When I voted for the President four years ago, I voted
for the type of leadership I've seen during his administration. AND I voted for the exemplary leadership I have seen this week in conjunction with Gov. Christie. I see in our President the potential for great good. What I think we all underestimated was the considerable greed and power of moneyed interest and the willingness of legislators and judges to be bought. Buying a government is the most effective way of stifling the voice and will of the people. We also underestimated the willingness of the Republican party to destroy the economy further in order to gain political power. This I consider to be treasonous behavior.
This week, though, has not been about ideology--left or right. It has been about effective government and the needs of the people, of all socioeconomic classes. I have been witnessing the steady rebuilding of my state since those devastating floods and tornadoes of the past few years. It has been a slow steady crawl out of the muck left in the water's wake. But Iowa is coming back and is actually doing darned well compared to other areas in the nation. We have our share of teabaggers and one issue voters. Our return has been the direct result of listening to one another and understanding that in the face of such overwhelming loss, we could not rebuild communities without the participation of all. As much as I can't stand Branstad, he has been willing to back down. I won't vote for that man ever but it has never gotten truly ugly here, with the exception of Steve King. But then, Iowans tend to be doggedly practical when it comes to issues of community.
This is why President Obama had such strong appeal here during the last election. We saw him as a community leader--someone who would listen to all and work with all. Not a single one of us in this huge nation can afford to shut ourselves down to any single issue or insist that we have all or the only answers. The very notion of democracy, regardless of the form of government, demands that we speak and listen then act. I'm still proud of my vote in 2008 and on my state's role in setting this man on his way to national office. I will support him in a heartbeat anytime because of those qualities he brings to the public arena--a sense of fairness and justice, the ability to listen to all, and a willingness to act after considering the very disparate demands placed on him.
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