| Commentary and Philosophy Fiction posted October 30, 2008 |
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Let me pretend to be President Obama
Challenges are Opportunities
by Annmuma
Well, the election is over, the people have spoken and here I stand. Thank you, my fellow Americans, for the opportunity to serve you in the highest office in the land. Indeed, there are those who would say, by virtue of your endorsement, I am now the most powerful person in the world.
So, why is it I feel so small and powerless? It is because my power comes from you, from this country, from our ability to unite in our quest for freedom, justice and a better world. Without you, I am small and powerless. We've heard a lot about straight talk over the last couple of years, and I know Senator McCain is an honest and patriotic man. I also know that neither of us had the ability to be completely straight forward with you. We were hampered by the media, each other's campaigns, the fanatics on both sides, in short, the craziness of politics. But, today, right this minute, I can say whatever I choose, and whatever that is will set the foundation of our communication over the next four years.
The first thing I want to do is share with you how I felt when I got up this morning. It was not so different from what I've experienced at various times in my life. Indeed, not so different from what you've experienced in your own lives. I've got a new job. I've worked hard to get it, and you all hired me. There was a lot of discussion before you signed me on, and I know many good, patriotic, caring Americans felt I was not qualified for the position. It's my challenge to convince them otherwise and to validate the faith of my supporters. I recognize the seriousness and the importance of my task, and that's why --just for a second this morning-- I thought: What the hell was I thinking! I had a good job, making good money. My wife had a good job. My kids were happy. Why did I think I was capable of being President of the United States of America? More than that, why did I want the job?
Then the fog cleared, and I remembered my childhood, my values, my hopes and my dreams. I want my children and your children to have the same opportunities I had. They cannot, unless we change directions, and that's what I represent, a step away from where we are now, from where we've been in the last eight years and a step toward what we must be again.
I don't have a crystal ball or a magic bullet. I have faith in you and in your ability to run this country. You chose me and I'm at your mercy. It's your responsibility to hold my feet to the fire, to insist that I don't renege on the things most important to you and your families. It's your responsibility to know who's doing what with your money and to speak up if we drop the ball. I will listen. Speak to me via your represented officials. Stay involved, know the issues and who sponsors what bill. Burn up those telephone lines with your thoughts and ideas. We are your government, and we serve under your authority. Don't abdicate that right, enforce it.
My job is to lead, to put the right people in the right spots, to choose the brightest and best economic minds in the world to craft our way out of the quagmire we find ourselves in. My job is to evaluate those plans, those suggestions and to foster the ones I believe most appropriate to the timely solution of our economic woes. My job is to prioritize our list of goals. Those campaign promises I made --you and I both know what they are. They are hopes and dreams and goals, and I cannot fulfill even one of them without the support of a lot learned people.
My cabinet will be bi-partisan, made up of Democrats and Republicans. As I fill the vacancies, from Secretary of Defense to Press Secretary, I'll review every resume with you in mind. You are their ultimate employer, and I'll remember that as I choose the staff to help me and Joe Biden go about your work. There is much to learn from every election, both from defeat and from victory, but those lessons coming from victory are so much more difficult to grasp.
In this election, more than any other in my lifetime, the winners, the victors, are honor bound to learn the lesson that their job is to work toward making the American people winners again. I am standing here because you voted for change. Every person on my team will be reminded regularly that they occupy their position because you wanted change. My victory is empty unless you get your money's worth from my administration. I'll listen to those who disagree with me most vehemently, as I don't need yes-men to massage my ego. I need ideas, honest opinions and open discussion to be sure I earn your respect by the quality of my administration's operation.
Last night, as reality sank in, I looked again at the list of promises made in the heat of the campaign, and the seriousness of our country's plight became absolute in my mind. First and foremost, we will examine our economy. The Legislature and President Bush passed a seven-hundred-billion dollar bail-out bill. On day one, I will again examine that bill, the authority it grants and the safeguards it includes. I will appoint a commission made up of the greatest economic minds we have available --minds from both sides of the issue-- to determine the best use of those funds and how they can become a true investment in our children's future. This cannot be an open-ended debate. We have a finite amount of time in which to limit the damages done from the financial meltdown, and I will stay on top of this challenge.
In conjunction with administering those funds, I will begin a conversation with the most qualified experts in our country to formulate the map to freedom from foreign oil dependency. Leaders in all the associated fields of interest, from oil to environment, will be equally represented. The route we charter will create thousands, hundreds of thousands of new living-wage jobs that cannot be exported.
In America, there should be no such thing as the working-poor. As the richest country in the world, we cannot afford to have men and women who work two jobs or more and still cannot pay their rent, buy groceries and have health care. The minimum wage must be a living wage, and health care must be guaranteed. Those things go hand-in-hand with the climb toward financial stability, freedom from foreign oil dependency and peace in our world. A strong America is a safer America.
As President Clinton once said: "There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be fixed by what's right with America." I thank you for your support and ask for your help as we turn this country around. We'll all be asked to make sacrifices, and it's our duty to be sure that unselfishness is rewarded by opportunities for ourselves, our children and our grandchildren. I stand here as your president because you chose hope over fear. I give you my word that I'll do my best to measure up to your expectations. I know there are checks and balances in this country, and I ask you to hold me accountable for my performance.
You, the voters, write my paycheck, and I'll never forget for whom I work.
Well, the election is over, the people have spoken and here I stand. Thank you, my fellow Americans, for the opportunity to serve you in the highest office in the land. Indeed, there are those who would say, by virtue of your endorsement, I am now the most powerful person in the world.
So, why is it I feel so small and powerless? It is because my power comes from you, from this country, from our ability to unite in our quest for freedom, justice and a better world. Without you, I am small and powerless. We've heard a lot about straight talk over the last couple of years, and I know Senator McCain is an honest and patriotic man. I also know that neither of us had the ability to be completely straight forward with you. We were hampered by the media, each other's campaigns, the fanatics on both sides, in short, the craziness of politics. But, today, right this minute, I can say whatever I choose, and whatever that is will set the foundation of our communication over the next four years.
The first thing I want to do is share with you how I felt when I got up this morning. It was not so different from what I've experienced at various times in my life. Indeed, not so different from what you've experienced in your own lives. I've got a new job. I've worked hard to get it, and you all hired me. There was a lot of discussion before you signed me on, and I know many good, patriotic, caring Americans felt I was not qualified for the position. It's my challenge to convince them otherwise and to validate the faith of my supporters. I recognize the seriousness and the importance of my task, and that's why --just for a second this morning-- I thought: What the hell was I thinking! I had a good job, making good money. My wife had a good job. My kids were happy. Why did I think I was capable of being President of the United States of America? More than that, why did I want the job?
Then the fog cleared, and I remembered my childhood, my values, my hopes and my dreams. I want my children and your children to have the same opportunities I had. They cannot, unless we change directions, and that's what I represent, a step away from where we are now, from where we've been in the last eight years and a step toward what we must be again.
I don't have a crystal ball or a magic bullet. I have faith in you and in your ability to run this country. You chose me and I'm at your mercy. It's your responsibility to hold my feet to the fire, to insist that I don't renege on the things most important to you and your families. It's your responsibility to know who's doing what with your money and to speak up if we drop the ball. I will listen. Speak to me via your represented officials. Stay involved, know the issues and who sponsors what bill. Burn up those telephone lines with your thoughts and ideas. We are your government, and we serve under your authority. Don't abdicate that right, enforce it.
My job is to lead, to put the right people in the right spots, to choose the brightest and best economic minds in the world to craft our way out of the quagmire we find ourselves in. My job is to evaluate those plans, those suggestions and to foster the ones I believe most appropriate to the timely solution of our economic woes. My job is to prioritize our list of goals. Those campaign promises I made --you and I both know what they are. They are hopes and dreams and goals, and I cannot fulfill even one of them without the support of a lot learned people.
My cabinet will be bi-partisan, made up of Democrats and Republicans. As I fill the vacancies, from Secretary of Defense to Press Secretary, I'll review every resume with you in mind. You are their ultimate employer, and I'll remember that as I choose the staff to help me and Joe Biden go about your work. There is much to learn from every election, both from defeat and from victory, but those lessons coming from victory are so much more difficult to grasp.
In this election, more than any other in my lifetime, the winners, the victors, are honor bound to learn the lesson that their job is to work toward making the American people winners again. I am standing here because you voted for change. Every person on my team will be reminded regularly that they occupy their position because you wanted change. My victory is empty unless you get your money's worth from my administration. I'll listen to those who disagree with me most vehemently, as I don't need yes-men to massage my ego. I need ideas, honest opinions and open discussion to be sure I earn your respect by the quality of my administration's operation.
Last night, as reality sank in, I looked again at the list of promises made in the heat of the campaign, and the seriousness of our country's plight became absolute in my mind. First and foremost, we will examine our economy. The Legislature and President Bush passed a seven-hundred-billion dollar bail-out bill. On day one, I will again examine that bill, the authority it grants and the safeguards it includes. I will appoint a commission made up of the greatest economic minds we have available --minds from both sides of the issue-- to determine the best use of those funds and how they can become a true investment in our children's future. This cannot be an open-ended debate. We have a finite amount of time in which to limit the damages done from the financial meltdown, and I will stay on top of this challenge.
In conjunction with administering those funds, I will begin a conversation with the most qualified experts in our country to formulate the map to freedom from foreign oil dependency. Leaders in all the associated fields of interest, from oil to environment, will be equally represented. The route we charter will create thousands, hundreds of thousands of new living-wage jobs that cannot be exported.
In America, there should be no such thing as the working-poor. As the richest country in the world, we cannot afford to have men and women who work two jobs or more and still cannot pay their rent, buy groceries and have health care. The minimum wage must be a living wage, and health care must be guaranteed. Those things go hand-in-hand with the climb toward financial stability, freedom from foreign oil dependency and peace in our world. A strong America is a safer America.
As President Clinton once said: "There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be fixed by what's right with America." I thank you for your support and ask for your help as we turn this country around. We'll all be asked to make sacrifices, and it's our duty to be sure that unselfishness is rewarded by opportunities for ourselves, our children and our grandchildren. I stand here as your president because you chose hope over fear. I give you my word that I'll do my best to measure up to your expectations. I know there are checks and balances in this country, and I ask you to hold me accountable for my performance.
You, the voters, write my paycheck, and I'll never forget for whom I work.
So, why is it I feel so small and powerless? It is because my power comes from you, from this country, from our ability to unite in our quest for freedom, justice and a better world. Without you, I am small and powerless. We've heard a lot about straight talk over the last couple of years, and I know Senator McCain is an honest and patriotic man. I also know that neither of us had the ability to be completely straight forward with you. We were hampered by the media, each other's campaigns, the fanatics on both sides, in short, the craziness of politics. But, today, right this minute, I can say whatever I choose, and whatever that is will set the foundation of our communication over the next four years.
The first thing I want to do is share with you how I felt when I got up this morning. It was not so different from what I've experienced at various times in my life. Indeed, not so different from what you've experienced in your own lives. I've got a new job. I've worked hard to get it, and you all hired me. There was a lot of discussion before you signed me on, and I know many good, patriotic, caring Americans felt I was not qualified for the position. It's my challenge to convince them otherwise and to validate the faith of my supporters. I recognize the seriousness and the importance of my task, and that's why --just for a second this morning-- I thought: What the hell was I thinking! I had a good job, making good money. My wife had a good job. My kids were happy. Why did I think I was capable of being President of the United States of America? More than that, why did I want the job?
Then the fog cleared, and I remembered my childhood, my values, my hopes and my dreams. I want my children and your children to have the same opportunities I had. They cannot, unless we change directions, and that's what I represent, a step away from where we are now, from where we've been in the last eight years and a step toward what we must be again.
I don't have a crystal ball or a magic bullet. I have faith in you and in your ability to run this country. You chose me and I'm at your mercy. It's your responsibility to hold my feet to the fire, to insist that I don't renege on the things most important to you and your families. It's your responsibility to know who's doing what with your money and to speak up if we drop the ball. I will listen. Speak to me via your represented officials. Stay involved, know the issues and who sponsors what bill. Burn up those telephone lines with your thoughts and ideas. We are your government, and we serve under your authority. Don't abdicate that right, enforce it.
My job is to lead, to put the right people in the right spots, to choose the brightest and best economic minds in the world to craft our way out of the quagmire we find ourselves in. My job is to evaluate those plans, those suggestions and to foster the ones I believe most appropriate to the timely solution of our economic woes. My job is to prioritize our list of goals. Those campaign promises I made --you and I both know what they are. They are hopes and dreams and goals, and I cannot fulfill even one of them without the support of a lot learned people.
My cabinet will be bi-partisan, made up of Democrats and Republicans. As I fill the vacancies, from Secretary of Defense to Press Secretary, I'll review every resume with you in mind. You are their ultimate employer, and I'll remember that as I choose the staff to help me and Joe Biden go about your work. There is much to learn from every election, both from defeat and from victory, but those lessons coming from victory are so much more difficult to grasp.
In this election, more than any other in my lifetime, the winners, the victors, are honor bound to learn the lesson that their job is to work toward making the American people winners again. I am standing here because you voted for change. Every person on my team will be reminded regularly that they occupy their position because you wanted change. My victory is empty unless you get your money's worth from my administration. I'll listen to those who disagree with me most vehemently, as I don't need yes-men to massage my ego. I need ideas, honest opinions and open discussion to be sure I earn your respect by the quality of my administration's operation.
Last night, as reality sank in, I looked again at the list of promises made in the heat of the campaign, and the seriousness of our country's plight became absolute in my mind. First and foremost, we will examine our economy. The Legislature and President Bush passed a seven-hundred-billion dollar bail-out bill. On day one, I will again examine that bill, the authority it grants and the safeguards it includes. I will appoint a commission made up of the greatest economic minds we have available --minds from both sides of the issue-- to determine the best use of those funds and how they can become a true investment in our children's future. This cannot be an open-ended debate. We have a finite amount of time in which to limit the damages done from the financial meltdown, and I will stay on top of this challenge.
In conjunction with administering those funds, I will begin a conversation with the most qualified experts in our country to formulate the map to freedom from foreign oil dependency. Leaders in all the associated fields of interest, from oil to environment, will be equally represented. The route we charter will create thousands, hundreds of thousands of new living-wage jobs that cannot be exported.
In America, there should be no such thing as the working-poor. As the richest country in the world, we cannot afford to have men and women who work two jobs or more and still cannot pay their rent, buy groceries and have health care. The minimum wage must be a living wage, and health care must be guaranteed. Those things go hand-in-hand with the climb toward financial stability, freedom from foreign oil dependency and peace in our world. A strong America is a safer America.
As President Clinton once said: "There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be fixed by what's right with America." I thank you for your support and ask for your help as we turn this country around. We'll all be asked to make sacrifices, and it's our duty to be sure that unselfishness is rewarded by opportunities for ourselves, our children and our grandchildren. I stand here as your president because you chose hope over fear. I give you my word that I'll do my best to measure up to your expectations. I know there are checks and balances in this country, and I ask you to hold me accountable for my performance.
You, the voters, write my paycheck, and I'll never forget for whom I work.
 Recognized |
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This is a contest entry required that we take an "If I were President approach to a political essay or story. I chose to assume an Obama persona and make my first speech. This is the sort of message I would like to hear next month from President Obama. 1,272 words. Suggestions for improving are encouraged! Thanks for reading.
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