My friend Lenda, who is a community organizer and volunteer in Tennessee, will be meeting with President Obama this week on Thursday. She is one of six organizers who have been selected nationally to meet - and although this is not necessarily an indication of any special merit, I have to say that her efforts over the past 3 years have been impressive and heroic.
When I heard the news, I asked, "Well, would you be willing to pass along messages to the President on behalf of regular citizens?" Of course, being the community-minded woman she is, she wholeheartedly agreed and even thanked me for giving her the opportunity to be a messenger.
So, what do you want to say?
If you had 30 seconds to speak your mind to President Obama, what would be the core message you'd like to deliver? As you think back over the past 2 years since Election Day 2008 and through the recent decisions he's made, what feedback do you want to provide?
I posted something on my Facebook account earlier today, and received a lot of great feedback. The majority of it spoke to the President's consistency, steadiness, and leadership. A few families mentioned concerns about joblessness or underemployment that is creating economic insecurity.
Of course, it's relatively easy to send your feedback to the White House directly through the website. There isn't enough staff available to address every issue or respond to every concern, but you do get the sense that these messages are at least being received.
We all know the story - President Obama inherited an economy in free-fall and turned things around with the passage of the Recovery Act, which has saved or created around 3 million jobs. This included middle class tax relief and the largest-ever investment in clean energy technology, as well as aid to states and local governments to spur investment, protect the jobs of firefighters, first responders, and teachers, and give states an opportunity to adjust to the new normal.
The war in Iraq has been shifted from a strategy of permanent occupation to an end to combat operations and a continuing effort to help the Iraqi government stand up for itself. In Afghanistan, a surge has escalated military engagement and has led to more difficulty. The Afghan government, in part due to elections riddled with fraud, has been an unreliable partner in the effort to push back against the Taliban, radicals, and Al Qaeda.
Meanwhile, the war on climate science continues, and 2011 will usher in a new crop of climate zombies and skeptics who seem more interested in rewarding oil companies than in energy independence. Despite President Obama's leadership on climate, the Copenhagen talks yielded little to no concrete commitment to change, and the Senate GOP has obstructed progress on landmark climate legislation passed through the US House.
In Tennessee, we are celebrating the $500 million grant for education reform as part of the "Race to the Top" program, but we realize that other states need and deserve the same kind of opportunity to train the future workforce and foster new leadership in the next generation. Most Tennesseans I talk to are frustrated with what's going on in Washington and want to see our US Senators do more to collaborate with President Obama. There is also frustration among many Tennessee Democrats about the lack of real committee work or legislative activity in the House, since most bills are written by Speaker Pelosi and then pushed through by the Rules Committee, which has tended to limit debate. While having the House itself write the bills (instead of having bills written by the White House and sent to the House for approval) is an improvement over President Bush's unitary executive, there is still more progress to be made in terms of legislative process.
So, what are you seeing and hearing? What brief message would you like to share with the President?
Please add your comments below.