America: The Indispensable Nation October 6, 2014October 6, 2014 UNEMPLOYMENT Mitch McConnell says — in prepared remarks, not a slip of the tongue — that “by any measure, Barack Obama has been a disaster for our country.” So here’s another measure: jobs. George W. Bush handed Barack Obama an economy hemorrhaging 800,000 jobs a month. Barack Obama pulled us back from the brink of global depression. We have had 55 straight months of private sector job growth. Unemployment has fallen to 5.9%. Mitch McConnell, who hopes to paralyze the country for another six years (he is up for election in 29 days; help his challenger here), calls this “a disaster.” What is true is that things are not where they should be. The jobs picture could be significantly better still, with higher pay and less underemployment, if only the Republicans would finally allow the American Jobs Act to come up for a vote — it would put huge numbers of people to work revitalizing the nation’s crumbling infrastructure. And if they would finally allow the bipartisan Senate immigration bill and the minimum wage bill to come up for votes. All three would almost surely pass, and all three, economists estimate, would boost the economy . . . returning us to a virtuous cycle, as growth led to higher tax revenue, lower safety-net payments, and, eventually, the same kind of low unemployment — and surpluses — that President Clinton handed President Bush. We can have this again. We just need to end the Republican death grip. WATCH AND BE PROUD Two minutes. Seriously. America bumbles in pretty horrific ways from time to time; but no other country has ever done, or continues to do, as much good. TRANS-PARENT And speaking of pride, see the movie I keep recommending — “Pride,” about the 1984 British coal miners strike. An amazing true story. And binge on Amazon’s new TV series, “Transparent,” as explained by Stephen Colbert and Jeffrey Tambour here . . . or in more detail on the Huffington Post here. REGISTERED TO VOTE? In many states, it’s still not too late — and not just for you, for your kids or your housekeeper (mine comes in four hours a week and would like to see the bipartisan Senate immigration bill passed) or the folks who bag your groceries (who would get a 40% pay hike if Democrats regained control of Congress). Their votes count just as much as Charles’ Koch’s — if they register and show up at the polls. Click here to see your state’s voter registration deadline.