This year’s recipient of tellthetruthonthem.com’s Progressive of the Year award may be a surprise to you. If so, you are not alone. Let’s explore.

Usually somewhere in about July I start thinking about who will be that year’s winner. This year in mid-summer I drew a complete blank. There was no one individual who I thought was deserving. As time went on with the exception of the recipient no single individual distinguished themselves sufficiently to merit consideration. Several members of the press did a great job here and there but no lone hero emerged.

I gave some thought to recognizing one of several news organizations, (most prominent among them The New York Times and the Washington Post), but that story is far from complete and there are the somewhat counterbalancing sins of the 2016 campaign coverage to weigh.

The runner-up and only contender to receive serious consideration was the (mainly women’s) movement of activists that brought attention to the GOP/Trump sins and kept them somewhat in check.

The most dangerous thing the Republicans and President Trump attempted was to repeal Obamacare. That would have caused thousands of unnecessary American deaths. The fight was literally one of life and death especially for the least fortunate among us. It was led by an unlikely hero and someone who by virtue of his wealth and fame would not have personally suffered. His name is Jimmy Kimmel.

Kimmel is one of the most famous men in America. By profession he is a comic and hosts his own late night comedy-talk show on ABC entitled The Jimmy Kimmel Show. I cannot ever remember watching an episode of the show either live or on tape. This year I caught rebroadcasts of several monologs in which Kimmel shined the disinfectant of “television sunshine” on the plans to gut the American health care system.

Kimmel was also the catalyst for many of the demonstrations at members of Congress’ offices and town halls that proved to be the straws that broken the Republicans’ backs and saved Obamacare. Kimmel made it acceptable and in fact fashionable to protest.

Kimmel was the inspiration for the Jimmy Kimmel Rule. By that rule in order for a health care alternative to be acceptable it had to pass the criteria Kimmel had laid out. (1. Coverage for all. 2. No discrimination based on pre-existing conditions. 3. Lower premiums for middle class families. 4. No lifetime caps.)   Kimmel hosted and complimented Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy when he subscribed to the rule. Kimmel later blasted him for lying when he reneged. Too many people are afraid to use the word lie or one of its derivatives. Kimmel was not afraid to say that Cassidy had come on his show and lied to him. I admire Kimmel’s courage and respect his actions!

It is somewhat surprisingly and without reservation that tellthetruthonthem.com names Jimmy Kimmel its 2017 Progressive of the Year.

It has become my practice to take the end of the year off from writing. Therefore today’s article was written well before publishing.

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