Dear Mr. President,
As I sit in the Woodruff Library at 4:32 am, I should be focusing on the politics of Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan, but all I can focus on is you. I have a midterm in less than twelve hours; yet for some reason, it seems like the perfect time to watch all the videos on your YouTube channel. As I listen to you speak to the people of crucial states such as Iowa, Virginia, and Ohio, I can’t help but think that this one midterm will not decide my future; your reelection will. An A on my midterm will not ensure that I have Planned Parenthood to look out for my rights as a woman, and will not ensure that I receive equal pay as my male counterparts. No, my midterm grade will not directly change my future, but the result of this election could.
Today is Election Day; the day all your hard work campaigning (while simultaneously running a country) has led up to. I vividly remember the last election, sitting at home in Michigan anxiously awaiting the announcement of America’s 44th President. As soon the words “President Barack Hussein Obama” flashed across the CNN screen, tears began to flow down my face. Trust me, these tears of happiness continued to flow all seventeen minutes of your speech; and yes, I did watch it three times in a row. Your campaign was the first campaign I followed, and since you announced your candidacy, I have been hooked.
Four years ago, you said the three words that rocked this country; “Yes we can.” A statement so simple, giving a broken nation all the hope it needed. Barack, you knew we could, and we did. On that cold November night in 2008, you warned me that you might not be able to get it all done in one term, which is why I have your back in this election. I have seen the progress you have made, and I am hopeful that with a second term, you will restore America and bring back the fire that this nation once had. You represent a sign of hope for the underdogs. Let’s be real, who would have thought a black man with modest political fame could rise up and beat Hillary? She’s basically democratic royalty. But you had something she didn’t. You had this glow in your eyes that brought out the youth vote and made people who never considered voting in an election register and vote.
I know people knock you down and call you a liar. People say that you did not keep your promises and say we need a change. But when I step off the plane, every time I go home to Michigan, I know our economy is coming back, thanks to you. When I graduate college and pursue my goal of being a teacher, I know there will be jobs, thanks to you. You have made dreams possible and will continue to fight for us, which is why I will continue to fight for you.
This election has been tough, and I will confess that at first I thought we had it in the bag. I even admit that for a month I stopped volunteering, I stopped donating, and even worse, I stopped reading your emails. Then things changed; Romney came back and started to climb up in the polls. Not to worry, we came back even harder. We traveled to swing states to knock on doors in all different neighborhoods in unknown cities and in some pretty terrible weather. We did it for you, because we know you would do it for us.
President Obama, I love you. I love that you believe in equality no matter one’s gender, race, or sexual orientation. I love that you promised to get us out of Iraq, and you did. I love that you signed the Lilly Ledbetter bill and repealed Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, even though some people opposed. But most importantly Mr. President, I love the hope you have instilled in me, a hope that Detroit will once again thrive, and that unemployment will drop. You have given me hope that one day all children will receive equal educations and the chance to go to college and enter the workforce. I have hope in the American people, and I believe we will win this election. We, the people of the United States of America, need a president like you Barack Obama. I am confident that when you win this election, you will spend the next four years working to better our lives, our economy, and our country. I am so excited to see what you will do.
Thanks for being you,
Hannah Lilly Hodari
P.S. As President, you can make my teacher give me an A….right?