Change We Can Believe In

An Open Letter to Barack Obama

Since his historic victory in the Democratic primary, there have been signs that Obama is wavering on some of the core commitments that moved so many progressive voices, including at The Nation, to support him. Please join this open letter calling on Obama to stand firm so he can deliver the change he's encouraged us to believe is possible.

Dear Senator Obama, We write to congratulate you on the tremendous achievements of your campaign for the presidency of the United States. Your candidacy has inspired a wave of political enthusiasm like nothing seen in this country for decades. In your speeches, you have sketched out a vision of a better future—in which the United States sheds its warlike stance around the globe and focuses on diplomacy abroad and greater equality and freedom for its citizens at home—that has thrilled voters across the political spectrum. Hundreds of thousands of young people have entered the political process for the first time, African--American voters have rallied behind you, and many of those alienated from politics-as-usual have been re-engaged. You stand today at the head of a movement that believes deeply in the change you have claimed as the mantle of your campaign. The millions who attend your rallies, donate to your campaign and visit your website are a powerful testament to this new movement’s energy and passion. This movement is vital for two reasons: First, it will help assure your victory against John McCain in November. The long night of greed and military adventurism under the Bush Administration, which a McCain administration would continue, cannot be brought to an end a day too soon. An enthusiastic corps of volunteers and organizers will ensure that voters turn out to close the book on the Bush era on election day. Second, having helped bring you the White House, the support of this movement will make possible the changes that have been the platform of your campaign. Only a grassroots base as broad and as energized as the one that is behind you can counteract the forces of money and established power that are a dead weight on those seeking real change in American politics. We urge you, then, to listen to the voices of the people who can lift you to the presidency and beyond. Since your historic victory in the primary, there have been troubling signs that you are moving away from the core commitments shared by many who have supported your campaign, toward a more cautious and centrist stance—including, most notably, your vote for the FISA legislation granting telecom companies immunity from prosecution for illegal wiretapping, which angered and dismayed so many of your supporters. We recognize that compromise is necessary in any democracy. We understand that the pressures brought to bear on those seeking the highest office are intense. But retreating from the stands that have been the signature of your campaign will weaken the movement whose vigorous backing you need in order to win and then deliver the change you have promised. Here are key positions you have embraced that we believe are essential to sustaining this movement: § Withdrawal from Iraq on a fixed timetable. § A response to the current economic crisis that reduces the gap between the rich and the rest of us through a more progressive financial and welfare system; public investment to create jobs and repair the country’s collapsing infrastructure; fair trade policies; restoration of the freedom to organize unions; and meaningful government enforcement of labor laws and regulation of industry. § Universal healthcare. § An environmental policy that transforms the economy by shifting billions of dollars from the consumption of fossil fuels to alternative energy sources, creating millions of green jobs. § An end to the regime of torture, abuse of civil liberties and unchecked executive power that has flourished in the Bush era. § A commitment to the rights of women, including the right to choose abortion and improved access to abortion and reproductive health services. § A commitment to improving conditions in urban communities and ending racial inequality, including disparities in education through reform of the No Child Left Behind Act and other measures. § An immigration system that treats humanely those attempting to enter the country and provides a path to citizenship for those already here. § Reform of the drug laws that incarcerate hundreds of thousands who need help, not jail. § Reform of the political process that reduces the influence of money and corporate lobbyists and amplifies the voices of ordinary people. These are the changes we can believe in. In other areas—such as the use of residual forces and mercenary troops in Iraq, the escalation of the US military presence in Afghanistan, the resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict, and the death penalty—your stated positions have consistently varied from the positions held by many of us, the “friends on the left” you addressed in recent remarks. If you win in November, we will work to support your stands when we agree with you and to challenge them when we don’t. We look forward to an ongoing and constructive dialogue with you when you are elected President. Stand firm on the principles you have so compellingly articulated, and you may succeed in bringing this country the change you’ve encouraged us to believe is possible.

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This open letter will be delivered to the Obama campaign in early September after the conclusion of the Democratic National Convention.

0-25 of 24651 signatures

Number	Date	Name
24651	March 23, 2010	Margarita Saez-Cross
24650	February 08, 2010	Sohaila Zivari
24649	November 06, 2009	Connie Austin
24648	October 15, 2009	Roberta Sage-McMillin
24647	October 08, 2009	Diane Beacraft
24646	September 08, 2009	you suck commie
24645	September 02, 2009	Judith Hutchison
24644	August 25, 2009	Chioma Adaku-Griffin
24643	August 09, 2009	shubham p
24642	July 13, 2009	Brian Zoldessy
24641	May 23, 2009	Nancy Perkinson
24640	May 23, 2009	jimmy nishimwe
24639	May 05, 2009
24638	May 05, 2009
24637	March 30, 2009	Les Hagensick
24636	March 26, 2009
24635	March 23, 2009	Virgil Williams
24634	February 17, 2009
24633	February 10, 2009
24632	February 07, 2009
24631	February 05, 2009	Margaret Fortuny
24630	January 31, 2009	Marsha McClelland
24629	January 28, 2009
24628	January 26, 2009	hunk stbernard
24627	January 26, 2009	Rachel Linna

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