We have now seen Barack H. Obama reelected President of these United States of America.
Or, shall I say, we HAVE SEEN TO IT that Barack H. Obama was reelected President of these United States of America.
ALL of us.
Those who worked months and months, tirelessly for OFA, of course. But, even if you just made one positive comment in one diary on one day, here. You TOO are part of this.
And that is not all that we have done. We have added to our majority in the Senate. We have diminished their majority in the House. We have taken Governorships. We have taken state houses. We have decriminalized pot. We have elected gay and bisexual senators and Representatives. We have made great strides in marriage equality.
We have swept over this land, and we have let everybody with a working mind know, that we are moving FORWARD.
All of us.
Some will be very happy about the changes. Some will accept and move on. But some will have to be dragged into them, kicking and screaming. Just like they were dragged out of the very idea of slavery. Just like they were dragged into suffrage for women. Just like they were dragged into civil rights for ALL Americans.
It will not be easy.
I will let Frederick Douglas speak for us:
Let's go back to July of this year. To an interview Barack and Michele had with Charlie Rose.
Charlie Rose: What do you think the lessons have been that might guarantee success in a second term, if that happened?
President Obama: The mistake of my first term — of my first couple of years — was thinking that this job was just about getting the policy right. And that's important. But the nature of this office is also to tell a story to the American people that gives them a sense of unity and purpose and optimism, especially during tough times.
It's funny, when I ran everybody said "well, you can give a great speech," but can you actually, you know, manage the job?" And then my first two years, I think the notion was 'well, you know, he's been juggling and managing a lot of stuff, but, you know, where's the story that tells us where he's going?'
And I think that was a legitimate criticism. And, so getting out of this town, spending more time with the American people -- listening to them -- and also then, being in a conversation with them about where do we go together as a country -- I need to do a better job of that in my second term. Not just explaining but also inspiring.
Michele Obama: His hope is still there.
He has seen in himself, what many of us had also seen. That when he was elected, his campaign just...............stopped. His deep connection with us just...................stopped.
Granted the previous president had left the nation in a horrendous mess. And Obama did what he had to do, which was to have laser focus and to work diligently at keeping the country he loved from falling down a deep chasm.
He was successful.
And this fact has scared the hell out of those who wished him to fail. When he was successful, right from the start, they saw the country falling out of their grasp. And so they committed more than ever, to cause him to fail.
They nearly succeeded.
In mid-2011, the president's approval ratings were at their lowest. He was mired down in budget and debt fights. He was mired down in the cynicism that government couldn't fix problems, but that government WAS the problem.
But, despite their obstinacy......despite their hate........despite their obstruction, childishness, and envy.......this country IS coming back.
On November 6th, we came back with a vengeance. "Don't boo, VOTE!! Let your VOTE be your vengeance!"
These words, Obama spoke, just a few short days before we made it happen.
He...............and us.
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My point in writing this diary, is to restate what the president has already said about his second term. He needs to use the MAJORITIES of people to pass POPULAR legislation, WITHOUT worrying that NOT EVERYONE WILL BE HAPPY ABOUT IT.
THEN, he will have obtained enough political capital to do the even more difficult things that NEED to be done.
To quote Spike Lee, Mr. President.............DO THE RIGHT THING!!
Not everyone will follow. But enough WILL.
We GOT your back.