Luke 15:4-7
What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
We recently or not so recently found out that a large portion of all global wealth was in the hands of about one percent of the worlds population. At the moment, the world as we know it is really in the U.S. as a result a movement emerged which was designed to process this uneven distribution. The occupy movement was born and chose as its epicenter, wall street (the financial capital of the world).
The crisis of 2008 which affected banks and other financial institutions as well as housing and mortgages did much to further complicate the issues.
A new president was in office having ridden the change wave. Previous republican governments had dealt rather poorly with internal crises in the places like Louisiana (hurricane Katrina), and Americans needed a jolt of unity and patriotism and the good old speech. So this not so new face of politics used his Chicago suave and his ability to mobilize as well as a very well oiled election machine complete with adept mathematicians to sail all the way to the top.
The state of affairs in the country meant that in 2008, many key players remained rather insulated from the job cuts and massive closures that we're affecting their peers. In fact, many culprits simply sailed through or enjoyed the protections that power an prestige had created for them over the decades. So the president took a few jabs at this group too and made some rather bold moves to stem the power of bankers and other financial elites.
That he met some resistance is the understatement of the decade! Even if it was not direct, amidst the cheers, the pomp and circumstance, a much more frightening piece of legislation made it through which brought about some sweeping changes in campaign financing.
While these effects meant little for his administration, future candidates would feel the pinch in much more subtle ways. Much closer home though, the president began to deal with a loss of voter support from one of his most valuable constituents-the tech savvy youth that had driven much of his campaign. Perhaps the nostalgia was over and maybe the sweeping reforms that he had preached about were taking much too long. Soon he was back on the trail canvassing campuses and industries trying to convince the electorate that his plan was working. Some of his detractors felt that the time to campaign for office was far spent and that He needed to shift gears into 'ruling' mode. We suspect that he sensed a need to remind his core voters that the plan was working and that even in the midst of the opposition, change had come and was making progress.
To believe that he was working alone and for himself would be foolhardy. What he was also doing was setting the pace (as does Bill Clinton) for future democratic leaders and watching to see if any presidential hopefuls would merge out of the woodwork to pick up where he had left off.
A disaster in Jersey and handshakes with Chris Christie did little to help his image within the party but provided good ground to bring to the surface consensus building across blue and red lines.
Changes in the house and in the Senate mean that his powers in negotiation have been tested but this has not prevented him from pushing for change in Health, Trade, Immigration and broadly speaking in the Military.
What the tea party and the occupy movement chose to do with some of the capital that they gained a few years ago remains to be seen.
What we can now see though is the emergence of a few prominent campaign agenda issues that in my view will shape the path for some time to come. Gun control, Race, Religion and Energy.
That FLOTUS has gained much from these eight years is obvious. How much she decides to make of this leverage will be seen in the years to come. It may be too soon to make any sudden moves but I suspect that her advisors are going to begin to point her to a future in a much more prominent place in politics. There have been few first ladies that have managed to have as much of an effect outside the U.S as she has-and that in the U.K!
So my advise for the 99%. Relax...either that or do as much as you can to become part of the 1%! No one in their right mind with all the privileges that accrue to the latter would want to leave this privileged group. They may be lost...but they are also loaded. Anyhow you can at least take comfort in the idea that you are part of God's fold and that you are safe in your numbers.
1%, 99%, Tea Party, Republicans, Democrats, POTUS, FLOTUS,Bill Clinton, Senate, House, Chris Christie.
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