Dear Arianna,
On March 15 of 2007, I wrote you a letter at your request based on our discussions about what qualities I think our next President should have. At that time, I told you that it was still too early in the race and that I still had a number of questions and that therefore it would take me some time to really look at the field and make up my mind. As you know, I have a number of people whom I consider friends in the race and I certainly didn't want to be disrespectful to any of them.
I also told you that I am only one vote and that I doubted that anybody really cared. Quite frankly, I was surprised at the reaction to my article that you published on the Huffington Post
In that article, I enumerated a number of criteria upon which I would make my decision as to what candidate I would support in the presidential elections. I wrote that while I have a number of personal reasons to support my friends, I would come to a conclusion after listening carefully to all the various parties, and that only then would I present my thoughts to you. I wrote that I would arrive at a decision that, while still bearing some emotional taint, would best represent my thoughts on who should be President.
My first criterion is trust. Trust is the basis of every relationship and clearly, the American people s trust and faith in our government have been eroded by the past seven years of the Bush/Cheney administration. There has been a distinct lack of independent thinking in the Judicial, Executive and Legislative branches of our government. I know about compromises, but some of this has gone beyond compromise.
Politics has become an ugly game. During the Clinton administration, America's image was that of a strong, confident and kind world leader. Today, that image has been deeply soiled both in the eyes of the world at large, and in those of our own citizens.
Since then, I have been looking for a leader who, above all, will lead by example and who is above politics and special interests. I have been looking for a leader who is smart enough to align him or herself with the majority of Americans, but willing to side with the minority if he or she believes that this is right for the future of our nation. I have been looking for a leader who is willing to compromise to get things done but does not let the polls decide the nature or strength of his or her beliefs. I have been looking for a leader that will practice the politics of inclusion and will help solve the many challenges that are facing us today and will best represent the next generation, who, after all, have everything at stake.
I have listened to the arguments that neither a woman nor a minority could get elected in this country. I have even heard the argument that some will not vote for such a person because they think others will not vote for them. These assertions I find to be ridiculous. If everybody thought that way, nobody would vote his or her conscience. The herd would decide. In my mind, American people are far too intelligent to decline to vote for a deserving candidate because of that candidate s gender, race or religion. Incidentally, I find the argument made against Mitt Romney, based on his religion, to be just as silly and unfair.
I am a legal immigrant whose parents went from Russia to China to Chile to finally reach the United States and thereby give me a chance to have a better life. I served six years in the US Army Reserve, went to college, have a successful career and have dedicated my life to being a good citizen. I have lived the American dream and that is the dream I want for our children and all children everywhere. I see that we are facing economic challenges and that the way in which we meet these challenges will have an immense impact on all the other trials we must face. It is not only about cutting taxes, it s about balancing our budget and living within our means. We cannot be a shopping mall for the rest of the world.
We cannot hope to improve our environment without making sacrifices. Our parents made sacrifices during World War II and the war in Vietnam. We owe them a willingness to do the same, especially when it comes to health care and social security. We need to provide for our children an educational system that is better than anywhere else in the world. We owe the less advantaged, the elderly and the sick the best of our efforts. We face a nuclear threat and the threat of terrorism. I believe it was Einstein who said that he did not know all the weapons that would be used in World War III, but he believed that World War IV would be fought with sticks and stones.
We have to live by what we preach. We are all God's children and I think it is naïve to think that one person could solve all of these problems. It is really up to all of us to shake off the politics of division and demand a change. We need more than 47% of the people to show up to the polls representing the other 53%. We live in a shrunken world in which everyone sees what everyone else is doing, as though we re all living in a glass house. The fact that this glass is breakable forces us to ask ourselves serious questions about the nature of humanity. We have all been sold a bill of goods, packed with lies and corruption, that highlights the differences between all of us. The future of our country and our world depends on our ability to start highlighting the similarities, the common ground upon which we can all stand. We need to be a part of the Global Community, not a self-proclaimed brothers keeper.
It is for all of these reasons that my vote will go to Barack Obama. His policy proposals are very close to those of his Democratic rivals with a few exceptions. He has flaws like all of us. Politics, however, like much else in life, is all about timing. That s what matters. It is about the face that represents our choice of leadership. That is why I supported John F. Kennedy, Gary Hart and Bill Clinton. They were the right candidates for their time. Senator Obama's journey is not unlike my own, though I am white, Jewish and have red hair. His face, in my view, best represents America an America that's willing to change. And yes, he's strong enough to take on military challenges.
Many people criticize Senator Obama based upon their perception that he's lacking in experience. In my view, it certainly seems that few people could hope to have as much experience as Vice President Cheney. It is less a matter of experience than one of judgment, I believe. There are a great many people around the world who believe that America has lost its moral compass. I believe that Senator Obama is the right choice to lead the next generation of Americans out of what appears to me to be a position of great peril. We need a leader who will follow his conscience at the helm of a nation of citizens who are not afraid to vote theirs. There are those in this world who will hate us no matter what we do, but following the compass of our consciences, we will have behind us the moral and legal justifications for our actions -- actions that for the first time in too long we can support together as a nation. America can once again lead the way to hope and human dignity for all.
In my view, the Obama Candidacy is about more than just an end to the war abroad. I'm not suggesting an immediate withdrawal of our troops from foreign soil. It is about an end to the war in America -- a cultural and religious war that eats at our nation's soul. Repairing America's image to the world is going to be one of the major challenges that this country will be facing. We are all immigrants, or the children of immigrants, who have come to this land looking for the American Dream. I believe that as the next President of the United States, Barack Obama can make this dream a reality.
Perhaps this will convince no one. But, now you have my opinion.
Warmest Regards,
Mike Medavoy
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Posted December 26, 2007 | 02:16 AM (EST)