Pushing Obama?

During the election season, I ended up signing petitions and writing letters to the editor and calling Congress at the behest of a number of "progressive" groups because I had opinions about the issues they were raising.

That meant that related groups found out about my involvement (along with the Bush White House, I suspect - I had a "red" file in Milwaukee in the 1970s and '80s at the police department). So every day I get at least a dozen e-mails from some of the groups asking for my attention, my action, and/or my money. It's the price I pay for trying to be an activist on the current political scene.

Among the recent communications was one where the writer spoke of having a face-to-face chat with President Obama. The President thanked him for his support and the work of his organization to get some legislation passed. The writer then challenged President Obama for some decisions with which he disagreed.

The President smiled and said, "I agree with you on that but let me just say, you are going to have to fight for it."

Back during the two weeks while the Stimulus Package was before Congress and the President was trying to get Republicans to vote for the bill, one of the progressive groups sent out an SOS, saying that the rightwingers had mobilized their forces so that Congress was receiving 100 letters against the Stimulus to every letter for it!

So if you have opinions about any of the issues and legislation coming along these days, then you better do something. Positive things will not happen in Washington without our input! Even on policies that are now coming out of this Administration related to continuing to hide Bush administration e-mails and keeping Bagram prison in Afghanistan open, we need to put in our two cents worth (preferably after checking the facts).

President Obama does not mind being pushed. How great to have an adult in that office!