I Want to Believe Again

My personal life over the past decade has been great: I'm happily married with two precious children. We have our health. Our parents, siblings and two grandparents are alive and important parts of our lives. We own a home in one of our favorite cities in the world. I worked my way up in my company to be a partner doing a job I enjoy. I have friends from various stages of my life, scattered about the country and around the world, with whom I'm still in touch.

Despite all these blessings, I feel despondent. Despondent for the future. Despite being sate, I feel starved. Starved for leadership. Despite my personal success, I feel failure. Failure as a nation to live up to the ideals upon which this country was built, ideals that have inspired the entire world and held the promise of peace: the rule of law; the principle that individuals have inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; rule by will of the majority but with individual freedoms to prevent this will from becoming tyrannical, the most important of which is the right to express one's opinions even if they contravene that will; a separation of church and state which includes the right to practice or not practice one's religion; three branches of government created to check and balance each other's powers.

This magnificent experiment called the United States has always been a work in progress, an imperfect one at that. We have many historical shameful wounds and scars--slavery, inequality between the sexes, discrimination based on immutable characteristics and xenophobia, to name a few. Yet our ideals have carried us through, righting many of these imperfections. While the legacies of many of these injustices linger, we continued to pursue the path of justice because we were evolving as a people.

But something terribly wrong happened in American politics. Politics have never been for the weak-stomached or faint of heart. But the divisiveness and fear-mongering of the past decade has degraded our political system to the brink of complete malfunction, and to the potential detriment of very existence as the country we've known and loved.

I have been filled with agita about our politics since the Lewinsky scandal in 1998, still incredulous that our president has to spend 18 months of his presidency defending himself against a personal misjudgment of no significant consequence to the country or its citizens (aside from the use of taxpayer-funded furniture as the backdrop for the indiscretions).

I have been repulsed by the hypocrisy of leaders who decry government intervention in the markets yet pruriently advocate it in our homes. I have been disgusted with business and political leaders not held accountable for their actions, who whined their way to exculpation and never had to face the consequences of their actions. I have been frustrated by kneejerk advocacy that plays to our baser selves and holds double standards, where loudness of expression has replaced thoughtfulness of expression, arrogance has been revered more than humility, mendacity has trumped honesty, incuriousness has been accepted over intellectualism. I find it horrifying that a complex, gray world has been 'led' (misled) by a simpleton who sees it in black and white...and worse, that my fellow countrymen re-elected him. I have been livid that his and his administration's ignorance had resulted in our ignominy.

I have been dismayed to realize how many of our fellow citizens do not understand the implicit social contract that comes with our citizenship--that our rights are preserved only when we accept the responsibilities that come with them. I have been disheartened because, following our so-called leaders, we as citizens have blindly and often blithely fallen into the same patterns: a growing ethos that our actions don't really have consequences, greater disregard and less respect for each other, an inability to understand--or even see--another person's point of view.

This "us v. them" mentality demeans, debases and demonizes the person who holds a different opinion as the "other," someone less human and less worthy of respect. This attitude, way too pervasive over the past decade, is pernicious to our very being. When we see our leaders behaving this way, it trickles down through society--to parties to a contract who can't negotiate with each other, or parents who break out into a Jerry Springer-esque fight at their kids' hockey game over a bad call.

What we have suffered over the past decade has taken a tremendous toll on the citizenry, not only of the United States but of the entire world. Only a significant change in leadership will set us back on the right course.

Fear is a weapon of division, hope an instrument of unity. Recently I have been filled with hope that this change is coming. I have been inspired by Barack Obama since he gave his first historic speech, at the 2004 Democratic convention. I was moved because he said what I've been thinking, though much more eloquently than I could have said it. He echoed my worldview that to live in a just, civil society requires that we focus on what unites us rather than divides us. With tears in my eyes over this national newcomer's masterful oration, I said to my wife, "This will be the first president our children will vote for." In the fall of 2006, as murmurs of his presidential run grew louder, I said to my wife, "It looks like they'll be too young to vote for him." But oh, how excited I was then that we would be able to do so in two years.

I predicted in late 2006 not only that Barack Obama would beat Hillary Clinton to become the Democratic nominee, but also that he would become our next president. I knew that Barack Obama had tapped into the zeitgeist and understood what so many of us were feeling. I knew that, in contrast with leaders completely disconnected from real people (and I'm not referring to Hillary here--I think she would've been very good, too), he understood the needs of average citizens. I knew that his experience as a community leader and as a lawyer advocating on behalf of those less fortunate showed that he is compassionate in deeds, not just words.

I knew that as a person of mixed race he could credibly relate to an ever-more diverse American populace in 2008 and to a world citizenry that has grown weary and wary of American's sense of self and overblown self-esteem.

I knew that as a father of young children, he wants the same things for his family that I want for mine: opportunity born of an education system that truly educates rather than trains its children, that instills in them a sense of civic responsibility, that teaches them how to think, that nourishes their innate curiosity and hunger to learn, that encourages their creativity, that appreciates the value of both the "softer" humanities and the "harder" sciences.

I knew that he wants his daughters to grow up in a society that rewards hard work. A society that reveres and rewards the heroes we know--teachers, nurses, care-takers, advocates for the less fortunate, research scientists, firefighters, law enforcement--as well as we revere and reward those heroes we see on the TV screen and in the movie theatre, on the field and on the court.

I knew that he wants for his family and all Americans a health care system that encourages healthy behavior yet provides for all its citizens, even when they're not healthy. I knew that he supports a woman's right to choose, but that he also supports the education and information that will reduce the number of unintended pregnancies in the first place. I knew that he believes in science and evolution and that he supports the stem cell research that could minimize or even alleviate the pain and suffering of millions of people.

I knew that Barack Obama wants his family and all of us to be safe from those who wish to harm or destroy us. I have confidence that his background gives him a sense of understanding that will be respected by leaders abroad, that he will pursue a more disciplined, diplomatic approach to international relations, summoning our allies to confront our enemies, using force only when necessary. By re-establishing the United States as a country that lives up to its professed ideals, he knows that we may be able to win over the hearts and minds of some of those who have grown ever more hostile to us because of our hubris and disregard for international law. (What's most remarkable is that can do all this without even being able to see Russia from his house!) I know that he still has a lot to learn, but I know he's a quick study and that he surrounds himself with people from whom he can continue to learn, so that we can return to being a respected force for good.

I knew that Obama's plan to fix the economy would be comprehensive, systematic and fair. Call him a redistributionist or socialist, but Obama's tax plan redresses the most egregious redistribution of wealth in the history of our country, a redistribution upward that has marked the wealthy-first, cronies-über-alles economic failures of unregulated laissez-faire, promulgated by Bush and supported by Sen. McCain (whom I respected much more, when he initially opposed the initial Bush tax cuts, and did other 'mavericky' things).

I knew that Obama is smart enough to recognize the vital link between our economy and national security. He knows that we need a real, aggressive plan that gets us off Mideast oil as soon as possible--that we can't keep propping petro-dictators and hope to be safe, nor can the planet afford to keep recklessly burning fossil fuels without it continuing to wither and make life more challenging for more and more of its inhabitants.

I have been predicting a landslide victory in the general election since earlier this year before he even won the Democratic party nomination. I have predicted this because I have faith in my fellow citizens that this time we will get it right, that enough people have seen the light and want to move beyond the politics of the past 10 years. Obama is the kind of leader we've been craving, someone who connected with us emotionally because he understood our needs. He acknowledged that we wanted more and deserve more from our politicians, and he has inspired us to expect that we can actually receive more.

But he also expects more from us. He was the only candidate of all 20 aspirants who knew this campaign was not about him alone, but that it was about all of us. He understands the social contract. Tapping his community organizing skills, he has led a campaign of unprecedented breadth and depth of involvement. He has motivated us to be part of the political process again and thus become active in solving our problems. Perhaps his opponents should not have derided him for this part of his background. As part of his massive campaign, he has leveraged the highly democratized technology of social networking, further demonstrating an understanding of the way Americans live in the new millennium (and proving that he is quite familiar with the Internets!).

Barack Obama has returned civil discourse to an era stained by bitter ad hominen attacks. He has rejected such attacks throughout the campaign. He does not denigrate his opponents' character, but rather acknowledges their dignity and pays respect to their service to the country. He listens to--and welcomes--the views of others, rather than malign their character or question their patriotism. What a refreshing way for politicians to behave. What if that kind of approach were to trickle down to all levels of society? What if we behaved like that more often in our business dealings, social settings and kids' Little League games? I assume--and hope--that Obama will show by example, including Republicans like Chuck Hagel, Richard Lugar, Colin Powell, even Arnold Schwarzeneggar in his Cabinet or advisory roles.

Martin Luther King would be proud that 45 years after his prophetic speech, his dream is being fulfilled, that we in the United States are embracing a presidential candidate because of the content of his character rather than the color of his skin--though too many still try to disparage him, albeit subtly, on that basis. (To those narrow-minded bigoted folks, I suggest, "then vote for the white half.") In contrast with the current president, who's a divider, Barack Obama is a uniter. I am a late-30s straight Jew of European descent who has been inspired and wowed sitting in Obama campaign offices beside people older and younger than I--Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, atheist; gay and straight; of African, Asian and Hispanic descent--all united by our belief in a better tomorrow, for America and for the world.

One request... Please stop saying that Obama is running to become the first African-American president. No, he's running to become president. When he wins, he will be the first African-American president. But he will be president of all of us. And I will be proud again of my country for finally voting in the leadership we really need. We will have gotten it right.

Barack Obama has made me think a lot about Jackie Robinson, whose story of courage helped shape my worldview when I first read about him in a children's book on values when I was eight. The book presented Jackie's conscience as an anthropomorphized ragtag ball named Rags. In the face of racial epithets and other hostile actions against him on and off the field, Jackie would consult with Rags, weighing how to respond. Should he stoop to the level of his antagonizers and fight back dirty, or should he take the high road and prove himself on the field by being the best player he could be, and off the field by being the best person he could be? He opted for the latter, to be the bigger person, to be a fierce competitor, but also a mensch. He gained the respect of blacks and whites alike with his fortitude and discipline.

That's what Barack has done, with the same level of dignity and aplomb. Like Jackie, he had little room for error, and he has made very few. (Imagine what would have been said about him if Sasha or Malia became an unwed teen expectant mother, like Gov. Palin's daughter.)

He has shown us incredible promise. He has challenged our biases and made his think more about how we all view race and how we view our country. He has proven himself to be a formidable competitor, tougher than he was initially given credit for, tougher than the spindly toothpick Gov. Schwarzeneggar has painted him as.

We face monumental challenges for the foreseeable future. Fear is a weapon of division, hope an instrument of unity. As President Lincoln warned, a house divided cannot stand. We need a president who can unify the country for the tough work that lies ahead.

Barack Obama has the integrity and intelligence, compassion and composure, authenticity, judgment, temperament and discipline we need in a president. He is idealistic without being an idealogue, but he is also a pragmatist. If he lives up to his potential, he could be one of our best, most transformational presidents ever. That's what are hoping for.

Admittedly, many of us have projected a lot onto this man, perhaps more than a mere mortal can handle. Inevitably, we will be disappointed with something at some point in his administration. But to know that we are all pursuing the same goal--the right goal--will allow us to forgive him for stumbles along the way. His supporters all want him to succeed. That's the majority of the population. Let's hope those who don't vote for him at least have the decency and self-respect to support him and give him the chance to be the best leader he can be. I'm talking especially to people like Limbaugh, Hannity, Savage and all the others who made a living off vicious, distorted partisan assaults. Perhaps they will be inspired to change, too.

I want our children to grow up in a country they can be proud of, the way I was when I was growing up. I want to believe again...