist when he said it, too, but he reveals an important truth, just the same. My idea, and I think most Democrats' idea, of American Exceptionalism is, and will always be, an idea of something "yet to come."

Democrats believe that if we pull together, we can continue to make progress toward that more perfect union. We can have more justice, more tranquility at home and security in the world, more prosperity and greater liberty if we work together as We The People. We believe that part of the brilliance of the founders was the creation of a system of government that would not only allow, but encourage that progress.

Republicans, on the other hand, see things differently. As related by Rep. King, their message is that that we've come as far as we can come, done all we can do, are all we can be. Things are as good as they're going to get, even if they're worse than they were. It's time to hunker down, cut your losses, conserve your resources and plan your escape route. They're afraid to imagine, let alone confront, what might be "yet to come."

Just another reason...

A reminder…

…from Gail Collins.

We always need to remember that behind almost every great moment in history, there are heroic people doing really boring and frustrating things for a prolonged period of time.

Change is hard. Progress is slow. There's always work to do.

Sorry kids, that's just the way it is.

Drive, he said.

President Obama...

When you get in your car, when you go forward, what do you do? You put it in “D.” When you want to go back, what do you do? You put it in “R.” We won’t do want to go into reverse back in the ditch. We want to go forwards. We got to put it in “D.”

Chart of the day.

Not good enough, maybe, but better. Via the Speaker's blog...

Sure, click it bigger.

Graph of the day.

Via Howie...


I may not agree with everything they're doing in DC, but at least some of it seems to be working. Let's do more of that.

It's time for...

From the "Me too" file.

Ezra Klein...

...if I could construct a system in which insurers spent 90 percent of every premium dollar on medical care, never discriminated against another sick applicant, began exerting real pressure for providers to bring down costs, vastly simplified their billing systems, made it easier to compare plans and access consumer ratings, and generally worked more like companies in a competitive market rather than companies in a non-functional market, I would take that deal. And if you told me that the price of that deal was that insurers would move from being the 86th most profitable industry to being the 53rd most profitable industry, I would still take that deal.

Me too.

I'm a little astonished at the number of people who seem to have grown faint upon learning that the insurance industry will be making a lot of money in the future. They're making a lot of money now, folks, which is a principle reason why, from the very beginning of this debate, there's been no virtually no discussion of alternatives that would replace, or even significantly displace, the insurance industry.

We'll get real health care reform someday, if we keep up the fight. Meanwhile, even the inadequate health insurance regulation in the Senate bill, which can still be strengthened in conference, is a meaningful step forward for millions of Americans.

A step forward. As in progress.

And another thing…

…about that Senate Bill. When someone tells you it must be killed, as yourself whether they are fully insured. I'm not, and it sure looks better than nothing to me. Not enough, but no one's offering enough this round. It’s step along the way, thought, at least and it doesn't look so bad from down here at the bottom of the health care food chain.

It's time for...