As I write, it appears as if the American body politic has successfully inoculated itself against the pestilence that is Trump and Trumpism. If the aggregate of the various public opinion polls is to be trusted, Secretary Clinton’s post-convention ‘bounce’ shows little sign of weakening or tightening. Indeed, many signs point to a landslide victory for her in November. All of which leads me to ask what happens after November (or after January).
During the economic recovery, it has become clear that some Americans have done quite well, while others continue to languish, victims of the damage done by the financial crisis of 2006. As I write, Hillary’s first term in office promises nothing but good times for those who have already been helped by the Obama recovery. The promise for those who still wait for help is less convincing and may explain why the participation rate in the General Election will probably not exceed 60% of eligible voters. Why should people bother to vote when the system as it is offers so little hope of anything better?
Would it be too much to ask for a grand re-writing of the American social contract? As Eugene Robinson pointed out yesterday, the black poverty rate here is 27%, roughly three times that of white Americans. Isn’t it time we asked whether the engine of macroeconomic growth will suffice to build an economy that works for all or whether said engine will merely resume the good old capitalist lottery system where a few people win, a much larger number lose and the vast middle continue to struggle to get by.
I would like to see a President Clinton use her upcoming landslide victory to leverage deep changes in the way this country operates. First, i would like to see the creation of some sort of Guaranteed National Income. Consider it a version of Social Security for All, such that each citizen or permanent resident receives enough income each year so that food, health and housing security is NEVER an issue. I would like to see some form of targeted debt relief for students, such that they do not have to begin their working lives hobbled by one hand tied behind their back repaying student loans and unable to partake of the American dream. Finally, I would like to see a reconsideration of what full-time employment consists of, such that the 40-hour work week becomes, maybe, a 32-hour work week or even a 20-hour work week.
These are the kinds of dramatic changes I find myself longing for after November, not simply a continuation of the past 8 years, but a bold move forward into the 21st century.