We Can and We Must

Like many others, my love affair with Barack Obama started in July of 2004 at the DNC. That night was the first time I ever laid eyes on the man and since that night, I haven’t been able to take my eyes off of him. The speech was well written of course, complete with all the familiar buzzwords of orations past: hope, change, belief in a better America. We’ve heard it all before. It could have been delivered by any politicians and for a brief minute, it would have captured my attention. But that night, with those words and in that moment, Barack captured my heart.

Like many others, business-as-usual politics left me hopeless, tired, and cynical. Sure, at times a few politicians managed to float above the murky waters of politics and make me believe in their ability to affect change in this country. Barack was the first to make me believe in my ability to do the same.

Today, our country finds itself at the doorstep of a defining moment. We are fighting a war predicated on misinformation and deliberate lies. A war that has cost America over 4000 of its sons and daughters. A war that has tarnished our reputation with other nations and that has arguably left us no safer than when it was started. An unprecedented level of greed and corruption has done indeterminable damage to our economy. Americans are struggling not only to keep their homes and jobs, but to keep gasoline in their cars. The educational system is in crisis. Millions of Americans are living without health insurance. To put it simply, we are in trouble. The collective eyes of the world are fixed squarely upon us. Now is the time to rise to the occasion and to begin to repair the damage that has been done. It is not too late. Barack Obama stands ready to lead this country back to a place that we Americans can once again be proud to call home. “We are the ones who we ’ve been waiting for.” We can define this moment. Yes we can.

Jeff, Ohio