Martin Montero

Why “We The People” is the key to help Barack Obama fulfil the promises he made.

Today ushers in the hope and opportunity of a bright new dawn for our nation and our world.

The reason for that is not the one man who will take the helm. But rather, it is that an entire nation will wake up from it’s complacency and self-centered life. Today has the potential to be the rebirth of democracy. Not the hollow shell of it we have had for decades. No, this is real, vibrant, participatory democracy. This has the potential to realize the vision that the men and women who created this country had in mind: “Of the people, by the people, for the people”.

There has been quite a commotion around Barack and the hope that he embodies. For the past few months, all you seem to hear about is how Barack is the new hope for our nation. I walked into a book store about a week ago and observed that he was on the cover of 12 different magazines; I also found four books about him. Yes, Barack is incredibly bright, of solid character, and has a heart of gold… He is an amazing statesman, no doubt. However, Barack is only human and prone to make mistakes specially when under such great pressure. It is extremely foolish to put your hopes on a single person. That is not how a true democracy functions.

As much hype and enthusiasm as Barack has created, along with the hope and inspiration he has given the nation, I fear it is in danger of being nothing more than the biggest PR stunt in the history of our nation. When the Obama sugar high that we are on right now wears off and the rubber meets the road, if we hail Barack as the savior of the free world we are in for one enormous face plant. I mean this will be quite possibly the biggest political failure in the history of The United States of America.

The repercussions could be of the most severe extremes. When Barack and his administration come up short on the many promises made during election time and the inauguration festivities, it could lead to the greatest disenfranchisement of not only this generation but also many more to come. It could shatter all hope in our political process. It could create a nation of harden cynics like the world has never know. That is simply because it is not about Barack Obama the golden child, the silver bullet or any other crap of that sort. Here is the key to the whole thing…It’s not about Obama. It’s about US! So lets quit passing on the responsibility to elected officials and systems of government!

The magic behind the Obama movement was not some smart, smooth talking politician with the cure to all the worlds’ problem in a bottle. He pulled it off because he united an entire nation and inspired them to hope, to dream and called them to work together for a purpose much greater than themselves.

Barack Obama alone is not the new hope for our nation. WE are the new hope for our nation. Barack is a great servant leader, who diligently serves and empowers those under his watch to become the people they are meant to be and to achieve greatness.

An enormous amount of work and passion went into creating this opportunity for change. The election fervor, the great joy of both the celebration of victory, the pre-inauguration concerts and parties, the historic swearing in and inauguration ceremonies were great and created a ton of excitement and momentum. Now the real work begins. Will all those voters continue to be active citizens and daily participate in the change they just elected?

It’s “WE the people”, not “THEY the government”. The same passion and dedication that went into opening this door must now be carried through with the same - if not more fervent - tenacity to create this change. It is up to each and every person living in this great nation to be the change they wish to see. Call your congressman, call your governor, call your mayor. Call your local school, homeless shelter or old folks home. Call your neighbor, or a stranger across town whom you’ve never met…. and offer your services to restore this nation to greatness! If we think the job is done, we are mistaken. If we assume that we can kick back, relax put the momentum on auto pilot and go back to our complacent lifestyles… If we think that we can trust that because Barack has taken office that he will take care of all our problems, heal our nation and restore it’s glory… nothing could not be further from the truth! Neither the President, nor his cabinet nor his entire administration has this kind of power. We got ourselves into the mess we are in; therefore, we must all pull together and help the president we just elected and his administration rebuild, strengthen and push this nation to success. The “great experiment” realized.

The are a lot of reports on the news as of late about the grim times we are living in: the economic collapse, all manner of conflict, terrorist threats and attacks. The media is doing this country a great disservice with this kind of yellow journalism. There is no time to wallow in self-pity, or to play games of blame, “shoulda,coulda,woulda” or “what if”.

If we are to capitalize on this new dawn of hope and opportunity, it is time to celebrate and work hard. Barack Obama got it right with the mix of celebrations and a call to personal responsibility to kick off his presidency. What our country needs now is an engaged people who will work more intelligently to find innovate solutions to our nation’s problems and needs that will restore, strengthen and grow our economy. Individuals as well as communities are needed who will take an active part in their city by engaging with all its sectors.

There are many reforms that need to take place within many broken systems. Health care, education, sustainability, our political system, our social work sector…all of these need a ton of help in the form of volunteers, innovators, champions and collaborators.

The best way to restore confidence in our economy, our government and our cities is through a participatory grass roots democracy much like what was created to get Barack elected to help him run the nation. Think of it as a “wiki” democracy.

In closing, Barack - and most importantly, our nation - needs your active involvement! In the end, democracy is all about personal responsibility and collaboration. All the promises that where made during the election and the excitement, hope and opportunity that was generated in all the days leading up to today culminate in just one thing: “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity”… E pluribus unum (Out of many, one) simply put “We are all in this together”

So go be the change you wish to see!