Organizing for America

Ishara's Fundraising Goal

Working Toward Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Dream

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." Martin Luther King, Jr.

The quote above is one of the universally known King pearls of wisdom and one that applies especially to this nomination race and the up coming general election.

Consider that many the world over neither like nor trust politicians, reasons we neither like nor trust them is because more often than not, come election year they are gregariously congenial, enjoy popular support, seem to be ever present and confoundingly loud when seeking elected office in order to shape and mold domestic and foreign policy only to dumbfound supporters and voters alike after having been elected by becoming obnoxiously insular, conspicuously absent from direct public purview/contact and subsiding into expertise at delivering carefully crafted speeches (to be sure) that are utterly devoid of meaning in terms of concrete measures to be taken in resolving problems (aka meat and potatoes), a clear elucidation of how actual problems came into being, the proactive way forward and parameters by which success or failure can be weighed/measured.

How does Barack stack up with the common negative aspects of politicians in the scenario above?

Barack has demonstrated a willingness and ability to lead on the Invasion of Iraq in terms of concrete measures to be taken in resolving problems (aka Iraqi resolution of inter-ethnic/religious  conflict), a clear elucidation of how actual problems came into being, the proactive way forward and parameters by which success or failure can be weighed/measured. He could, have chosen "comfort and convenience" when running for state senate office in Illinois. It would have been incredibly easy to adopt no official position or one that was in line with that of the outgoing administration or public opinion, both then strongly in favor of the Invasion. In a "time of challenge and controversy", Barack deliberately chose to depart from the status quo at the time and was numbered among the appallingly few elected officials that opposed the Invasion from the outset, said so publicly and went into detail as to reasons why.

Barack has also led in ameliorating corruption when it comes to campaign financing, over a million individual contributors averaging $109.00 fund this campaign and each owns a part of it. Barack works on the electorate’s behalf, he's not beholden to lobbyists or special interests, they cannot set his agenda and consequently he will owe them no favours or special consideration unlike our 2 opponents-one of whom has the greatest lobbyist/special interest campaign contributions, the other actually has lobbyists working as campaign staff!

Barack is able to look beyond party affiliation, focus on issues at hand and work toward the betterment of all. He often says would choose members of his administration based on expertise and ability to get things done; not which political party one belongs or supports. He also said that he along with members of his administration members would continue to hold town halls all over the county where anyone can ask any question (no pre-screening or lists of permissible issues) and more importantly, all debates and discussions on contentious issues in congress (like healthcare) will be covered live by C-SPAN so that everyone can see where their elected representative stands and who is saying what, when, how.

These are steps in the right direction but NONE of them mean Barack will ALWAYS say or do the right thing.

To say King's measure of a man is difficult to live up to is an understatement and retreating into a cocoon of "comfort and convenience" can get very tempting when confronted with sticky issues (aka hot buttons).

We are all flawed and in all likelihood, all politicians including Barack are doubly flawed due to the nature of their career (attempying to negotiating a consensus out of diverse opinions/views/ideas held by diverse people).

That being said, it is the electorate that must ensure Barack remains on track, that he begins as he means to go on by refusing to accept anything less than the respect for truth, exhibiting the courage of his convictions and showing the judgement he has demonstrated in the past . Voters will ensure Barack continues to channel a rejection of politics of the past and business as usual on the Hill into ensuring that King's standards in "times of challenge and controversy" are upheld and maintained....this again is the step in the right direction.

We know he cannot be all things to all people in whatever interviews he gives, speeches he makes or policy decisions and choices he puts foward, bills he sponsors or supports but this does not mean he should fail to recognize truth, fail to pursue justice and fairness or fail to seek prosperity for all....and not just in words but demonstrably through putting policy and plans into action.

In my opinion, virtues and values should not change to accommodate human frailty-therefore we should not wallow in discontentment, complacently accept nonsense like double speak, fiscal irresponsibility, constitutional imprudence etc or otherwise lower our expectations because it is less likely that elected officials will live up to or exceed them. This is why holding our representatives to King's standard is important, no matter what our issues or concerns, we should always ask the hard questions.

1) Become politically vested and engaged 

2) Demand accountability

3) Demand transparency

Then we will be able to see movement from the political status quo today into what we envision for the future. This is how we must keep working in the direction of MLK, Jr.'s vision and why we must keep Barack walking in the right direction.