Dearest President Barack Obama,
I write to you as a staunch supporter and a deep believer in
you as a beacon of much needed hope, change, and progress in this country. From the moment you hit the political sphere,
a new wave of passion was awakened throughout the country, rippling through the
“Main Streets” all over the world, and unleashing a fervor that we haven’t experienced
since the revolutionary decade of the 60s. Many of us had never felt what it was like to have
a political leader who we felt really understood where we are coming from and
was ready to stand up for the issues that are so important to us. I was overwhelmed with love and support for
you and your soon-to-be administration.
I feel as strongly today as I did in the summer of 2008
when, as a recent college graduate boiling over with newly achieved knowledge,
independence, and a flair for activism, I deployed myself to serve among the
thousands and thousands of enthusiastic and inspired foot soldiers of the
grassroots movement that was the foundation of your campaign. We worked for up to 110 hours a week on the
streets and knocking on doors speaking emphatically with people about your
vision for a progressive future.
I heard so many beautiful stories of previously
disillusioned people who were voting for the first time in their lives believing
that a solution to the extraordinarily broken system had finally emerged from
the woodwork in response to the plague of the Bush administration. Better yet, more people than I can even
recount disclosed to me that they had voted for the Republican candidate
during every election cycle yet, but that you were just too important during
this junction in our country to not vote for.
This was a ground-breaking approach to the election process,
setting a precedent for the power of the people in choosing our leaders over
the power of big money that I can only hope will continue to progress in the
future of our electoral system. I am honored
to have been a part of that shift.
(The devastating Supreme Court decision of 2010 that declared corporations deserving of the protection of the first amendment rights, deceivingly
known as “Citizens United”,
merits a dishonorable mention after that previous statement… an important
discussion for a future blahg.)
Together, we enlivened the country to vote at record levels,
specifically the historically silent populations of people: racial minorities
and young people. You, Mr. President, inspired
us to combine our voices and let them be heard and as a result of that, you are
now our one voice.
Through your term so far you’ve fought hard and you’ve
accomplished a lot, especially in the face of the horrifyingly obstinate Congress
that you’ve had to deal with, and we appreciate it. As I write, the last of the troops are leaving Iraq, signifying an important promise fulfilled, and a powerful symbol
indicating the end of this long, costly, and misguided war. The Patient Protection Affordable Care Act,
while not yet perfect, is a critical piece of legislation that will begin to
chip away at the astronomically high levels of uninsured people in our country,
and has already begun to work as intended. You fulfilled the long-awaited promise to repeal the 18 year
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy of sexual orientation repression in the military, uncovering a deeply
rooted issue of institutionalized discrimination.
This list of accomplishments is far from comprehensive, but
the point is, I appreciate your work, your convictions, your work ethic, and
most importantly, your values.
Now, that said, some of your recent decisions have truly
taken me aback.
The decision to not allow emergency contraception (also
known as “the morning-after pill, though, this is a misnomer) to be purchased
over the counter by young adolescents after many years of research and progressive advocacy for this advancement, is a step backwards, flying in the face of the scientific
realities of the issue. To overrule the
FDA on the decision to allow young people the ability to buy emergency
contraception in their moment of need in order to prevent a teenage pregnancy
is to further block the efforts of the reproductive justice field and thereby
neglect the needs of the most vulnerable people for the sake of political gain, not to
mention your promised commitment to policy based only on “scientific integrity”.
Another truly frightening recent development is the decision
to not enact your power of veto when the National Defense Authorization Act was presented. This bill represents a violation of human rights of epic proportions. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which the United States ratified in 1992 very specifically stipulates the
protection against arbitrary arrest, and as importantly, the right to due
process of the law.
Though these treaties do not translate directly into
domestic law, they are meant to act as a foundation from which our laws are
created. According to these treaties, it
is the State’s responsibility to protect and respect these inalienable and indivisible
human rights. This bill is an abhorrent
demonstration of the State stripping away these rights. With this development, we are teetering
eerily on the fence between a free state and a police state. I urge you, with all of my might, to reconsider.
While I detest the reality of the “political game” and the
need to act in certain ways in order to ensure reelection, I begrudgingly
accept that the current political climate demands this to an extent. I trust that you and your team are much
smarter than me when it comes to ensuring your reelection in 2012 (which I view
as an imperative for our political future), but I beg of you to not compromise
your values and mine in the process. We
cannot let our country move in this very backwards and counterproductive direction,
even for the sake of attracting the “moderate” constituents.
While my support for you is unfaltering, there are many, I fear, who are
less certain. They might not decide to
use their vote to support your (totally crazy, ahem) Republican opponent,
but they might lose the drive to get out and vote for you in 2012 which we, as a country
and as a political party, cannot risk.
Again, I know there must be some kind valid reason for these
decisions because I do not believe that they reflect your intellect, your ideals,
and your innate respect for humanity, and what that reason is, I do not
understand.
I simply cannot impress vehemently enough my view that
compromising the support of the liberal base with such extreme legislation will
serve us poorly in the upcoming election.
For this reason and so many others, please rethink these
decisions and in doing so, remember yourself and the people whom you represent.
President Obama, even though I am less than pleased with
some of these developments, I am very proud of others, and I trust that in your
second term you will use the political foundation that you’ve been building
over the past three years to serve us well and continue to fight for the progressive
political change that this country so desperately needs.
For that though, we need to ensure your second term, and for
that to happen, we need the support of your liberal base which might prove to be more
challenging to achieve this time around than in 2008. This is not a time (nor is any, but
particularly now), to be abandoning the values of your base.
Thank you for your service, your life of public work, and
your work towards a better world. This is the time to use these precious opportunities to show us what you are truly made of: compassion,
empathy, progressive values, hope, and CHANGE.
Yours Truly,
P.S. I think that at your core, your values align with those
of the Occupy movement, and you might do well to express that. There is a lot of energy and a lot of support
brewing in that arena and your public endorsement would be an extraordinary
boost to our important cause.
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