Yes We Can

YES WE CAN.

“Remember, Remember, the 5th of November…” These words began a poem that commemorated what would have been act of treason against the English government many, many years ago. Today is the 5th of November and asI write this, it’s 1:33 A.M. I’ve not slept, and I may not this night, for it isn’t the 5th of November this year that will stay in the memory of every person who will remember these days, it is the 4th. The 4th of November,2008 will be forever entrenched in history books, and in the minds of those who experienced it. It was on that day, that I was able to free myself of my disappointment and shame for being an American. I’d like to first revisit my history as an American citizen. It’s a short one, as (of this writing) I am twenty years old. My earliest memories where I was aware of my nation and its government,were when I was probably around eight years old. It was during 2ndgrade. I remember sitting in a computer lab in my elementary school listening to my teachers discussing “desert storm” from the hall. It was at that time that I became aware of the concept of governments, boundaries, war, politics, and so on. I don’t know why, but hearing about our nation interacting with other nations sparked an interest in me. I began to not only listen to political discussions, but I found myself engaging in them from a young age. Secretly, I became fascinated with politics: I would watch C-SPAN of my own volition, when President

Clinton came on the radio while I was bathing — I listened intently. It was like an obsession with me. Those days, the early Clinton years, shaped my identity as an American citizen. I had learned enough to know that America was powerful in the world, and that we would stand up for other nations that were incapable of defending themselves from aggression. I knew in my heart that when America acted out in places around the world, it was for the betterment of the world. I knew that, even though life wasn’t perfect, as an American I had it good. I was certain that there were wise elected officials who had the best interests of our country, our people, and our world, at heart. Looking back, I realize that we had interests in the middle east, but the image of the government, and my country, that my naivety produced persists to this day. It stands in my subconscious as the bar to which we as Americansshould be holding ourselves. I’ll never forget the days of the first presidential race that I saw: George Bush in competition with Al Gore. As it was the first time I had seen an election I was absolutely fascinated by the process. I learned about how low political competitions stoop, while I was at it. I remember watching the debates, and I remember that we had to watch news coverage of the candidates on “Channel 1” which was a kind of education oriented news channel hosted by teenagers. In my gut, I knew George Bush would win,

and at the time I didn’t understand the gravity of the power a president of our country wields. I was quickly educated. Perhaps it was that my memories of my earliest years were vague, but the Bush years cast a shadow on my feeling about America immediately. I watched as our country divided itself over a bitter election that wasn’t decided by the people, but by the courts. It was that event, I imagine, that set the tone for how I would experience the next eight years of my life. I viewed Bush as a likable, but off character whoseemed to be interested in having a good time rather than attending business. Regardless, when I knew he was speaking I set aside time to listen. I listened with keen interest until September 11th, 2001. After that day, my interest was no longer just keen, it was bordering on an obsession. I obsessed over the government’s next moves, I watched the president deliver his speech concerning the attack on our nation that day. I took the time to soak it all in, and I debated thedecisions of our government with my teachers, friends, whoever would lend me an ear and return with thoughts of their own. At this stage, I became aware of the international community, and the United Nations. Before these days, other countries were just names that I needed to memorize in order to pass test, now those names took a different meaning to me. It will stick with me for the rest of my life how President Bush responded to the crisis: “Go shop” were his words to

America. This was a fascinating development to me: why would the president want us to shop when we were just attacked? This was where I learned about our government’s effect on the economy, and again, became truly aware of it for the first time. I remember watching as news castsexplained the business cycle, and how consumer spending drives the economy. I remember vividly the short livedrecession that followed. It’s not something I remember for the effect it had on my life (which was negligible) but for the severity that people seemed to put on it. I learned what a recession was, and I dismissed it as: “not so bad” because I was never touched with it. It was fascinating to me to see how our government, this tiny collection of people, had such a massive impact on our country, and the world. When we overthrew the Taliban in Afghanistan, I’ll never forget the vengeful happiness I experienced. The self satisfactionthat our country had not just done the right thing, but had delivered a message that, to us, American lives ranked above any borders. I remembered “Desert Storm” and I then became relatively disinterested with Afghanistan, because I thought it would disappear quickly. Instead, my attention turned to how the government was effectingits citizens: What was being done at ground zero? What was being done to calm our fear, and salve the wounds on our psyche as a collective? Those things interested me, and so I listened intently.

The greatest betrayal by my government I can remember was operation “Shock and Awe.” I listened to the events that led up to it: the searches for weapons in Iraq, the allegations of corruption in our government being passed around in casual conversation amongst my family members, etc. Somehow, hearing that our government was going to make a mistake didn’t register with me. I was numb, originally, to the idea that America even made mistakes. The night our bombers attacked Iraq, I saw one, and I’m fortunate enough that in some portion of my brain I recognized it for what it was. Although I wanted to support my government, a part of me knew this aggression was senseless. It was the beginning of a very downhill trek in my opinion of the government. Then — then came the election of 2004. This was the second presidential election that I would ever be able to participate in, and so I watched it intently. I was feeling no love for George Bush when this election took place, but I didn’t understand the issues enough to really weigh in. I would debate with my teachers, and so in doing that, I formulated sets of opinions on my own (as well as the ability to listen to those of others). It wasn’t just the issues that got me, but again, I saw such negativity and indecisiveness in our government. I was appalled — How could Americans not know what was true and right on the greatest issue of the time – the war? Oh, how I’ll remember those days. I’ll remember the allegations of fraud,

and corruption, in the voting process. I’ll remember the attack ads, and the name calling by people who were supposed to be working for the common good of the country. It planted a seed of cynicism in my consciousness. Not only was I displeased with the tone of our nation,I was displeased with being a part of it. My naïve image of our government, our standing in the world, and our moral structure was simply wrecked in 4 short years. As I grew older, I learned more about the issues of the day. I never stopped debating, and I never became less interested. I made it a point to thirst after the knowledge held my peers, and to collect as many opinions about everything as I possibly could. I would wrap my head around every single angle of an issue, so that I could best formulate my opinion by a process of elimination and creation. Through this process, by simply asking questions, I learned how wrong my image of America truly was. I learned how corrupted, mismanaged, and detrimental our government had become to the world, and I lost my pride as an American. Fast forward to 2008, and I’m a deeply cynical wanna-be patriot.This was the year, is the year, where I spent more time defining myself as a political being than any other year. Initially, I was a strong supporter and an advocate of Ron Paul. His strict adherence to constitutional values resonated with me, and inspired me to believe that, despite all I’ve seen, the government could be what I thought it was all along. Unfortunately, Ron

Paul was soundly defeated in the republican primaries, by John McCain: a man I quickly identified as a war monger and someone who did not represent the government I wanted. At the time, my primary concern was the wars we were in and didn’t need to be in. I then latched onto the next available anti-war candidate: Barack Obama, thesenator from Illinois who was hopeful to be nominated for President of the United States by his party at the time. I began to listen to Obama’s speeches, talk about his policies with my friends, and I found that his messages were resonating with me. His message was that we could be a better America, that things canchange, and that we can make them change. His speeches invoked visions of handshakes with foreign diplomats, a renewed interest in peace throughout the world, and a better life for all Americans and those who are touched by the actions of America. The primary season of 2008 educated me onmany issues, particularly the economy. I was educated on how racist our country may actually be, and I saw that all that frustration from the last 8 years had finally come to the surface, but it was overshadowed by the hope of millions. Obama’s candidacy taught me that there were more Americans like me, and that I was certainly not the only person who was disenfranchised with my country. His candidacy taught me that I didn’t have to accept the way things were by

making change tangible to me. By seeing change made possible, I was inspired to participate in it. All of the time, and effort, and thought I put into this campaign wasrewarded. Failure, quite possibly, could have crushed my political spirit and disenfranchised me with the government as a whole. Instead, at 11 P.M. on November the 4th of 2008 it was announced: Barack Obama would be our next president. When it was announced, I felt a tingle run through my entire body. A line had just been crossed, in my mind. It was real, and not the fairy tale I was being told it was. In that moment, I was no longer a college student chasing a dream, I had helped turn it to reality. The gravity of the night struck me, finally. I imagined this moment recorded in history books, and I imagined what I might one day tell my children about these days. How I might instill in my own children the kind of naivety that I had in me, and was eventually rewarded for. I thought about how, in our darkest hours, with two wars, a sinking economy, and an unpopular government accused of conspiracy on many levels, the people had constructed for themselves a new sunrise. The sun was not guaranteed to rise so soon, but the will of the American people was that we would see daylight and hope again. That the very naïve notions this country was founded on werenot dead, but hidden, and now revived. I saw in this

country a renewed spirit, and the truth is that around the world that same feeling resounded. I received an instant message from a friend of mine in Norway congratulating me on America’s new president. I saw news of the heads of foreign governments happily offering to work with America in a new spirit of cooperation. I was as if the America I had dreamed of my entire life had just been born, and I had the opportunity to play a part in it. There are things that should be taken away from this moment, but I think the message is clear: Hope, peace, prosperity, and cooperation are American qualities that will trounce the most corrupt government in the world. They are qualities that will break barriers with the world, and allow us to do unprecedented good. At lower level, at a community level, or even at a personal level the message has never been more clear: “Yes we can.”