Can Obama lead the next generation?
Category: National
January 2, 2009 | BY Lauren Ratliff
Dear President-Elect Obama,
You did not win my vote, but you’ve won my respect. And even though you are not from my party, you are without a doubt the president of my generation; just as Reagan was for my parents’ generation, like Kennedy was for my grandparents, and Franklin D. Roosevelt for my great-grandparents. These great men were able to accomplish revolutionary feats and there’s a lot to be learned from their examples.
Keep Citizens Engaged:
Your campaign engaged and mobilized voters in a way never seen before. You’ve brought many people to the table for the first time; you’ve excited my generation, and we are awake and ready to participate in the political process. And this is truly impressive.
You’ve turned the spotlight on the presidency in a way not seen since John F. Kennedy’s time. Kennedy, together with his wife and young children, was able to revitalize the White House, bringing long missing energy and beauty.
This spotlight is not always welcome. But it will allow you to keep Americans informed and in tune with what you’re doing, which will prove crucial in trying to move your complex legislative agenda through Congress.
Also, like Kennedy, you have engaged and inspired today’s youth. Learn from Kennedy’s example and continue to make my generation feel important. FDR used Fireside Chats and Ron Paul used YouTube to reach across the generation gap. During the transition, you have used YouTube and your Web site to communicate with us on a fairly regular basis. I hope you will continue to talk to us once you assume the presidency.
Keeping us engaged will be a real challenge, but we are hopeful.
Keep America Hopeful:
It will be easy for Americans to turn increasingly fearful with the continued failure of the economy and multiple wars abroad. Unfortunately, we no longer trust the words of present leaders and desperately need a president who can inspire us — tell us to keep going and not be fearful.
FDR was able to rally the nation in the midst of an economic depression. And however ineffectual his New Deal was, he was not only able to get Americans behind these initiatives, but also able to get them to believe that these efforts were working. With the same leadership, he was also able to bravely lead a united nation into a foreign war.
Similarly Reagan, in the midst of the Cold War, was able to garner support for increasing the U.S.’s defenses against the Soviet Union, a move that led not only to a gradual improvement in U.S.-Soviet relations, but the eventual collapse of the Berlin Wall and the beginning of the end of Communism.
Those leaders that have come before have shown that even in the most bleak of circumstances, Americans can remain hopeful and united. And, as evident from campaign 2008, your words are powerful. We listen to them and, even more importantly, we believe them. You have an opportunity to bring us together.
Your strong rhetoric, which I rolled my eyes at during the general election, will now prove useful.
Avoid Partisanship and Make Real Change:
Partisan bickering can be a distraction. If you can’t separate yourself from the partisan mess, you will lose support from a huge population of the electorate, including me. Real change won’t happen unless you reach across party lines like the great presidents before you, like Abraham Lincoln.
Avoid blaming your current challenges on past administrations. True, you have had little impact on what is happening in the nation and the world today. But voters have chosen you to change these things, not to cast blame if you can’t. America is your responsibility now. Own it.
Americans have asked for change and given you a mandate, although your 365 electoral votes pale in comparison to Reagan’s 525 in 1984. We have high expectations.
As Reagan remarked to the nation on the evening of the loss of the space shuttle Challenger in January 1986, “The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave.” This generation is ready. It only remains to be seen if you’ll be the one to step up and lead us.
Tags: Obama
About the Author
Lauren Ratliff: Lauren Ratliff is a senior at The University of Texas at Austin majoring in Government and English. Her involvements on campus include the Senate of College Councils, Orange Jackets, Liberal Arts Council and Zeta Tau Alpha. Her passion for politics and the political process has played a huge part in her life. Lauren identifies with Republican ideals; she believes that people need more than a handout – they need a help-out. Lauren is specifically interested in how the Republican Party will shape itself during the upcoming years and reach out and inspire her generation. And she’s excited to play an integral part in that movement. Party bickering, name-calling, and partisanship have no place in a country where all people need to listen and collaborate to make the most effective policies. She is also very interested in the role of women in the political process, loves learning about the Spanish language and culture, and thinks that Texas is the best place on earth.
