on this journey, i have met people of all races, ages, backgrounds, religions, sexual orientation, and life experience. in spite of all these differences, the one thing we all have in common is that we love our country. we are americans. i have found this to be true in each city, county, and state my feet have stood. it has inspired me to seek out that love of country i knew i once had but have steadily been losing these past several years. it wasn’t all that long ago i referred to myself as an ex patriot. yes, i shared michelle obama’s sentiment. and i can agree now that this is the first time in a very long time i feel real pride to be an america.
how could i not? i am a bitter elitist after all, a “latte-drinking liberal” if you will…
eight years ago, i watched an election torn out of al gore’s hands and dropped into the lap of a man with the sense of an ape (no offense to the apes of the world). when i watched him smirking during debates, and looked into his eyes to see wheels spinning from behind, i couldn’t fathom how so many people in this country voted for that douchebag. not just any douchebag, but a spoiled rich asshole who’d never worked for anything in his life and nearly bankrupted the state of texas when standing as its commander in chief. then he went on to prove what a spoiled little asshole he is by destroying america’s reputation around the world, shaming its people, bleeding the lives of thousands of americans who sacrificed their lives for the greater ideal of america (sidebar here, if you’re not into cheesy, you might want to stop reading right now), and trampled on our civil rights in furtherance of controlling an oil-rich region of the world. makes me sick!
oh people like to tell me all the time how the war has nothing to do with oil, that our government and corporations in this country haven’t benefited from this war. but anyone who believes that is willfully consuming the loads and loads of shit being fed to them by the media. the media, owned and operated by the same rich white assholes who want you to keep voting on things like abortion, gay marriage, and a tax break that will amount to about $50 over the course of a year. cuz while we focus on things that don’t really affect our daily lives, the fat, rich, white assholes sit in a big room, smoking cigars, making the decisions that actually do affect our lives, and laughing about how easy it is to keep getting richer while the rest of us get poorer and dumber.
in the past three months, i have met people in and on the way from california to texas, through denver, omaha, chicago, and into southern indiana. we have talked politics, life and love, and of course, why they are or aren’t supporting senator obama. we have talked about the things on their minds, the things they worry about, and the things that make them happy. the thing i’ve found most commonly is that we are all looking for a better country, a better life for ourselves and our families, and a better world in general. the thing is, if everyone would pay attention to barack obama and those of us who make up his campaign, you will see that we are your best bet for a brighter future.
i do get your hesitation. i get that it’s hard to believe, when all you’ve seen is disappointment. i get that you’re scared and i see why you might feel that way. i just don’t buy it. my choices will not be made out of fear, because the rewards are worth the risks. even if we don’t succeed, i believe the journey toward the failure, the hopes and fears we encounter, the obstacles we overcome, the joys and the pains are all in furtherance of being better. when we live in fear, we let others make decisions for us, because we don’t know what to do, because it’s easier to later blame someone else if things don’t go as planned than to accept responsibility for making the choices that ended in failure. besides, “they” know better. i’m here to tell you that no “they” don’t know better. “we” know better. “we” know best. this is why i’m asking you to believe in and support the “we” in senator obama’s campaign.
yeah, we’re younger, we’re a bit more naïve, and we see the world through rosier glasses than many. but it’s that hope that drives us to get up every morning and choose to have a brighter day. by making that choice every morning (as opposed to waking up every day and asking, “who or what is going to fuck me over today?”), i know i’m making an impact on the world. i make sacrifices for the betterment of myself and my world, but i enjoy the successes and the rewards of a blessed life. i appreciate who i am, what i’m doing, where i’m going, where i’ve been, and every footprint left by every soul who has touched my heart along the way. in return, i give my love back to the world tenfold. i am the change i want to see in the world. and so long as barack obama keeps leading me and people like me, we will be able to bring that light into the lives of our communities. we will be able to organize the best teams of dedicated public servants and we will march toward a better america, recruiting new and previously uninvolved soldiers along the way.
this is what i believe. this is why i’m finishing my portion of the campaign trail, satisfied that i achieved the goal i sought. i helped indiana secure barack obama’s nomination. and this is why i’m taking the long way home, through hills and parks, in states i’ve not yet been on this journey. i am rediscovering my patriotism and the people proud to call themselves americans. but look out los angeles politics, because i am coming back for you. i don’t want to be one of you (i really do hate campaigning), but i will be watching and writing what i see. i will tell it as i see it through the voice of my experience and i will be looking for those of you who entered public service because you are the change you want to see. i can promise that i will be your greatest ally and fiercest critic in our march toward a greater america. but i will be marching alongside you and reaching out to open, listening minds everywhere.
