It all started in 2008 when Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States. There was change in the air as Obama became the first African-American to be elected into presidential office. The American people held onto hope as he was running for president, and now as Obama is ending his second term in office soon, will America continue to be a progressive nation? Especially after the achievements that he gave the nation during his terms?

President Obama had something terrible on his agenda when he first came into office in 2008: the unemployment rate. President Bush left office with the unemployment rate at 5.31 percent and by the time Obama got into office, the unemployment rate rose to 8.46 percent. Obama had his mind set on creating more jobs. Obama was able to do this via economic policies that the state legislatures were willing to follow, and Obama had the unemployment rate to 5.5 percent by 2012.

President Obama not only lowered the unemployment rate, but he also passed health care reform (Obamacare), reformed Wall Street, ended the war in Iraq, eliminated Osama Bin Laden, recapitalized banks, filed sanctions on Iran, and expanded hate crime protections. The list also goes on and on, but it all comes down to President Obama operating a country well enough in the progressive era.

However, some people want to erase those accomplishments from the eight years that Obama was in office; they are the Republican Party.

The GOP always tends to think that the United States is doing horrible and will never be in the right place. They are fighting endlessly to try and eliminate programs that Obama in acted in office, particularly Obamacare.

Obamacare launched the United States into a time of change, as everyone in the country would virtually receive healthcare. However, the GOP tends to think that Obamacare hurt many businesses around the country. But isn’t that a price to pay to be able to have universal free healthcare? I think so. Who in their right mind would want to strip someones heath protection away just because they do not agree with it? The GOP.

Currently Obamacare continues to strive within the economy. However, the GOP is still fighting to dismantle it once and for all. As the next presidential election is next year, this gives way for the GOP to want to get rid of all things to benefit the economy.

Another example is Planned Parenthood. The GOP wants to defund Planned Parenthood because many of the candidates believe that women should not sell unborn fetuses for profit. Now you tell me, how does that make sense? I believe that a woman has a right to choose, and nobody should tell a woman what she can and cannot do with her body. If a woman wants an abortion, let her have an abortion. It is her right to choose, not the Republican men in congress who get to decide for her.

Those are just some of the issues that the GOP is attacking because they are upset that none of this is being achieved within their administrations.

With that being said, Democratic candidates like Bernie Sanders supports Obamacare and will do anything to protect it. Hillary Clinton is also fighting the GOP attacks on Planned Parenthood to fight for women everywhere, while Martin O’Malley is fighting for gun reform, a topic in which none of the GOP candidates have ever even mentioned in their debates.

So with that being said, will America continue to be progressive or slip into a phase of conservatism?

It all boils down to if a Democrat gets elected; then the country will remain progressive. However, if a Republican gets elected, the country will be conservative due to all of the repeals that will be happening.

It just seems to me that the GOP is all about themselves. They care about getting what they want done, and they do not care about the middle class due to the attacks on illegal immigrants and a war with words on women. However, it seems that the Democrats resemble where this country is heading: no discrimination and equal protection under the law for whoever is president.

With that being said, the choice is yours and you must vote. Your vote will determine the future of this nation. Vote in November of 2016.