Hope is powerful. It keeps us striving toward a more perfect union. It moves us to new solutions that make life better for the generations that come after us. The Democratic National Convention has been a huge injection of hope for Idaho and the country.

Democrats have long seen an effective public sector crucial to our quality of life. When too many seniors fell into crushing poverty, Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt enacted Social Security. When soldiers home from war needed an education, President Roosevelt ushered in the G.I. Bill, creating a career pathway for generations of veterans. Democratic President Lyndon Johnson enacted Medicare so older Americans could have health coverage the private market could not provide.

Notably, many of the big leaps forward in the 20th Century were led by Democrats. But they had strong bipartisan support. In the past several decades, however, Republican lawmakers have changed tack. Rather than sign onto popular policies that help Americans, they have embraced obstructionism.

The debate over the Affordable Care Act is a prime example. President Obama was swept into office with Democratic control of Congress and a mandate to tackle healthcare affordability. The ACA provisions are incredibly popular: tax credits so people can afford coverage, protections for preexisting conditions, marketplaces where health insurance companies compete, expanded Medicaid for people facing low wages, allowances for young Americans to stay on their parents’ plans, and more. Yet Republicans fought tooth-and-nail against it, propagating the preposterous lie that it would bring “death panels” to our country. Every single GOP lawmaker voted against it. They continue to try to repeal it with no alternative to ensure people can get coverage.

The politicians selling doom-and-gloom want us to be fearful and suspicious. They keep people afraid so they’ll stop dreaming of a brighter future.

Hope is kryptonite to the forces that oppose the progress people want.

Hope asks why we can’t build up our middle class and eliminate child poverty with tax credits for working families. This threatens those who want to see tax cuts benefit only the wealthy.

Hope asks how we can build a housing market that has room for everyone. This threatens those who profit from exploitation when there are not enough homes.

Hope asks how we can ensure clean water and air to keep us and future generations healthy. This threatens corporations that find it cheaper to pollute.

Hope asks for our reproductive freedoms, so we can make the most intimate decisions about how and when we start a family. This threatens politicians who gain power by catering to the fringe anti-abortion hardliners.

Without hope, there is no progress. With hope, people can overcome the entrenched interests fighting against them. We can all choose hope in November.

-- Lauren Necochea
Idaho Democratic Party Chair