Obama - He Can't Do It Alone

This past January, during Nevada Democratic primary, I met a man and his wife who inspired me pull my head out of the political sand. I first met Barack Obama online where I researched his biography and positions on the issues. He caught my attention and made me think.

At my local campaign office I met him again. I saw him in the faces of the people manning the phones and typing away at computers. His face was old and young, white, black and brown. These faces welcomed me and my toddler. They played with my son while I made calls to fellow Clark County voters. Obama, through them, encouraged me to step up and be a precinct captain for the caucus.

I met Barack Obama at a Precinct Captain's Rally. He walked into the room and I felt the energy, not just his energy, but the energy he'd ignited in all of us. He was calm, personable and just plain fun as he thanked us for the hours we'd dedicated to his campaign - Our campaign, he said. The primary was in a few days and he knew we'd do our best. We did. My precinct went for Clinton but it was very close. I am most proud of the way the Obama supporters behaved that day while packed inside a school room with 100 other people. It was an example of how I know our nation can behave among ourselves and with the world.

I met him through his wife, Michelle. At a small house party she spoke about her upbringing and her family. She told us her father's advice about how to pick a life partner. She said something like, "My dad said you can tell a good man because he acts the same way when no one is watching as he does when he thinks everyone is watching." My eyes welled up with tears and I thought of my dad. For the first time I was able to put my finger on what made my father so special and the lesson resonated deep within me. It was plain to see that she'd found that sort of man in Barrack.
,

I spoke to Senator Obama at a rally in January. He called on me and answered my question about resending the over reaching powers of the Bush administration. His answer was thoughtful and even though I was far from the stage, he looked directly at me. He talked to me. It was a genuine, complete and thoughtful answer to a complicated question. He didn't blow me off with campaign rhetoric. He listened.

That is the kind of president I feel we elected last night...a thoughtful, insightful, inclusive, intelligent man who will take time to make sound decisions, listen to our input and tell us the hard, unvarnished truth. He's asked us to be his partner along the way. The president was never meant to be a dictator or an imperialist. The office was meant to be of equal power to the Senate and the House. He was meant to be a leader, a focal point for our concerns, and a voice to remind us that we are all One with a shared purpose and destiny.

I plan to be engaged. I've got my president elect's back but I'm also a loud voice of descent if need be. I am thinking about my friends and family who are now worried for our future. They didn't see in Senator Obama what I saw. Some of them are very scared. To them I say, don't give into that fear. Don't let it make you cynical or apathetic. Use it to speak up and out, be the squeaky wheel and with Obama's philosophy of inclusion our values will intersect to form a more perfect union. Our country will be better because of you and because of me. So will the world.

Thousands of people are blogging about this very subject today. I've spent the morning reading several but none are as honest and noteworthy as Heather's commentary on her blog, The Wishful Writer. Please take time to read another view. As Obama said last night, "The road will be long. There is much to be done."

Michelle Obama - A Woman of Substance

Most evenings I sit down on the couch after a long day and curl myself around my husband to relax. When I close my eyes, often times a smile bubbles up from some where deep inside of me. I don't think he notices when it happens. That's when I think to myself, "Wow, how did I get here?"

Yesterday, while talking to a friend on the phone, I had a revelation. I was telling Joe about the exciting few weeks I'd had working with Barack Obama's campaign and the progress with the publication of my book . I told him about all the volunteering, the rallies, the caucus, meeting Michelle Obama, and how grateful and in awe I was that these opportunities had come into my way. His answer, "Lisa, since I've known you I can see how you've grown. You are truly the captain of your ship."

That's when it hit me. That's the difference in the "me" now and the "me" I was in my thirties. I am steering the ship and I'm very pleased with where it is going. After meeting Michelle Obama, I wondered if she felt the same way. Does she sometimes close her eyes in amazement to how she and Barack arrived at this pivotal place in their lives, poised to make history? I wonder if she has always known that she was at the helm of her ship? Has she always directed her own course? I wish I'd asked her those things when we talked.

I get the feeling she's always had a steady eye on the future. And from listening to her speak, I think she's been open to where life took her, not plodding a projected course but choosing the path as opportunities presented themselves.

She said one thing that will stay with me always. I'm paraphrasing here so bear with me. She said to never let anyone tell me that I am not ready - it's not my turn - I can't do it - someone else is more capable. Because in her experience, every time she stepped up and took her place at the table she found that she was just as prepared and just as humbled as everyone one else who'd made it that far. "Is this is? Is this what all the fuss was about? Okay, I can handle this," she said.

I met her on her 44th birthday. We are very close in age and as I listened to her describe her childhood, her schooling and career, her husband's decade in public office, I couldn't help but think, "Wow, if I'd been willing to "take my seat" all along look where I could be?" Even though I'm very happy with my accomplishments, I just feel a little behind the power curve. What an inspiration she is, at least to me, and I believe to most anyone who has the opportunity to meet her. She is articulate, intelligent, well-read, and accomplished in her own right. But what got to me was her empathy and concern for people that clearly shines through when she speaks.

She is mother, first and foremost, concerned about the world we are leaving to our children. Our children live in a country governed by fear. It's the driving force behind most all the decisions our government makes. That's not what I want for my children. She shares my vision of a different future where our children are again filled with possibility and dreaming about becoming astronauts and playwrights, not doing the duck and cover, hiding, and waiting for an elusive, undefinable enemy to strike. Fear is paralysing. Hope is propelling. Watch people around you and see if you don't agree.

She also gave a bit of advice on choosing a husband that I think every girl should hear. I think she said it was her father who passed on this advice, but again, don't quote me. She said, "A man's character is not determined by what he does when people are watching. It's determined by what he does when he thinks no one is watching. And that's why I married Barack. I saw the honorable way he behaved when no one was watching and the things he did for people that were to lift them up, not for his own glory and gain."

Girls, there's a lesson. That is the way to pick a husband. Listen to Michelle. She said that when she accepted Barack's marriage proposal he didn't promise her they would have an easy life but that it would be interesting. "And he's delivered on that!" She laughed.

Talking to Michelle one on one is like talking to an old friend that you haven't seen for a while. You know that feeling - even after years apart the two of you can pick up the conversation where you left off and it's like you were never apart. That's the feeling I got from Michelle. If her husband makes it to the White House, she will be a First Lady we can be proud of. Either way, I am proud to have met her.