Why does Obama incite such hatred? He doesn't. He incites passion. He incites excitement. He gives us drive and makes us want to be more than we are, compelled more than we ever would be about taking our country back. As an Obama supporter, what the actions others do do not represent me or many other Obama supporters than the inspiration of his message of hope and change. You've got to remember, I've been on the street and have bumped into many Obama supporters. Do you know what many of these Obama supporters are? They're not anarchists or "elitist affluent liberals" or whatever. They are teachers fighting for our children neglected by the system, they are low-wage workers working hard for their families and living paycheck to paycheck, they are kids that are turning their lives around and striving to become successful. They are the older people and elderly that are working at McDonalds because they cannot afford retirement or that their pensions were eviscerated by a flawed system made against them. Obama's supporters are black, and white, and Hispanic, and Latino, and Asian, and Middle-eastern, rich and poor alike. Obama's supporters come from all walks of life and they are just like you- they are fed up with Bush and the games of Washington, and they want to turn the page on this BS.
Do not judge a book by its cover. Charles Manson used hippie culture and killed and exterminated the entire movement. However, did Charles Manson represent the hippie culture as a whole in the 1960s? Of course not. We have to be strong enough not to generalize, especially in a position of fear. Fear has created a culture of stereotyping, scapegoating and scrutiny in our country as it is right now. C'mon- what did Franklin Delano Roosevelt say about Fear? "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself:
This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth,
frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions
in our country today. This great Nation will endure as it has endured,
will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm
belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless,
unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to
convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a
leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and
support of the people themselves which is essential to victory. I am
convinced that you will again give that support to leadership in these
critical days... a host of unemployed citizens face the grim problem of existence, and an
equally great number toil with little return. Only a foolish optimist
can deny the dark realities of the moment....True
they have tried, but their efforts have been cast in the pattern of an
outworn tradition. Faced by failure of credit they have proposed only
the lending of more money. Stripped of the lure of profit by which to
induce our people to follow their false leadership, they have resorted
to exhortations, pleading tearfully for restored confidence. They know
only the rules of a generation of self-seekers. They have no vision,
and when there is no vision the people perish...Happiness lies not in the mere
possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill
of creative effort. The joy and moral stimulation of work no longer
must be forgotten in the mad chase of evanescent profits. These dark
days will be worth all they cost us if they teach us that our true
destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to ourselves and
to our fellow men. Recognition of the falsity of material wealth
as the standard of success goes hand in hand with the abandonment of
the false belief that public office and high political position are to
be valued only by the standards of pride of place and personal profit;
and there must be an end to a conduct in banking and in business which
too often has given to a sacred trust the likeness of callous and
selfish wrongdoing. Small wonder that confidence languishes, for it
thrives only on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on
faithful protection, on unselfish performance; without them it cannot
live.
Restoration calls, however, not for changes in ethics alone. This Nation asks for action, and action now.
Our greatest primary task is to put people to work. This is no unsolvable
problem if we face it wisely and courageously. It can be accomplished
in part by direct recruiting by the Government itself, treating the
task as we would treat the emergency of a war, but at the same time,
through this employment, accomplishing greatly needed projects to
stimulate and reorganize the use of our natural resources.
There must be a strict supervision of all banking and credits and investments; there must be
an end to speculation with other people’s money, and there must be
provision for an adequate but sound currency.</p>
We do not distrust the future of essential democracy. The people of the United
States have not failed. In their need they have registered a mandate
that they want direct, vigorous action.
Source: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Inaugural Address, March 4, 1933, as published in Samuel Rosenman, ed.,The Public Papers of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Volume Two: The Year of Crisis, 1933</em> (New York: Random House, 1938), 11–16.
We, as progressives and people wanting change, need to be stronger and more upright than this. We have different challenges that come up every day, however, we cannot let that make us falter. Remember, once we get a nominee, we're going to get the attacks of the Far-Right from mountains on high thrashing down on us with their messages of fear, stereotyping and paranoia raining down on us in hopes of them getting McBush into office- and we got to be a whole lot stronger than we have been. We have to stand with a strong message in solidarity that we cannot be shaken or scared; not this time. We want change this time. We are not going to divide ourselves anymore, we're going to push ahead and we're going to fight to make our country better. We have so much riding on this. We have the possibility of future wars and future deaths. We have the health and safety of our future children and generations on the line, because of the continuation of a economically vampiric occupation and invasion of a country of poor people, we have a faltering public school system that is neglecting our young people so much that half of our kids are dropping out of school. We cannot let this happen. Our country is in trouble and if we drop the flag now, who will be the next ones to carry it?
C'mon, John, keep writing. We, Pennsylvania progressives, need you to continue taking action and help continue supporting our mission to have more of an open voice to express progressive issues, especially on the eve of the Pennsylvania election.
