Matt --
It's no secret that I'm a big believer in hope and change.
But I'm also a big believer in reality. Hope that is not rooted in reality will never lead to the change we desire.
If you don't like things you see, you can't just close your eyes and long for something better. You've got to open them, embrace reality, and channel that hope into action.
America didn't become that shining city on the hill by wishing for it. We built it with clear eyes, righteous ambition, and unwavering determination. So I'm asking you to recall that unlikely story of America -- a story that forever validates our hope -- and help write its next chapter.
I'm asking you to be neither blind to, nor dismayed by, reality -- but motivated by it.
There is no time to feel discouraged. Now is the time to get organizing with OFA for November's crucial midterms. Matt, those who believe in democracy and civil rights and a common humanity will always have the upper hand. That's not just something I want to believe; I believe it because
history has proven it true.
But history has also proven that virtue alone is not enough. A better vision will only prevail if we work tirelessly on behalf of that vision.
If we want a more representative, more just, more inclusive democracy, we need to keep fighting for it.
If we want policies that lift up the most vulnerable instead of politicians who put them down, we need to keep organizing.
If we want a more perfect union, we need to build it together, from the bottom up.
Say you'll do the work to make this vision a reality: Thank you,
Barack Obama
44th President of the United States
