Ladies and Gentlemen,
For the first time in my life, I am truly excited about a candidate in a presidential election. For the first time, there’s a candidate who gives me hope and inspires me to believe that America and the world will be a better place under his leadership.
For the first time in my life, I’ve donated money to a political campaign. Never before has a candidate made me not only feel that I wanted to donate, but indeed that I needed to donate, that it was the right thing to do.
For the first time in my life, I am using my email address book to call upon my friends, family, and colleagues to join me in a worthy cause. It’s that important.
America is in trouble. We’re fighting two wars against intractable enemies, with the threat of a third one looming on the horizon. Our economy is in a shambles, with record-breaking oil prices forcing our most vulnerable citizens to choose between heat and food, and with a housing crisis forcing many people out of their homes and preventing many others from finding homes in the first place. Our civil rights have been eroded by a government which seems to have forgotten the immortal words of Benjamin Franklin, “He who would sacrifice liberty for security deserves neither.” The Supreme Court is balanced on the brink of overturning Roe v. Wade and sending us back to the days of poor women dying from back-alley abortions while rich women with a “problem” hop on a plane to a more forgiving locale. The rifts in our society, between rich and poor, white and black, and liberal and conservative, continue to expand, preventing us from working together to cure our nation’s ills. Our stature among the nations of the world is lower than it has ever before been in my life, indeed perhaps lower than ever before in our history.
The world is in trouble. Sixty years ago, we vowed, “Never again!” but a genocide rages at this very moment in Darfur. Much of the world continues to live in abject poverty, with 15 million children dying of hunger every year. Our environment is threatened by pollution and greenhouse gases, and yet our government has weakened domestic environmental protections and refused to join international accords to reduce global warming. Antisemitism is on the rise across the world, with so many incidents in some “civilized” countries that Jews living there fear for their safety. Israel, the eternal homeland of the Jewish people, continues to be attacked and threatened by those who would destroy it.
None of us can solve these problems alone. But together, we can elect a President who has the integrity and courage to set us back on the right track. Together, we can elect a President who believes in rising up rather than tearing down. Together, we can elect a President who can bridge the gaps which divide so many of us.
I do not give my support lightly. I have invested a great deal of precious time and energy learning about the character, beliefs, positions and experiences of those who would be our next President. I say to you without a glimmer of doubt, and with more hope than I have ever felt before, that Barack Obama is the right person for the job.
But please, don’t take my word for it! See for yourself what Obama will do for our country and for the world. Visit www.barackobama.com and learn about his past successes and plans for the future. Learn about his focus on the positive rather than on the negative, on what unites us rather than what drives us apart. Learn about the virtually unprecedented wave of grassroots support from millions of people like you and me that has buoyed his campaign, shattering previous fund-raising records without accepting a single dollar in donations from PACs or lobbyists. Learn about his detailed policy proposals, proposals which make sense and promise a new direction in national and world leadership.
You will be convinced, as I am, that Obama deserves your support. I hope you will give it to him! Talk to your friends, family and colleagues about Obama’s vision for America (especially the ones in states that haven’t had a primary or caucus yet, and in Florida and Michigan which are likely to have another). Sign up at my.barackobama.com (visit me there or join groups of people like you who support Obama). Give Obama your support in upcoming primaries and caucuses, if yours is yet to come. Make a donation (your time and your vote are important, but so is your financial support!). And at the end of this epic struggle of worthy adversaries, cast your vote for Barack Obama on November 4!
Sincerely,
Jonathan Kamens
P.S. Please feel free to contact me to discuss any questions you might have about Barack Obama!
