Are Obama Supporters Ready For Marriage or Just the Wedding Day?

I keep my views on political matters as open as possible. That’s the only real way I can learn anything. A good friend approached me the other day with some concerns she had about the passionate fervor many Obama supporters have combined with their relative inexperience with the political process. She was fearful, in the beginning, to have this conversation with me, for she knows I am one of those passionate Obama supporters, but I reassured her that there was nothing she could say about Obama or his supporters that would impact our friendship.

Well, what she had to say was pretty eye-opening, and while she was worried she had crossed lines throughout our conversation, I was reflecting on her every word and realizing how much truth there was to what she was saying. I thanked my friend for such an honest conversation, which she did with a great deal of respect and consideration towards me and my viewpoints. This is the way true and meaningful discussion is meant to be done.

Her concerns about Obama’s campaign and supporters can best be compared to the difference between planning a wedding versus being in a marriage. She was concerned that Obama supporters are too focused on preparing for “the big day” in November, and that they will run out of steam to carry out the responsibilities needed to make the four to eight year wedding a success. Her other very serious concern was that if this happens, Obama will be set up to fail, and, just like in a troubled marriage, he will be the one blamed for the problems, not the American people. I heard her say many times she didn’t want his supporters to unwittingly set Obama up for failure and leave him twisting in the wind after being sworn into office January 20, 2009.

It may be possible that the euphoria being experienced by so many for Obama right now, a euphoria that feels so right and so good, could be the very reason Obama loses many of his most die-hard supporters later on down the road when the sleeves are rolled up for the hard work to begin. Perhaps a message Obama needs to carefully send to his supporters is “chill out a bit.” He will have to be very skillful with how he does this, for he doesn’t want to say that in a way that sounds as if he’s irritated, but instead in a way that sounds like a man who wants his relationship with the American people after he becomes President to be a long-term success in every way. He will have to talk to his support base about the long road ahead and to let them know that while all the enthusiasm being shown now is greatly appreciated, he doesn’t want to risk even one disenfranchised voter or supporter because he didn’t prepare us for the road ahead.

Obama might also craft a message that suggests he is concerned about the image of his supporters, explaining to them that he know how burnout feels and happens, and how he would hate to see even one of his supporters be branded as superficial because they just ran out of steam when it came time to do even more work after the election. Obama is a gifted orator and writer, so there is no doubt that if he decides to deliver this kind of message, he will do it brilliantly. The real point, however, is that I told my friend she was absolutely correct in her worries and fears, and that because of her, I was reflecting on my own Obama energy banks to be sure I didn’t use everything up too soon

As we talked, the children’s story, The Tortoise and the Hare, a classic tale about two competitors, a slow but steady turtle and an overconfident rabbit running a race, kept coming into my mind. Most might think I am saying McCain is the Tortoise and Obama is the Hare, but I am not. I am saying that McCain supporters are the Tortoise and Obama supporters are the Hare. We all know how this story ends and why, so it concerns me that we, Obama supporters, need to make sure we are not showing the Hare’s classic overconfidence because of our youth, energy, and ability to do more with less, because while team McCain may have a simpler and less glamorous strategy to their campaigning, it just may be because of that that they cross the finish line before Obama, and with plenty of energy left to spare.

The President of the United States Is George W. Obama, Wait, Barack Bush, Wait, Who Is It Again?

It is a well-known truism that a person should always dress for the job they want, not the job they have. Barack Obama must have learned this a long time ago, for not only is he dressing like our president, he is acting like our president, talking like our president, representing the United States like our president, and being presidential in just about every way he can possibly be.

I can't remember the last time I heard from our current president, George W. Bush, about the state of our economy and his concerns for us and how he plans to do what he can to help us. The last time I heard McCain talk was while he was standing in front of the bologna, ham and turkey section in a grocery store, when he afterwards did his weekly grocery shopping. Nothing says presidential like cold cuts.

The pronounced contrast of Bush and McCain's recent performances against Senator Barack Obama in Berlin, speaking to a crowd of thousands, delivering an unprecedented, bold and inspirational address that millions watched on television makes me realize that the United States, if not the entire world, has already determined in their minds who the next president of the United States will be. In fact, I would venture to say some feel, or at least wish, Barack Obama would be their president now.

We'll go through this election process, but it is clear in my mind who is already in the mindset, has the courage for and ability to lead this nation, and who already IS representing us proudly to the entire world. Our next president IS Senator Barack Obama in our hearts and minds right now. The election process, to me, seems to only serve as a confirmation process of what we already feel to be true.

Conservative Talk Radio - Worried We're Not Buying It Anymore?

A friend recently asked me why I like to "torture myself" by listening to conservative talk shows on the radio. I sincerely told her I do this because this is how I stay informed and well-rounded on all sides of every political debate, for what purpose is served by choirs simply preaching to other choirs?

I respect anyone for having an opinion. Even if I don't agree with someone, just have an opinion. Apathy is what destroys relationships, marriages, families, nations, worlds. I love to hear someone speak passionately about what they believe in, especially when they can back up their fire about something with solid facts. Knowledge is power, and I believe everyone should pursue more knowledge about anything they can, whether it be about politics, parenting or pruning plants. I also don't mind when people change their minds on a topic, especially if it's because they got more facts about something and looked at it from a new perspective. This is not flip-flopping. This is using the old noodle and not being too proud to at least entertain another's viewpoint.

I have been listening to conservative talk show radio for decades now. I've come to know these radio personalities pretty well, and there are some who I genuinely like and deeply respect, despite our differences in opinion. Lately, however, there seems to be a distinct shift in their tone when they are talking about Barack Obama. I hear fear in their voices. This is odd to me because I don't understand why these educated people who are more than capable of defending themselves would sound this way.

The fear in their voices sounds like when entertainers are losing a crowd and frantically start pulling every trick from their hat to keep them from leaving the building. It's as if they are worried they are running out of things to say. I visualize a kitchen with dozens of cooks frantically running around trying to concoct a Thanksgiving dinner out of a jar of mustard, three pickles, two olives, and some stale bread. It just can't be done, but by God, they're gonna try.

Even their ace in the hole, John McCain, can't save them, for he's only got more stale bread to bring to the table.

Conservative talk radio sounds more and more like a group of people telling me all the reasons we shouldn't want to make turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing for Thanksgiving this year, and why we should rather be happy with mustard, pickle and olive sandwiches. No matter how they sell it, spin it, present it, or package it, we just don't want it. What we do want is to keep what is right with our country, and add some key ingredients that are only going to make it better.

I think I can sum up this whole situation with a quote from Hamlet: "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."

Methinks I didn't know conservative talk radio was a she.

Be A Part of the "Sign" of the Future: PEACE!

Barack Obama supporters in Colorado Springs, please listen up!! Let's start a movement by using a signal that we can give to each other, confirming our mutual support for Mr. Barack Obama. We can signal each other when we are in traffic, out in the stores, or just walking around in our communities. The signal could be a simple peace sign with our hands, just lifting two fingers up as a sign of solidarity, a discreet but tasteful way of saying we are standing behind a man who is going to give us change, hope, progress and a better America.

Remember, when you give this peace sign to someone, it will be as if a thousand words will have been exchanged, and a beautiful connection will happen between you and someone you don't even know. This can be Colorado's way of showing our support in a visible and active way. We need to put our passion and good thoughts about Obama into action and become part of a positive and unique movement right here in our beautiful state of Colorado and city of Colorado Springs.

So, let's make Barack proud and show him that change is already happening here in Colorado and Colorado Springs, and this state is behind him, beside him, supporting him in every way and all the way to the White House!

Peace, light and blessings to you all. Yes we can...and go Obama!

Obama, Will You Read Us "Green Eggs And Ham"?

The United States is the greatest nation on God's green Earth. Humans are the most loving beings on the planet. We regard every human life as sacred. The way we care for one another is astounding. We give until we have nothing left. When tragedy strikes others, we are right there to pick up the pieces and help others rebuild. When a life hangs in the balance, we run to catch their fall. When freedom is threatened, or faced with terror and tyranny, we are there with our flag in hand to restore peace and democracy. We give everything to save each other, to save our planet, to save the honeybees, to save animals from extinction, to save ourselves from diseases that kill us, to save our children, to save our future, to save all that is good and to rid all that is bad in this world.

So how is it that a nation that is so prone to good, so giving and able to help one another in times of hardship and struggle has suddenly become a nation that seems so divisive and polarized? How is it we are unable to come together in the political arena and string together a sentence without conflicts and impasses arising that are impossible to overcome? Are we really so shattered that we have lost our ability to solve our own problems, and in a way that is done in unity so as to work in harmony with each one another? The answer is yes...and no.

No, because we do have the ability, but yes because we have not put this ability to full use for a long time. In our own lives and communities, we are all doing our own things which support worthy causes and people. These are all wonderful efforts going on across the country, in big ways and in small, from one home to another, all of us doing what we can to be a part of some solution, any solution. If we use the analogy of a blanket, all these efforts are like little knitted circles of thread, independently created to be a part of one, massive blanket. Each unique circle will become its small, but critical contribution to something larger than itself. However, without the "glue" in between these individual circles, there can be no blanket. No connection between all these beautiful efforts means only millions of small pretty doilies that sit independently next to each other, but don't have that all-important thread binding them all together so the blanket can be held up for others to see in all its magnificent splendor and glory.

The blanket's glue must be a singular thread that begins at one point of the blanket, and ends at that very same point, so the thread has no breaks or weaknesses anywhere within or around it. The blanket of individual circles is only as strong as its connecting thread, for if there is even a small break in the blanket, the whole blanket could become easily unraveled. So who weaves this all-important thread? We do. We, along with the leader of our great nation, weave this thread together. In word and deed, we weave the thread, fix the thread, or unravel it. We ARE the blanket of America, beautiful in every way, not in our perfections, but in our extraordinary drive and determination to keep the sum of all our parts together. We demonstrate our fortitude and conviction for our own by being fearless leaders, courageous fighters, and beautiful human beings towards each other. When seen intact, the blanket of America is the most beautiful sight in the world. But seen with rips and tears in it, it's a sight of horror to us all. However, for some monstrous people in the world, this is a vision they hope and pray to see more of every day.

A good friend told me recently that he loved and respected my writing, but didn't feel it belonged in the world of politics. Instead, he thought I should be writing for children, whose worlds were still pure and where fairy tales and happy endings still existed. He said my writing reflected my own hopes and dreams for the future and about people, which he said were too idealistic for the cruel and cut-throat world of politics. Maybe he is right. Then again, maybe he is wrong, and perhaps politics has become a dark and bleak world that desperately needs more writers like me to come into it. Perhaps more politicians like Barack Obama who talk about "hope" and "change" and "a brighter future", terms he is mercilessly criticized for as being too idealistic, need to take the risk and jump into the political ring.

Should we as a nation, in the year 2008, still be feuding over race, gender, religious preference or sexual orientation? After all our wars fought, and throughout all these decades...centuries...are we really still stuck on these matters? Have we not made enough progress that we cannot move onto the bigger things facing us, like terrorism, the freedom of our allies, nuclear war, the health of our planet, and the outlook for the future? Perhaps the cold, hard truth staring us in the face is that we have not fully dealt with these old issues and that until we do, they will rear their ugly head every time we face an issue that requires we come together and work as a nation.

American's don't give up easily. We are fierce in our commitments to ourselves, to each other, and to those in the world who need us. But as we do this, we need great leaders to help us, guide us, and inspire us along the way. Everyone wants and hopes for a good leader...not just kids. Like an orchestra's conductor, America wants that person we can look up to and trust to coordinate all the different parts of our country so that when we all come together the world hears nothing but our very best song. We are givers, nurturers, care-givers, and life supporters. We are real people with real lives who have real problems and worries. We truly believe that we can solve our problems, but without a positive, strong, visionary leader guiding us from Washington D.C., we are becoming tired and morale is getting low.

Barack Obama is giving people everywhere that single bit of light, that single act of trust in us, that single gesture of encouragement, that single reminder of hope that we can work and solve together. Barack Obama is also reminding this nation and the world that when America comes together, there is nothing we can't solve, no obstacle too high for us, and no bridge we can't cross to come together. He is reminding us and the world that when America decides it's time to pull together, we are the mightiest and strongest body of people on the planet.

If supporting Barack Obama and his vision for America and our future is akin to a child who wants to hear her favorite book read to her, then I suppose I am guilty of being an 8-year-old girl looking for that moment in her life when all was peaceful and happy, and the future was nothing but an open and beautiful horizon of opportunity and adventure.

The worst thing in the world is to watch a child's wonder and amazement in the impossible being possible fade away. My 10-year-old still believes in the tooth fairy because she wants it to be so, therefore she exists. I pray every day that she and the tooth fairy are always together, for this is the magic of the human spirit that turns any potential into reality, and uncovers the unseen joy this world can give us if we truly want it. I cultivate these qualities in my children, for I know they are the teachers of the future, the caretakers of my generation and the ones who will carry us into new realms of understanding and where endless possibilities do exist.

So, as I march forward, supporting whom I hope to be our next President, I'll be here in "fairy tale land", with my Barack Obama lapel pin on, hoping for change and a better and brighter tomorrow.

Dianne Perea

When Barack and Michelle Said Goodbye

There are many wonderful things I could say about Barack Obama's nomination acceptance speech in St. Paul, Minn. However, I want to talk about a moment most people probably didn't even notice, an exchange between Barack and Michelle that was so quick, yet I believe to be the most important moment of Barack's entire time on the stage.

Barack had just finished talking to the enthusiastic and happy crowd. Everyone was cheering wildly and he was waving and thanking everyone. Michelle then gracefully walked on stage to join Barack. Arm in arm, they both turned to the crowd with grateful waves. Then, Barack turned away from the crowd and looked right at Michelle.

With a loving smile, Barack's lips said to her, "Thank you." He hugged her and then he pulled back and again said to her, "Thank you." They stood looking at each other with an eye-to-eye gaze that seemed to drown out everything around them, allowing them to be silently together for a few, final moments in a life they knew would never be again after this day. His eyes said to her, "Thank you for all you are sacrificing for me to serve our country. Thank you for being the strong woman you are so I am able to do this. Thank you for being willing to sacrifice our normal marriage and family life for what I want to do for our great nation. Thank you for being the wonderful woman that you are."

Her eyes said to him, "I love you, Barack. I am so proud of you. Your girls love you and are so proud of you. This will be hard for us, but we are ready for anything in order for the American people to have you as their president. Together, we can do this. Yes... we can."

As I watched the crowd cheer for Obama, I realized that this was the moment he was being "taken" by the country to be elevated to position of Commander in Chief. And in a surreal and sad way, it was as if Barack and Michelle were saying a kind of "good-bye" to one another in that very brief and fleeting moment on that stage together.

This is when I truly understood something far deeper and more personal about the Obama family that brought me to tears, tears that streamed down my neck. This family is willing to sacrifice everything they have for the good of this nation.

Barack has willingly made a decision that will make time with his small girls and his wife very hard to find, if not impossible. As a mother of two children the ages of Barack's, I can't imagine how difficult a decision this is for Michelle and Obama to make. Our girls need and want both of their parents on a daily basis. I can't imagine trying to raise my girls without my husband being home with us on a consistent basis, and yet this is how it will be for the Obama family now.

There are many ways people are able to serve our great nation. Running for president is a deeply sacrificial act which demonstrates a great love and passion for this country. Barack and Michelle Obama will no doubt rise to all the challenges that face them as they continue down this path towards presidency, but I would like to ask the nation to pray for them as they do. It is important to always remember that Barack and Michelle are people just like us with kids just like ours. If elected president, Barack and his family will move into a completely new life that they have never known which will require a lot of adjustments. There is no doubt, however, that the strength and fortitude of their family will see them through it all in good stead.

Barack, Michelle, we want thank you both for what you are doing for all of us, for this country, for the future of our children, and for the future of their children. God bless you both and your children every day. We know what you're sacrificing for us, which is why we are behind you, beside you every step of the way toward your journey to the White House. Thank you! Thank you! We wish you abundant love and new adventures that will bring your family closer together in exciting, once-in-a-lifetime ways!

Barack Reminds Me Why My Father Is My Hero

The instinct to know oneself is a force so strong, it transcends our human thinking. - Dianne Perea
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I never knew my biological father. He and my mother went their separate ways when I was barely 2 and my brother had just been born. My mom remarried soon after my brother's birth and had two more children with the man who is my father today. Like Barack Obama, I know what it's like to feel half of you is a total mystery, and how this pulls at your soul every day. You want to reach out and discover this missing side of you so badly, it hurts.

When I was 29, after the birth of my first child, I decided it was time to send a letter to my biological father. I had known his whereabouts for many years, but never had the courage to write him. It was a simple letter with a few photos of me, my husband, my new daughter Emily and my brother. It wasn't an easy letter to write, although I had written a thousand in my head over the years. I had thought by then he would have tried to reach me. I also worried about the repercussions this contact might have on my mother and beloved stepfather, the only father I ever knew. With a lick and a stamp, I put the letter in the mail. Then the waiting and the questioning began. Would he write back? Would he board a plane and show up on my doorstep? Or perhaps would I hear nothing at all.

About two weeks later, a response letter came in my mailbox. I remember the day so vividly. It was a cold day in January. I couldn't get back inside from the mailbox fast enough. My husband was home at the time and we ceremoniously read the letter together. My hands were trembling. After the first three warm and inviting sentences, I was so encouraged. But nothing could prepare me for what I was about to read next.

"Dianne, honey, this is your grandmother and grandfather. Your Dad died 3 years ago. He was 46." The rest was a blur. I scanned the rest of the letter with tears streaming down my face until finally my husband took the letter from my hands and read the rest out loud. The last words I remember hearing my husband read was that my letter was written on the anniversary of his death, an eerie, yet comforting coincidence.

When there are just too many words to say, silence is sometimes the best place to start. I put on my boots, called for my dog and walked into the chilly, gray, January hillsides outside my home. For hours I walked, pondered what it all meant, and felt the warmth of my tears fall down my cold face and lips. Gone were all the hopes and dreams I had of one day meeting my father face to face and him meeting me. Meeting my father consumed me like a raging fire. I had so desperately wanted to dive into those flames, rescue whatever I could from this all-consuming, beastly blaze so we could all walk away from the wounds of the past and move forward towards resolution and healing. I managed to do many of those things with other people, but I didn't do them with my father.

Barack Obama is facing head on one of our nation's most devastating fires: race in America. It took tremendous courage for Obama to say what he did March 18. He risked it all and he knew it. Afterwards, television journalists kept asking, "But did he go far enough?" In my opinion, that's like asking the decathlon winner, "Did you go far enough?" Where else could he have gone? What else could he have said? How much better could he have explained himself?

This whole thing reminds me how the Pharisees always tried to "A-HA!" Jesus by asking him problems that He had no winning answers to. Either way, they thought, whirling their scheming hands, Jesus was trapped. But every time, Jesus would give an answer that avoided their trap, answers that elevated the entire discussion to a higher ground, ground the Pharisees could not see because they were stuck in the mud.

Am I saying Barack is like Jesus? Of course not. I am simply making the point that since the time of Jesus and before, groups of powerful leaders don't like individuals "bucking the system" or saying things that make people uncomfortable, especially when it's cutting too close to home.

Back to my living father. My stepfather is my hero. He picked up the embers of my mother's life, a mother with two small children with no hope, no promise of a bright future, and brought us all out of a different kind of fire. He dusted us off, took us under his wing, and overnight, he went from bachelorhood to fatherhood. He stood by my mother and raised me and my brother as if we were his own flesh and blood. Shortly after they were married, he and my mother had two children together. We were a handsome foursome, my siblings and I, but as we grew up, obvious physical differences between me and my brother and my sisters appeared. Enter the elephant in the room. I discovered that my dad was not my "real" dad at the tender age of 13. That's when my world collapsed, and one of my lives ended, and a new one began.

Did my father ever say or do things that made me uncomfortable growing up? Yes. Did he mean to? No. Did he ever mean to hurt me? No. My father and my mother did their best to compensate in a difficult situation. Now, if I were somehow to produce a video of my father interacting with me at a young age where I am visibly upset by him, would I then be asked to denounce my father? I know what the comeback is to this ... you can't choose your family, but you can choose where you worship. Well, sorry, I don't see the difference. My father and my mother made me the person I am today. We all weathered some pretty rough times, but the point is ... we stuck it out and stuck together.

Barack's speech was not just about race. His speech was about commitment, honesty, bravery, courage and integrity, bridging the gaps that exist everywhere, but most of all, not throwing any human being under the bus for any reason. That's not what Barack does, and that's not what Americans do.

I am a white woman, but I know what it feels like to not quite belong. This is Barack's point. We've all experienced this feeling in some form or another, so the burning question was, is, and shall remain, "How can we all get along?" We had to ask that question in my family 40 years ago and we found an answer. If my family can do it, so can America.