Mr. President and Mr. Vice President, I want to sincerely thank you both for all you have done for our Country over the last eight years. THIS progressive is grateful for the progress you have made.
Progress.
I am proud of both of you and for what you have stood for while you occupied the White House regardless if I did not always agree with the Administrations stance on some issues. You still furthered many causes and for me, progress is what is most important.
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.
As a mother of a young woman, I know you have furthered many causes that affect her, from Joe’s speaking out against rape culture in our Country’s higher education system and his outspokenness for men to end violence against women. I know you have called yourself a proud feminist Joe, even with your graying hair, having learned how important women’s issues are to all of us.
And Barack, you have done so much to push forward women’s issues. In 2009, you created the The White House Council on Women and Girls.
the President underscored that the purpose of the Council is to ensure that each of the agencies in which they're charged takes into account the needs of women and girls in the policies they draft, the programs they create, the legislation they support and that the true purpose of our government is to ensure that in America, all things are still possible for all people.
Imagine that? Taking into account the needs of women and girls in all the policies drafted by OUR government? OUR NEEDS. Thank you sir.
Obama also created an Ambassador at Large for Global Women’s issues. GLOBAL WOMEN’S ISSUES, because until all of us, until all our sister’s issues are addressed world wide, we cannot be equal to men. So many outside of the United States suffer merely because they are WOMEN.
Of course you know, Barack signed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and to me, the most important thing he has done is empowered his amazing wife to address women’s issues throughout his Presidency. Michelle Obama has addressed women and girl’s health and education issues all around the world, that in educating girls, you empower them. She has also been an amazing example of what a first class First Lady should be, she has made me so very proud to be an American. We have been blessed to have her and I could go on for days about all the things I admire about her.
Thank you both as well for your support of the LGBTQ community in making progress for their equality in our society. From not just legislation, but from your embracing the community in all parts of your administration. A rainbow lit White House, Joe officiating the marriage of two staffers, to issuing your executive order on transgender bathroom use. Success or failure, there has been so much progress.
And, I am grateful for the example you have set for so many of what it means to show grace under fire, to be compassionate and caring, to show humor and humility. I am proud of my Country because you have both made us better for having you as our President and Vice President.
I refuse to be disappointed in your administration, I refuse to nitpick when I sincerely believe you did the best that you could. This very proud Sanders’ supporter knows that you worked for progress and compromised because you felt you needed to in order to move the country forward, in order to reach towards that bend, towards justice.
There have been many tears as I see the goodbyes and the last of this or that. My heart is full and breaking. I may never get to thank either of you in person, but I wanted to be sure that I wrote something out, which isn’t even the beginning. There is so much more.
But I need to say something, to acknowledge how very grateful I am for the both of you and your amazing wives, your families, your service and sacrifice. So many say that you could have done more, that you should have done more, but they aren’t willing to put themselves out there and do it, run for office (And having an ex-husband in office, I know first hand it is NOT easy). I know why too, because it’s really f****** hard! The standards are so very high. It’s easy to criticize, it’s so much harder to deliver results.
Thank you both from the bottom of my heart. Even though I do fear for the future, I have hope, I can’t seem to shake it. I am what some may call a die hard optimist with pragmatic tendencies. I’ve been through so much myself (That’s another sob story) and yet, here I still am, able to write to you and thank you.
I will never forget my then 5 year-old daughter looking at the cover of “The Audacity of Hope” and asking why there was a President on the cover of a book? This was before you had even clinched the Democratic nomination in 2008, she knew then you were going to be President. You have influenced many young people and this is why I have hope as well, you set an amazing example for them on what it means to be true to what you believe and to move world forward. I sincerely hope that you will continue to work towards justice and to inspire so many.
Thank you so much.