There were many who were surprised by the 2012 Presidential election. In simple terms, they didn’t expect us to
show up, but we did, and we helped propel this President to victory for four
more years.
As leaders meet with the President this week,
and as we fast approach negotiations
on the fiscal cliff, we must remain
focused on protecting vital American ideals like Medicare, Medicaid, quality
education, and other concepts that help define who we are as a nation. We
cannot allow ourselves to be distracted by those on the right that can’t accept
the outcome of this election or by those on the left that are caught up in
their own egos and personal gripes. We didn’t just blindly vote and win this
election for a particular Party or person; the majority sided with a policy
that benefits the people and not special interests. It’s important now as it perhaps ever was
that we continue to concentrate on that platform and keep our eyes on the
prize.
In 1994, Dr. Wyatt Walker, who previously served as chief strategist for the
great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
(and Chair of National Action Network’s
Board of Directors), took me on a trip to South Africa as an election
observer. I’ll never forget the shock of
seeing members of the left denouncing Nelson
Mandela for having negotiations with the White Afrikaners, or some
Afrikaners attacking Mandela and calling him a terrorist and extremist. Dr. Walker told me then, that’s the price of
leadership.
During the civil rights era back here in the
United States, Dr. King himself was scrutinized by some in the Black power
movement for having working relationships with President John F. Kennedy and President Lyndon
B. Johnson. And of course, we all know very well the depth of vicious
attacks he bravely fought against from conservatives on the right. Again, the price of leadership.
Almost immediately following the 2012 election,
thousands signed
a petition supporting Texas’ peaceful withdrawal from the United States of
America in order to “create its own NEW
government.” Instead of working to find
solutions to some serious challenges that face all of us like the looming
fiscal cliff, unemployment, inadequate schools, and other economic, political,
and social dilemmas, those signing this outrageous petition and those who
resort to mocking the President aren’t interested in resolving our
difficulties.
Whether it be
for ingrained biases or an inability to accept the outcome of the 2012
election, these folks are setting us further back and further apart.
As President Obama begins to tackle some of the
looming troubles ahead, those of us who support programs for the middle-class
and poor will continue to fight for the cause of justice. But we will also remember that negotiating
and speaking to the opposition is a necessary part of any democratic
society. While the President will
undoubtedly face resistance from the extremes of both sides, we know that true
leadership requires extreme patience, dedication and a willingness to find
mutual agreement.
Everyone won’t
be satisfied 100 percent of the time, but as Dr. Walker once told me, that is
the price of leadership.
The days ahead will require commitment and
tolerance from all of us, but we will not forget why we voted for this
President. We will not forget the ideals that make this country remarkable and
what separate us from other places around world. We will continue to fight for those who may
not have a voice, and we will deflect negativity from all sides. We must be strong enough to emulate those stronger
than us like Mandela, like Dr. King.
There’s an old civil rights song that goes,
“Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on. Hold on, hold on, keep your eyes on the
prize, hold on.” No matter what, those who want our nation to succeed must
always remember to keep our collective eyes on that prize.
Isa 9:16 For the leaders of this people cause [them] to err; and [they
that are] led of them [are] destroyed.
Rom 16:18 For they that are such serve
not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair
speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
Jhn 11:48 If we let him thus alone, all
[men] will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our
place and nation.
Mic 3:3 Who also eat the flesh of my
people, and flay their skin from off them; and theybreak their bones, and chop
them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the caldron.
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