I can die happy, now.

Posted: November 7, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

#1: He believes in us.

Posted: November 6, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: In an official capacity | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pulling out the big stuff here, I know.

But it’s true.

He’s believed in us to raise the money for his campaign.

He’s believed in us to help out our fellow men through each natural disaster in recent history.

He’s believed in us to vote because it’s our duty as American citizens, even if it’s not a vote for him.

President Obama believe in every single one of us – even, I’d dare to say, Mitt Romney. And when someone believes in you, that one person multiplies what you can achieve exponentially.

Listen, I’m a teacher. Believing in people is kind of my bag. I just wish that more people would believe in themselves, in their fellow neighbors, and in our young people, in particular. I’ve seen what one teacher believing in a student can truly do for that kid. It changes them for the better. I’ve also seen what two or three teachers believing in a student can do.

And, sadly, I’ve also seen what no teacher believing in a student can do.

To me, Mitt Romney is that crotchetty old teacher who doesn’t even like kids (or in his case, American citizens) anymore but sticks with the job because they think that one day, everything will go back to the way it was supposed to be.

Well guess what, Mitt? It’s not going to. I’m sorry that we as a country don’t fit into your little Brady Bunch picture of what America is supposed to look like, but that’s the way it is. Some of us are gay. Some of us are poor. Some of us are women. And that’s not going to change.

I mean, yes, you can put the women in binders, the gay people in closets, and the poor folk in shelters, but we will still be here. And the President’s job is not to lock us all away, but to believe in us, accept us, support us and help us achieve our goals.

You’re not the right guy for that job.

But you know who is? This guy:

Obama/Biden 2012

#2: He’s an excellent speaker.

Posted: November 6, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: In an official capacity | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I’ve heard a lot of people speak, especially during my time in college.

I’ve heard John Edwards talk about our country(pre-scandal).
I’ve heard David Sedaris read from his books.
I’ve heard Frank Warren talk about why PostSecret is so important to building community and supporting our fellow man.

But I’ve never been quite as inspired as I was during Obama’s speech to Mizzou students on campaign trail 2008. I couldn’t even really see him…but I didn’t need to, because his voice and words were the important part.

See? That’s with my zoom, too.

I don’t remember exactly what he said, and I don’t remember why it was so important. But I do remember how I felt.

I felt excited to be a part of something important.
I felt hopeful about the next four years and what it could mean.
I felt proud of my country’s leadership.

And I have to say, it had been a long time since I felt that way. Especially that last one.

I know that you’re thinking that being a President is a lot more than just talking, and you’re right. But how our President presents himself speaks to our nation as a whole. He represents us, and after eight years of looking like fools because our President looked foolish, I was ready to welcome him in.

I also should point out that speaking is really all about communication. About building bridges, creating relationships, and joining the global community. President Obama has done an amazing job of reaching out of our community to pull people in, as well as reaching into our communities here to pull people up.

The power of words should never, ever be underestimated.

#8: He deserves to finish what he started.

Posted: November 4, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: In an official capacity | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A serious one today – because we’re getting close to the end.

If you voted for Barack Obama in 2008, then I hope that you, like me, knew that all of his goals would not be able to be achieved in just four years. That’s like asking Harry Potter to defeat Voldemort and fix all the problems of the wizarding world in seven years…while also getting a full seven-year education.

I hear you, young adult literature fans, yelling that Harry Potter DID do that…

Uh, no, he didn’t.

Let’s remember that Harry Potter

a) couldn’t fix everything – some things he had to kill and some people died tragically;
b) got all moody and whined like a little bitch halfway through the series and
c) didn’t actually attend all seven years of school.

Whoops.

But because he’s a teenager and fictional, we cut him a little slack.

Folks, Harry effing Potter couldn’t set out to achieve all that he promised, and he could freshen up with a swish of his wand. And talk to snakes. President Obama isn’t actually magical, and therefore has to take time out of his day to do things like take a shower. And he can’t talk to snakes.

That I know of.

So why are we expecting him to miraculously fix everything in 4 years?

He can’t do that – but he made a damn good start.

And unless we want things to go back to the way they were (or potentially worse), then we need to give him more time to finish what he started. He needs to solidify Obamacare. He needs to make larger strides for the LGBT community. He needs to get deep into immigration reform and make sure that it works the way that’s necessary. He needs to tweak that new education legislation and find a way to get our students back on track.

He needs to keep being the positive face of our nation.

So if you’re still on the fence, I say to you: let’s finish what we started 4 years ago.

Turns out this one wasn’t as serious as I thought. My words are tricksy like that sometimes.

#10: He’s a friend to the middle class.

Posted: October 31, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: In an official capacity | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

You know, people are talking about how the middle class is shrinking constantly.

And yes, I do mean that they are conversing about the fact that the middle class continually gets smaller – not that they’re constantly talking about the shrinking.

I say what I mean, and I mean what I say … which makes me a part of two groups of endangered Americans: people who say what they mean and the middle class.

In fact, depending on which criteria you use to determine who the middle class is, I might be in both the lower middle class AND the middle middle class. Most information points to me being the middle middle class, based on my salary and the fact that I’m a single person living alone.

But let’s point out for a minute that no matter what, I own my own car, my own home, my own student loans and am going to spend the next 25 years paying off all three.

Barack Obama knows that I have bills. He knows that all of my bills are stimulating the economy. And he wants to make sure that I’m not going to be forced to pay more than my fair share just so that millionaires can afford to fuel their private jets.

If you’re like me, and you’re a member of the middle class, you need to realize that a vote for President Obama is a vote to continue to keep your current lifestyle. A vote for Mitt Romney is a vote to basically pay extra percentage points of our income so that millionaires can pay a smaller percentage.

Yes, there’s a more sophisticated way of explaining it, and there’s more to it than that…but that’s what it adds up to for us “Average Joes.”

You know what? I’m not okay with that. Life isn’t fair, and I know that. But that doesn’t mean that we should elect someone to make it more unfair.

#25: He HAS made progress.

Posted: October 17, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: In an official capacity | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

One of the very first things that any opponent will say about an interim candidate is that they aren’t fulfilling their campaign promises.

And of course they’re always right. No one EVER makes it through every promise because it’s impossible with all the ridiculous posturing that goes on during any election.

But what I’m looking at is what Mr. Obama HAS accomplished. I’ll list off what I know, but understand that it is in no way an exhaustive list. He:

  1. Got the girls a dog.
  2. Made an international tax-haven watch list.
  3. Implemented the “Women-Owned Business” contracting program.
  4. Created a credit card rating system that normal people can understand.
  5. Expanded loan programs for small businesses.
  6. Expanded the Senior Corps. (That’s a thing, look it up.)
  7. Required insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions – and that’s a MUST for me.
  8. Everything else under the Obamacare stuff.
  9. Fully funded the Violence Against Women Act.
  10. Ended war in Iraq.
  11. Ended stop-loss, torture, and a lot of other not-quite-right military policies.
  12. Reformed NCLB.
  13. Expanded Pell Grants.
  14. Repealed ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’
  15. Killed Bin Laden.

Honestly? This is enough for me to give him 4 more years. And I’m surprised that it isn’t for many of the Obama supporters from 2008.

#32: His staff thinks we all deserve a little special treatment.

Posted: October 7, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Because he's a G | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

If you’re on the Prez’s mailing list, then you know he’s met a few celebrities. Celebrities that keep wanting to have dinner with him and invite some random supporters along.

It’s precious. And cool.

But what’s more precious and cool is the fact that he still cares about each and every one of his supporters. And you can see it in the way his staff treats people, too.

Today, the Obama/Biden promoters posted a story on their blog that illustrates just how much the staff (and our Veep in particular) care about normal voters.

Feel free to check out the link here.

Before you go, let me just say that what I found remarkable about this story is that it’s decidedly not remarkable. Yes, for that kid, it was a huge deal. But he’s an average kid. He’s not dying, he’s not devastatingly cute, and he doesn’t have a huge sob story.

He’s just a kid who really, really wanted to meet the VP and thank him.

 

#33: He knows how important education is. (Part II)

Posted: October 6, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: In an official capacity | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

If you read my blog last week, then you know that Obama is aware of how important education is.

I discussed the fact that I’m not 100% sure that his plan for education is TOTALLY perfect, but, like his healthcare plan, I feel that what he’s doing is going to be better than nothing. It’s a step in the right direction.

Let’s move on to higher education. Especially as my loan payments are slowly draining my bank account.

Obama isn’t just concerned with education at the basic level. He understands the importance of achieving your goals, and how huge a burden it is to be paying for your education while also just trying to make it on your own. I mean, in his own words, “I only paid off my student loans eight years ago.”

While this quote inspires faith in him for me, it also makes me go, “Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.” It took a politician that long to pay off his loans? A politician with a lawyer who last worked for a hospital for a wife? It took them THAT LONG? I’m screwed.

But, at least I could get the education I wanted, no matter how badly it screwed me over in the years to come…or how angry it makes me when Mizzou calls me for donations…and not everyone gets the chance to make their dreams come true before they rant angrily at their alumni caller lists. President Obama has set his sights on changing that.

He wants all of us who want to go through higher education to have that chance, no matter our background or current economic circumstances.

#39: He knows how important education is.

Posted: September 16, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: In an official capacity | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Friends, this is a two-parter. So brace yourselves.

I’ll take on basic, public education first.

Let’s be honest: I’m not thrilled with what’s going on in Obama’s former hometown. Chicago teachers have every reason to be unhappy with what’s going on in their town. And yes, yes it’s caused in part by the Democratic reforms.

But let’s look at the facts: President Obama KNOWS that cities like Chicago need serious reform. He also knows that change needs to start in the higher ups. But how exactly is he to do that? And let’s remember that he isn’t the end-all-be-all. The states are the ones who decide what they are going to do based on national incentives.

President Obama is rewarding states with higher standards, yes. Do I like that? Not so much, but I wouldn’t like anything that has to do with encouraging standardized testing in any form. But that’s not all they’ve offered.

He also is offering incentives for states that are encouraging the formation of more charter schools and alternatives to basic public education. And I’m a big believer – as I recently told a jury selection committee – that one type of education isn’t right for everyone.

I work in the public schools. I see the system take kids straight to the top every day. I also see it fail other kids – usually my kiddos, the ones in my classes or the ones who have adopted me as an extra parent – every day. Do I think it prepares them for the real world? A little. Enough to make their struggles worth it? No way.

No Child Left Behind didn’t work. I thought it might – but then, I was quite young and still in public schools in Texas at that time. So we can see where I may have been confused. Still, I have to say that I don’t blame them for trying it, only for pretending that it worked for way too long. Don’t wait to abandon ship until the water’s up to your chest. Get out when there’s still room in the lifeboats.

So anything that President Obama does to try and change our schools is okay by me – even if it means it makes my job harder or means that maybe I shouldn’t be teaching anymore. Because right now, the system isn’t working. And as our kids learn in science class, a hypothesis must be tested before it can be proven true or not. So let’s give his way a try before we just discount it, right?

Thanks for the new ideas, Obama, I’m waiting to try them with safety goggles on.

#40: He wants to keep my students.

Posted: September 12, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Because he's a G, In an official capacity | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dear people who don’t know me,

I’m an ESL teacher. During any given year, anywhere from 25-40% of my students are in the country illegally. I don’t care. And I don’t think anyone else should, either – they’re kids. And now, they call the US home. Who are you to say that it’s not their home?

The Obama administration has already begun processing applications for illegal immigrants to get a work permit. There are several other steps to the process, but the main thing is that now they have a route to becoming legal residents of the place they call home.

I could go on and on about how important this is, how it changes their outlook in life, their perspectives on the US, and their buy-in to following our rules…but instead, I’ll stick with short and sweet.

Thanks, Obama, for providing my students the chance to be a real citizen. It matters. More than most people realize.