I am taking the liberty to quote Gregg Heackock in his post below due to the seriousness of this matter. I am also cross-posting this Blog or variations thereof across several blogs starting of course with mybarackobama.com, as well as but not limited to Daily Kos. I felt strongly about the furor over FISA, not so much because I am in such blind adherence to each and every word and policy position of Obama’s but rather because the argument is particularly harmful for several reasons. Read Gregg’s post in full below, followed by my own two cents on why I created this group, and more about what it is specifically that bothers me about this purist egomaniacal nonsensical protest, not least of all being that if we are indeed supposed to judge men by their actions, and not just their words, Obama has proven that he is a leader for the people, who listens, and who espouses true progressivism. Get involved and to help spread the word, so we can increase our membership, and rid the mainstream media off their current meme regarding the "so called grassroots Obama supporter revolt"! So read on my fellow Obamaniacs, and get inviting. Let’s grow this group!
The Movement that Drives this Campaign
By Gregg Heacock
A storm of controversy arising over Barack Obama's support of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is testing the unity of our campaign. Many in the campaign are threatening to jump ship. While some accuse him of being a centrist, and others defend him as a pragmatist, the angriest among us are calling him a traitor...
....What we have in common is that we are all free spirits born into history. The race, gender, economic circumstances, and family context--the time and place into which we are born--give us different perspectives that divide us. Still, words that signify our values provide a common ground that unites us. That narrative of differences and values that unite us is "the wind" Barack says "is sweeping across this great land" calling for change.
Imagine, then, that the campaign is a ship, moving toward the horizon, with the captain adjusting the sails to manage the ship through rough currents to get us to a new land. We are the wind that fills the sails and the crew that manages the ship. As the wind, we are free to blow whichever way our intention takes us. As the crew, we need to secure the ship and give respect to the person who leads us. In short, argument is healthy for without wind we are dead in the water. But, we need not to confuse this with working for the campaign. Still, it would be a lax crew that lacked concern for the judgment of its commander.
We need to recognize the leadership Obama is showing as he moves this campaign forward. As free spirits, we may know no bounds other than the values that drive us forward. But, as free spirits born into history, we are must recognize and honor the views of those who see things from a different perspec tive. We must have a foot in both worlds.
I do not find this easy. It certainly isn't comforting. We must discipline ourselves as did those "veterans of creative suffering" that King honored with his praise. Such discipline demands that we allow "what is" to be in order for it to change. It demands that we are ever mindful of our goal as we submit to the process required to lead others to that higher place. We cannot stand on the mountaintop and beckon others to come forth. We have to hold each other by the hand and, with empathy, negotiate a path that we can travel together...
...In these trying times, when post-primary depression is likely to set in, we must remember our commitment to transform America. As it took a Civil War to bring the states together as one nation, so it will take a mighty struggle to unite us as one people.
It is a struggle we already know. It will involve calling people on our cell phones, traveling to other states and communities to offer our hands to strangers. As we prepare for the task before us, it is good that we announce and acknowledge our own grievances. It is good that we question the campaign just as we are about to meet people who will question us. As we move beyond the horizon of what is comfortable, of what is given, we must recognize our shared vulnerability in going forward. Our comfort, now, must be in going forward together.
We are the wind; we are the sail; we are the ship; we are the destination. We are eternal; we are now. And, we are not alone.
I especially liked the above post, which I felt captured my sentiments about this nonsense. I wonder if I still really need to add more, but I feel that I should at least point out that I am certainly not one to shy away from criticizing Obama or his team, as many of my previous posts have shown. However, I like to think that my posts were always in constructive criticism, being as is the case that Obama is indeed my total 100% choice candidate for POTUS, and I sincerely couldn’t have asked for any other public figure to be our candidate this time around. I have therefore often written diaries whenever I felt that Obama and/or his team were not capitalizing on opportunities in the campaign, or weren’t fighting effectively enough. On FISA however, I am so incensed because the blogs and opinions I have seen have not been merely positive criticism or even a suggestion on tact or such like positive criticism, but rather the tone has been more of dissent, self destructive, and toddler foot stamping-esque tantrums that serve little but provide fodder for both the Rethuglicans, as well as the lazy mainstream media - their cohorts, who are only too happy to jump on the latest sensationalism bandwagon that they think will attract viewers, while aiding their pro-corporate Rethug friends! I started to see extensive coverage of the group calling for dissent, with more than ample sprinklings of flip flopper, grassroots revolt etc etc!
Mind you i am not suggesting either that everyone on the left should be supporting Obama, and should only provide positive criticism. However, if indeed, one is on the left, and considers themselves an Obama supporter, merely expressing their discontent, then I would urge you to consider whether this is the time or manner to be holding Obama to his word. I personally think that for those of us who want to see Obama elected, we must do all we can to provide as little distractions as possible, as there will be plenty of time to hold Obama accountable once he is President. At that point, i will happily join you in demonstrations, blogs or any other form of dissent to further our progressive cause, but until then, we are surely hunting dogs in a kennel barking at the hare in the wild!
Furthermore, for the ever so savvy left wing blogosphere, I am surprised that no one seems to have noticed that, while Obama has called for passing of the new Act, some of his top surrogates such as Senator Dodd are at the forefront of the filibuster effort, not to mention Senate majority leader Reid. This suggests to me that the Democrats on the Hill, know exactly what they are doing, by allowing Obama to tread the soft middle, while they do the dirty work. For the left wing not to recognize that with the ultimate prize, The White House, within reach, and the issues this election cycle being as important as they are, that our nominee does not need to compromise himself and lend himself to unnecessary attacks while there are enough powerful smart people who can dirty their hands while allowing our candidate to soar. Do these noisy foot-stompers imagine that our candidate for POTUS has not coordinated with his surrogates as well as the Senate Majority Leader?! I think that the blogosphere on the left has just grown its ego a little too large on this one, and I find it highly presumptuous of people who happen to write great blogs/diaries, seeming to think that they have somehow become experts on how negotiations on Capitol Hill are conducted!
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