I STAND BY THE PRESIDENT

BACKGROUND:

Our bipartisan political process has been derailed by an extremist minority who, due to the realities of today mass media and to the power of the Internet, can disrupt rational debate and supplant it with irrational fear and distrust.  An opposition to expansion of government is a valid position held by some.  Conflating any expansion of government with socialism and Marxism is not.  Opposing insurance payments for end-of-life counseling is a defensible position; morphing that position into fear mongering about death panels is not.  Asking politicians tough questions at town halls is laudable.  A concerted strategy to disrupt discussion and information gathering, the bedrock of an enlightened democracy, is not.  Schools being pressured by a small minority of parents to ban a message on the importance of education and studying from the President of the United States is both sad and deplorable.

 

As individuals we must take a public stance against this disruption of our political process, and we must demand that our elected officials do so as well.  Unfortunately, too many of those officials are actually fueling baseless statements as well as inciting racism among their constituents.  A Mayor from California distributed a picture via email depicting rows of watermelons in front of the White House.  Ten republicans in the House have signed on in support of the Birther Bill even though the President%u2019s citizenship has been well established and despite statements such as "fight these communist Nazi thugs and hoodlums that took over our government," from the founder of the Birther movement.  A South Carolina GOP official, Rusty DePass, posted on his Facebook page that a gorilla who recently escaped from a Columbia zoo was "one of Michelle's ancestors."  And who could forget Chip Saltsman, member of the Republican National Committee, who sent a Christmas CD to the committee that included the song "Barack the Magic Negro."

 

PETITION:

We, as Americans, cannot let the ranting of a few sway the political and social progress of this great country. We must work to end the spread and tacit support of the factless opinions of extremist minorities.  And as democrats %u2013 whether progressive or centrist %u2013 we must stand together to support change in our country.  While we splinter based on our individual priorities, opponents of change are spreading fear and lies amongst many voting segments that were crucial to the election of President Obama and whose votes are crucial to the members of the House and Senate.   This petition is a small step toward uniting against the extremist who hope to deflect attention from the important work at hand and to divide the majority of voters who in November 2008 said loud and clear they were ready for change.  And it is a statement against the underlying currents of racism growing in our political discourse today.  Rather, a statement of gratitude for the diverse, multicultural country we are proud to live in today.  By signing, this we acknowledge that, though we won%u2019t agree with many of policies put forth by the Obama administration, we do believe it is leading this country in a new direction for the good of all Americans.  It is time we stand together in support of the president.