I'm not kwickkick, but his friend Rebecca. For those who don't remember, the real kwickkick, my friend Matthew, died some weeks ago. Before he died, he asked me to post a message to you. He recited this message from his deathbed, while in great pain, because he believed it was so important.
Since then, I have been reading this site on a fairly regular basis, because I find it so informative. But more than a few times, I've cried while reading it. I remember how difficult it was for Matthew to record his words, how he struggled to get them out. I've always believed that he struggled to live long enough to get his message out.
And now I cry. Because so many of you seem to have forgotten what Matthew struggled so mightily to tell you. I cry because I fear that his challenging effort to get his message out to you was all for naught.
What I have seen in the past weeks is far too much bitterness. More than a few posters on this site have gone after Obama for not focusing on their particular bugaboo issue fast enough for their liking. They join in with the conservatives, slicing and dicing this man, because he does not behave as if he has an electorate of one.
Obama has to choose which fights to undertake. He has to choose them based on their significance, in terms of getting his valuable agenda passed. Politics is all about the art of the possible, and the strategic selection of what issues to raise when. Bill Clinton raised the issue of gays in the military too soon in his presidency, and as a result, set that goal back years and lost political capital. Yes, a valid issue. No, not handled well.
Obama has a very full plate. He cannot do everything -- as much as it seems like he is. He has to save the economy, he has to reconnect this country with our angry allies, he has to wind down a war, and find a mechanism out of another that is far more important. He has to lay the groundwork for national healthcare and a green energy effort. He has to save the auto industry.
And yet the criticisms roll in. "Why is he not fighting for (fill in the blank issue that is important to some.) I am so disappointed." "He's committing crimes because he is not taking over the nation's banks!" (what a crock.) "He's not prosecuting the Bush Administration!"
If Matthew had had national health care, he might not have died. A longshot, but maybe. We need to save our planet. We need to help our unemployed. We need to put people back to work, and create an international sense of cooperation, and save our planet. And that only happens with support.
I'm not saying blindly endorse everything he does. You don't like Obama's choices? Fine...but give the man at least a couple of years. Stop complaining. The conservatives will do that for you.
In hopes that someone will remember them, I am reposting Matthew's words. I have only included those portions that were his call for support of Obama.
I wanted to encourage you and remind you of what matters. We are at an epochal moment in our history. We have the chance through Barack Obama to change the world. It is not going to change the way any of us individually wants it to. None of us will ever get everything we want. What will happen us that the world will become a better place. People will have more opportunities. The poor will be lifted up. Life will not seem so bitter and bleak. America will become a world leader again and will be able to use its power to make people's lives in every country better. There will not be bombs dropped indiscriminently on brown people, simply to flex our muscle. Lives worldwide will improve.
There will be people who try to stop this. Some conservatives, though not all, will hope that Obama fails. These are the people who care only for their own philosophies and not for their fellow man. They should be ignored. But in ignoring them, we cannot forget them. We have to fight as a unified group, supporting Obama in his efforts. We have to use all of our power to help things improve.
I know we will have differences. Put them aside. It is so easy to focus on where we don't agree and to lose the big picture. Fight until we win. Fight until there are jobs and healthcare and peace. Then we can begin arguing about the details. Be sure to remember the forest. It is the most important thing.
I doubt I'll be speaking to you again, but I really don't have anything left to say. Again, no sorrow. Just remember me and remember what we are fighting for.''
Please remember those words.