President-elect Obama

Reflections from an Obama Supporter

by Vivian Greentree

This past Saturday I went to hear Caroline Kennedy speak on behalf of Sen. Obama.  As she stood there -- with the weight of her family’s legacy of public service filling the room, appealing to us all to serve our nation in some way -- I clutched the book I was holding a little tighter.  I had intended to bring my copy of her book, Profiles in Courage for Our Time, but I couldn’t find it as I ran out the door.  Instead, I brought another favorite, A Patriot’s Handbook, on the off chance I could get close enough to ask her to sign it.  My desire to bring Profiles in Courage for our Time stems from my working in Georgia Governor Roy Barnes’ office the year he introduced a new Georgia flag – one that reduced the Confederate “stars and bars” and incorporated other historical Georgia emblems into our state pennant.  I was actually on the floor when he read the speech imploring passage of the bill. -- it was my first week on the job.  Barnes’ heroic and progressive move, as well as his other efforts to move Georgia forward by putting history behind us, is what is largely considered to have cost him his bid for re-election.  Barnes, however, will ultimately be judged to be on the right side of history, as evidenced by his Profile in Courage award.  I wanted her signature on his page of the book. 

In many ways it seems fitting that Caroline Kennedy was the last person I heard speak on behalf of Sen. Obama before Election Day.  Since Sen. Obama has gained national attention, he has repeatedly been compared to her father, President John Kennedy.  Obama is young, inspirational, evokes optimism -- and his wife is a sharp dresser to boot.  But what draws the parallel for me personally is the foundation upon which both men built their work in public service.  John Kennedy once asked us, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”  Barack Obama has said, “Loving your country shouldn't just mean watching fireworks on the 4th of July.  Loving your country must means accepting your responsibility to do your part to change it.  If you do, your life will be richer; our country will be stronger.” 

Now that this election is over, I look forward to a renewed discussion on public service and what it means to have an engaged citizenry.  I want to celebrate our commonalities instead of our differences and be inclusive in our national discourse, knowing that we are the examples by which our children learn. 

I don’t think it is a stretch to say that for many military families national security and foreign policy are the lenses through which we see a lot of issues -- issues like energy, the economy, and international relations.  However, our family members serve regardless of who is in charge, regardless of who holds the most seats in Congress, and regardless of who gets elected to City Council.  We volunteer out of a sense of duty, responsibility, and civic pride, among many other things. 

To me, these are the patriotic ideals we should foster – these are the ideals we MUST foster – in order to preserve our way of living.  At the state and local level, we need to foster a culture that encourages attention to “responsibility” and not just “rights.”  One of the reasons I was so drawn to the Obama campaign was because of his emphasis on national service and volunteerism.  Sen. Obama has continually talked about expanding our military and other service organizations like the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps.  He has spoken on the need to attract younger generations to work in the public sector – whether it be government or non-profit – and how to socialize (and by that, Gov. Palin, I don’t mean in a Marxist way!) our youth to see themselves as a member of the global community.  Younger voters overwhelming support Sen. Obama, in part, because they are inspired by his vision for the future, but I’d also like to think there has been a shift in our national consciousness where working across the aisle for the national interest is seen as the greater good. 

There has been such an emphasis on voting, getting people to vote, voting early, making sure every vote counts…but that is only the first step.  Now that the voting is over, how will we, as a nation, continue to fulfill our civic responsibilities?  How will we encourage our children and our nation’s youth to do the same?