Friday, April 4, 2008

40 Years

It wasn't long ago, not more than a few years if that much (it could have been last summer or at Christmas - time seems a little stretched right now), that my father told me he did not believe we'd see a black president in his lifetime.

We still haven't seen one, and we might not yet, but where we are now is beyond where most people I know thought we could possibly be, and beyond where everyone I know of my parents generation believed possible.

I didn't grow up with segregation, like they did. And unlike my parents and those before them, I never saw racism expressed in the open, and egregious, ways of those times. But that doesn't mean that I was without reservation of my own, and I know more than a handful of people my age who would have told you a black president was impossible.

But despite the long odds - minority skin color; a last name that sounds like one terrorist and a middle name that matches another; and what appears to be the greatest challenge in an opponent many viewed as unbeatable, and who is unafraid to burn down every democratic institution in the pursuit of her goals - despite these odds, here we are.

I can't say exactly how we got here. Certainly, Barack's ascendancy owes in part to the general revulsion with our government, and it's clear abuses of the last years. Without the willingness to look to the unknown that has been generated by that grotesque mismanagement, I think many people wouldn't give a young black man with a funny name a second look. And so in a way we can thank the hubris of the Bush Administration, the excesses of the Republican Congress, and the moral failings of the Christian Right for their role in expanding King's dream. We certainly can't thank them for anything else. But that isn't all. A year ago, Hillary Clinton was unbeatable. She was the Alpha and the Omega, and anyone who would challenge her was a foolish and imprudent whelp to be ground in the wheels of the unstoppable Clinton Machine. A year ago, it wasn't uncommon for me to hear my progressive, young, Seattle-ite friends scold me for my foolish idealism. But that was all a year ago. The moment, as King said, is now. And it's here because average people got together and said that they were sick and tired of being told what they could choose. They were sick and tired of Chicken and Fish.

We've still got a long slog ahead of us, as I noted already. But goddamn if we're not a lot closer to there than we thought we were.

King was a lot of things to a lot of people, but the most important thing he was to everyone was the person who told them they could. In a time when the loudest and strongest voices said you can't. In a time when the voices of reason said it wasn't time. That's when King stood up and said that it is always the right time to do the right thing, that it is always possible if you believe you can.

I'm not gonna try to claim that Barack is in any way equal to King. We've got a long way to go before we'll be able to see anything like that. But what I will say is that Barack is where he is because he told people what King told us, what Cesar Chavez told us, what every leader worth listening to told us. Yes, we can.

Below are a couple correspondences I thought relevant to the day, and to the legacy. The first is from a friend on the campaign, who wrote this in response to a call, months ago, for us to share how we got involved. The second is a letter sent to one of my coworkers that I would suspect for a forgery, if I didn't know otherwise. Enjoy.

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Nearly a year ago, on March 31, 2007, I gathered with a group of neighbors at a house party in Los Angeles to watch a virtual town hall with Barack (webcast live from Iowa). It was a small, diverse group of about 20 strangers who assembled that day... brought together by the generosity of our host, and the hope that perhaps we had found a presidential candidate who we all could truly believe in and get excited about.

Only a handful of the attendees that day were already "sold" on Barack; almost all of us were merely "leaning" or "interested" in him. Sure, we were drawn by his charisma and his message of unity, of optimism, and of change... yet we needed to find out more before committing... was there substance to complement his style? If elected, how would he be able to actually effect the type of change that we all yearned for and that he so eloquently spoke of?

During the webcast I found myself impressed by Barack's knowledge of the issues and the concreteness of his ideas and solutions. He confirmed to me that he offered more than just beautifully-delivered rhetoric... there was a solid plan for how to achieve change and improve the efficiency of our government to make it work better for all of us... and a wisdom and depth that belied the perception of “inexperience" that some cast upon his fledgling campaign. However, it was 69 minutes into this 75 minute long session (it's rare someone can keep my attention so long, which also tells you something…) that his answer to a question resonated with me so directly and deeply that I was in that very moment convinced to join on to his campaign with all the passion one can muster.

Now, allow me a brief bit of personal background first... I've always been interested in politics, participating in high school groups like Model United Nations, Youth & Government, Junior Statesmen of America, even a summer program one year at Georgetown... and remained politically active during my college years as well. Upon graduation, I accepted my first "real" job at the Congressional Budget Office and headed to DC. Unfortunately, while the work was engaging and my colleagues quite talented and I was excited to be in DC, I quickly became exposed the "less attractive" aspects of politics and become quite aggravated by the process that I witnessed (and in some sense that I was becoming a part of).

And so I left. I retreated to the private sector, a haven of dramatically improved pay and reduced obstruction for a motivated and talented (and humble… ahem) young man like myself. Nevertheless, a part of me has always longed for a way to return to public service, but the misgivings retained from my DC experience have always held me back. The evident and rampant cronyism under the Bush administration these past 7 years certainly hasn't assuaged any of those concerns… in fact, as recent as 12 months ago, working in politics was pretty far from my mind. I was far more focused on more entrepreneurial pursuits.

However, Barack’s charisma piqued my interest just enough to bring me to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Liebermann that warm Los Angeles afternoon. And I has I heard him speak, my once dormant desire to be a part of something greater than myself and give back to this great country of ours was born anew. I saw an opportunity. I felt hope. Most importantly, I realized that if this genuine feeling and this reaction were true for me, it would quite likely hold true for others... and perhaps a national commitment to public service could be rekindled not just for myself, but for an entire generation. Oh my, that suppressed inner idealist was on the loose again… watch out!!! And having come to that realization, it was not sufficient to sit around and see if it would come to pass... I was compelled to play my part to help MAKE it happen (as such is the nature of idealists).

I've kept a transcript of Barack's words on that day, due to the acute connection I feel to this particular passage… and because I can so clearly identify it as "the moment" when I made the decision to completely devote my time and energy to this campaign for however long it should last. The context was Barack's response to the final question of the day: "Do you know enough honest, intelligent people to fill your cabinet when you become President?"

"I do", he replied. "You'd be amazed the number of really smart, good people who would like to serve in government and would take big cuts in pay to serve in government. The problem is that our politics doesn't reward those people and so a lot of those people just feel like 'I don't want to have to play the game' and that's why it's so important for us to change our political culture."

I simultaneously felt as if he was speaking both TO me and FOR me... not in the sense that I’d be a prospective member of his cabinet per se (I do possess at least MODEST amounts of humility it turns out)... but with two simple sentences he managed to succinctly describe my decade-long love/hate exasperation with politics... the same sentiment that I've thus far taken numerous paragraphs to attempt to describe. He continued on, with a very thorough answer... concluding:

"You know, there are important things that we can do together that we can't do individually. And what I want to do is to restore a sense that this government belongs to us, that it's not something that you're just cursing at the TV set and it has nothing to do with you life, that if all of us are participating that we can restore a sense of competence and a sense of honor to public service. And if we do that, then most of the challenges that we face I think can actually be solved."

To me, these words were far beyond well-crafted prose... they were a clear call to action. And so, act I have, to the best of my ability.

My time on this campaign has demonstrated to me that the vision Barack shared in his response to that question is not only possible, but already happening... because it exists right here within the campaign. By working hard, working smart, and proving myself capable, in 6 short months I've progressed from intern, to state staffer, to national HQ staffer. I haven't found myself held back or passed over, I haven't witnessed backstabbing or unhealthy competitiveness... but I have witnessed an uncanny, unspoken, and undeniable bond between everyone working on this campaign... a common belief that the fruits of our collective action outweigh any of our individual aspirations... and a shared sense of awe at how this campaign has metamorphosed into something more… a movement… reshaping the way people think about and participate in their government. OK, so that last little bit was a bit flowery perhaps… but dammit if it isn’t exactly how I feel.

This journey has exceeded any expectations that I had when I embarked upon it, and along the way I have constantly found myself surrounded by brilliant and talented individuals who have worked tirelessly for weeks and months on end, not because there is a big paycheck, not because there is glory or a cushy government job waiting for them if we are victorious... but because Barack, this campaign, and this movement have tapped into their sense of patriotism, their sense of pride... and perhaps even a sense of anger towards the way the values, freedoms, and founding principles of our country have been hijacked, ironically, in our misguided war against terror. I believe that every one of my colleagues realize (as I do) that there is nothing more important we could possibly be doing right now with our time, our energy, our knowledge, and our lives.

I’d say “this moment is huge”, but the word huge actually seems ironically quite trivial and insufficient in this usage. But other than the individual moments one might experience in life; a wedding, the birth of a child, the passing of a loved one; what collective experience could we as Americans possibly share that is any “huger” than the one which we find ourselves currently caught up in?

This is a campaign for the future direction of this country.

We have an opportunity to change the way we as a nation treat the world, and just as importantly the way the world has come to view us.

We have an opportunity for us to move away from the bickering "us vs. them" mentality that has so pervaded our politics in recent history (and no, it hasn't always been this way).

We have an opportunity to once again embrace our role as leaders in the world, rather than as reflexive and reactive agents of fear.

And we have an opportunity to restore the feelings of pride and honor that Americans should have towards the office of President of the United States.

This campaign is a rare opportunity in the long-term view, to form a broad new coalition of people from all walks of American life (and if you've ever attended one of Barack's events in a major city and observed the crowd, you'll know what I mean)... a coalition based on common principles and values rather than uncompromising ideology... policies based on an empirical approach rather than hubris... and a restoration of statesmanship in place of the partisan battles that have become driven more out of habit and resentment than by any sort of constructive or respectful disagreement.

This election isn't merely about changing which party is in power, or moving away from the failed policies from the Bush Administration. It is far more important, meaningful, and proactive than that.

It is about changing political culture... infusing it once again with hope, trust, and dignity. It is about changing the relationship between the government and the governed. It is about sincere (but not blind) love of country and citizens faith in our leadership.

It is why millions of voters (a majority thus far) have caucused and cast their ballots for Barack Obama.

And it is why this spoiled Southern California boy barely even notices the cold Chicago wind blowing as he makes his way to and from the office each day this February.



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Good evening again. Thank you for your email and phone call. I completed my registration and will try to make a few calls tonight, then hit the ground running tomorrow morning and just keep at it. One thing I do need is the early Voting Locations. My Precinct is #447.
I have at least one other person who will help make calls starting tomorrow: my daughter. We reside in the same house, so same precinct and she is already an Obama enthusiast. Her friend also wants to help, but does not reside in this precinct. Do you need more info on either of the them (phone/email contact, etc)? They are a part of a fairly extended group aged from about 22 to about 29 and may be able to tap more into that as well.
Also, my daughter and I will be glad to hostess a house party this coming Saturday. Just please let us know the procedures/contacts for that and the time-line you recommend. Signage? Clowns on Uni-cycles?
Since you asked if I have previous campaign experience . . and not to bore you with more email than you need or want to read, I'll confess my first campaign was McGovern (I think I still have the campaign button) . . . off and on in between. My dad's family was always politically active and Yellow-Dog Democrats from way back. So, I've seen a few political discussions.
Frankly, I am more committed than I have ever been to seeing the Democrats re-take the White House AND the Congress. Then, let's get started on Regulatory Bodies and try to restore some degree of credibility to this system that is in critical care mode (in my opinion). I believe Senator Obama is up to the job. I believe it will take every voting Democrat and some cross-overs to get a solid WIN on November 4th.
I have a 27 year old son who just returned from Iraq in October (KS Nat'l Guard) and faces returning before his three-year contract comes to an end ... I have an 83 year-old Dad who fought in WWII and can barely get Veteran's care for the ills that plague him and the fact that he does not have private insurance; I am 57, and (as much as I swallow pride here) unemployed ... no insurance here either ... but, the silver lining here is that I can be a help to my 25 year-old daughter by taking care of my grandson while she struggles to make ends meet as a single mother, again with no health insurance. And; truly I do understand that, not only are there millions with very similar circumstances, but I should daily count my blessings that we have what we have and have each other. So, that's all part of where my motivation comes from.
We'll do whatever and we'll try to get as many others to help as we can. Wish we had $$$ to give as well, but at least not this week. Maybe that will change next week. We can make calls, help get out the vote, and hey, we're great cooks and bakers, so you never know when that will come in handy.
I will plan to see you Wednesday evening there at the office. Thanks for the service you give and the work you are doing.
Yes, I believe We Can!

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If that doesn't sum up the spirit of what King tried to tell us, I'm not sure what does. I looked up "Free" in the dictionary, and found, unsurprisingly, 30+ definitions of the noun alone. I thought this one, buried in the high 20s, the most relevant: "that which may be used by or is open to all." Sounds good to me.

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