Do you Remember

Fifteen years ago, this weekend? In November 2008, Americans elected Barack Obama as our President. I stood with friends and laughed and cried and hugged others. Many of us had worked so hard for months to see this day. We had endured abuse when we made phone calls and sometimes found others who agreed with us. We were ready for hope and change and were eager to see a new era of politics on the horizon.

As the young family stood on that stage in Chicago, we, along with millions of others, applauded the words we heard that night and those we listened to during the campaign.

For many of us, the journey started on a stage in Boston at the Democratic Convention in 2004 when a young orator took to the stage and spoke of his views for America. How there was no red America or blue America but a red white and blue America that brought together all of us as the United States of America.

Here is an excerpt from that frequently quoted speech:

“Yet even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there's not a liberal America and a conservative America - there's the United States of America. There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there's the United States of America. The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I've got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.”

Many did not accept those words, true as they were, even those who claimed to be patriots. Some, because they were spoken by a young black man, even as he noted, with a funny name. Others would use that “funny name” later to question his citizenship and deride his leadership.

But for many, those words brought them to his campaign when he announced on a wintry day in Illinois years later. Volunteers came; young and old, women, and men, black, white, Hispanic. Asian, and more. Immigrants who were first generation saw someone who knew them. Gay, straight, bi, and trans members were welcomed into the fold. We did everything campaigns usually do and more. Even now, fifteen years later, I still have friends from those days.

We wanted to make America better. And, if you looked at our cross-section of America, you knew we believed we could do so. We wanted a leader who could inspire, who could call us to our better selves, who could bring us together. I won’t recap the 8 years of Obamas’ presidency. We were there. Some critics say the actions did not match the rhetoric. But we have the Affordable Care Act, imperfect as it was, which pulled millions into the healthcare networks, despite years of lies and lobbying against it. Remember Sarah Palin and her Death Panels? Remember also Mitch McConnell, on the day of Obama's inauguration, pulling together a coalition of Republican forces to fight everything he tried to accomplish? And, of course, we cannot forget the idiocy of the birther campaigns or the savagery of the Tea Party movement, all based on lies.

Now, 15 years later, we are looking at a presidential year in 2024. We have candidates who do not inspire, but try to instill fear. Fear of the other, the foreigner, the immigrant, “the gays”.  There is a former president who vows to take names and punish enemies and presents himself both as a martyr and a retribution for all wrongs. We have a new Speaker in the House of Representatives who claims we do not have a democracy but a Christian republic.

Heather Cox Richardson describes his thinking in part: <heathercoxrichardson@substack.com>

“Johnson rejects the separation of church and state in our government, saying that the framers’ idea “clearly did not mean…to keep religion from influencing issues of civil government. To the contrary, it was meant to keep the federal government from impeding the religious practice of citizens. The Founders wanted to protect the church from an encroaching state, not the other way around.”

America is a country with many religions. According to Statistica, 26% of the country is affiliated with no religion. If one adds all of the members of Christian religions together, about half of the country identifies as Christian. The remaining groups include Hindu, Mormon, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, and others. So, for me, Christian nationalism just won’t fit this country.

Polls today claim that DJT, a man facing 91 indictments, is leading President Biden in several swing states. I certainly hope these stats change soon.

There is a ton of news this weekend, but I wanted to remind people of where we once were. Maybe our nation can again find hope and a belief in each other.

“Til next week, Peace!