In 2008 I expressed considerable enthusiasm in the campaign of Barack Obama. I had read both of his books and hundreds of news articles that described his leadership. My optimism surged with his election. Some of the Republicans who were incarcerated alongside me did not share my enthusiasm. Richard was one of them, and today he asked me with sarcasm when President Obama was going to let us out of prison. When I didn’t respond to him, Richard followed up by saying that Obama was like any other politician who would say anything to get elected. I disagreed.
For one thing, I don’t recall President Obama ever saying that he would let anyone out of prison. Nor do I Think that he has a history of saying whatever was necessary to get elected. From my perspective, he is the president I admire most precisely because he doesn’t say what he doesn’t mean—regardless of the popularity of his statements. He leads as he deems is in the best interest of the country. I admire him and my enthusiasm for his presidency remains high.
My support in President Obama was not rooted in expectations that he would open the prison gates. Rather, it was in his philosophy that America needed a strong middle class to prosper. During the decades of my imprisonment, America has become more fragmented and I looked to his leadership to unite us. It is a monumental challenge and I admire him for staying the course.
Certainly, I think the odds of meaningful prison reform are strongest under his leadership. But I’m not delusional about the priority of prison reform as compared to all of the other crises our country faces. We’re still engaged in two wars. We have high unemployment and millions of Americans are losing their homes to foreclosure. The country has problems, and a fragmented Congress makes it difficult for meaningful reforms. In time, prison reform will come—even though I recognize that my release may come before then.
Rather than expecting release to come because of his election, what I felt was greater hope for our country. I remember the crises that came as a consequence of President Bush’s decisions. The country did not support his decision to invade Iraq. There were no WMDs, nor was there an immediate threat. The “preemptive strike” didn’t make sense. We had a budget surplus when Clinton entered office, but the Bush presidency led us into trillions of spending. It led to deregulations that brought the financial crisis. As his presidency came to a close, our economy was on the verge of collapse. People forgot those dark days. It is the leadership of President Obama that is righting our course, pulling us out of the ditch.
I don’t wait for outside forces to change my life. That responsibility is mine. I don’t wait around for prison reform. Instead, I work hard and I work every day to prepare. Bitterness consumes Richard, but I am filled with optimism because of the many blessings that come my way, because I am not sitting around waiting for anyone else to change the circumstances of my life. Rather, I take action.
Ran 10 miles / 5,505 miles in 612 days
400 pushups / 90,900 pushups in 2010
Saturday, 21 August 2010
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