Monday, January 25th, 2010
by Mariam Fikre
EA4C Guest Blogger

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Throughout the Democratic Primary and General Election, we–Obama supporters–chanted loudly and proudly “Yes we can” and believed wholeheartedly that “We are the ones we have been waiting for”. However as soon as we helped put Obama in the White House, we all decided to return to our life and daily programming. We changed the “Yes we can” to “Yes he can” and “We are the ones we have been waiting for” to “He is the one we have been waiting for”.

With these two fundamental mind shifts, the amazing grass root organization that was built during the Primary and General Election came to an end–no more phone banking back to watching TV and reading blogs.  As a result, the great enthusiasm and optimism that we once had in Obama, our country and ourselves got replaced by complacency, frustration, and indifference.

Since the 2000 Presidential Election, countless events and policies have taken and continue to take place that are pushing us to take charge and be stakeholders in our Government and to hold our elected officials  accountable. After all, this great country of ours is built on the belief of “Government for the people by the people”. Too much is at stake for us to settle for the status quo, so if we want to truly bring the change we believed in and voted for then it is up to each of us to make it happen, not just up to President Obama or the Democratic Party.

If the current loss of the Democratic candidates in VA, NJ and MA is any indication of what is to come , we need to act urgently, get motivated and get back to the grass root organization and the excitement and energy we once had during the Democratic Primary and General Election. If we want Health Care with Public Option to pass, we need to do our part to pressure our elected officials to vote for it. We put them in office and if they don’t do what we want and need that which we voted for them to do, then we have the power to vote them out and put someone in that will. If we want our country to succeed and our lives to get better, we need to be actively and directly involved.  If we don’t do our part, don’t be surprised or upset when Tea Party candidates start to take over–they already are. We need to stop outsourcing our duties and responsibilities as citizens to the officials we elect and stop the special interest groups and lobbyists from dictating and influencing the government to meet their needs instead of ours.

We have campaigned too hard and have given too much of our hard earned money to the Obama campaign to let it all go to waste. The inspiration we drew and the hope and change we believed and voted for demands of us to be and remain active and engaged voting citizens. The 2010 upcoming election is extremely critical and we need to get FIRED UP and READY TO GO again to bring the change we believed in by voting for candidates that we can believe to deliver the changes we were promised.  We cannot afford to sit out any more elections nor allow yet another status quo candidate to win yet again another election.

From here on, when we are not satisfied with whom we voted for, let’s vow not to give up and stay home but instead got out and replace that candidate by someone else who will do better. Let’s make sure we stay active, engaged and involved voting citizens in all elections not just the ones that come every four years. So come on everybody let’s regroup, reorganize and take charge. Let all the grass roots meeting and all the phone calls begin in every state where there will be an election. Let’s all do our part in making sure that no candidate wins that does not believe in nor support what is important to us.

The fierce of urgency is now!!!!!!!!!! We are the ones we have been waiting for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes we can!!!!!!!!!!Yes we can!!!!!!!!!!Yes we can!!!!!!!!!!Yes we can!!!!!!!!!!

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This blog submission was written by Mariam Fikre.  The views of guest bloggers are not necessarily the views of Ethiopian-Americans for Change.  Guest bloggers represent the broad dissection of views and outlooks within our community.