Where is Obama? I know.

My Fellow Americans,
Do you believe President Trump has fulfilled his oath of office? If yes, then this letter is not for you.

This letter is for the rest of us who watched in horror as President Trump praised Putin and denied his involvement in the assault on our democracy in the 2016 elections. A denial that must be seen as a cover-up and collusion with Russia since we now know he was informed by American intelligence agencies, immediately upon taking office, that the attacks on our democracy unequivocally came from Putin. He boldly and blatantly lied to the American public, calling it Fake News, which can be seen as nothing less than aiding and abetting our enemy.

This letter is for those willing to protect their fellow countrymen's right to free and fair elections regardless of which party they belong to. It's for those shocked by Trump drawing equivalency between the word of a murderous dictator and our own Director of National Security who has dedicated his career to serving the American people. It's for those disgusted by President Trump esteeming a man currently perpetrating cyberattacks against our infrastructure and our upcoming elections. It's for those aghast at hearing Trump actually considered allowing our Ambassadors and other American citizens to be interrogated by Putin, who we know has been responsible for polonium tea and nerve agent murders of those on his death lists.

This letter is for those whose soul stirs with outrage, whose eyes fill with frustrated tears, whose breath stills with shock, whose heart has already broken so many times over the losses caused by this administration that they are unsure their heart can break again. And yet it is.

I see you calling for Obama, wondering where he is and why he doesn’t help us. I know you yearn for a leader to step up and fix this travesty that is occurring to our country, right now, before our very eyes.

My Dear Fellow Americans, My Dear True Patriots,

Obama has already helped us and we already have all the tools we need. I beg just a few moments of your time to remind you of a few truths.

We live in a representative democracy. Despite what recent disinformation campaigns have tried to sell the American people, democracy and republic are not mutually exclusive and both make up the very bones of our Constitution. We vote for our President and Congress members, and they in turn must listen to us throughout the duration of their time in office because their duty is to serve us. We put Obama in office, and he never held any power greater than the power we granted him by means of election. While we question the legitimacy of Trump’s ascension to the Oval Office, he holds no power that we cannot also take away; by voting for a replacement or by calling for impeachment. We live in a democracy and we have that power.

The United States government is set-up as a system of self-governance, and the ultimate power resides in We the People. This means, the buck stops with us, the citizens. We are the power that ordained and established the Constitution. It is our power that we allow to pass to the President for him to use for a time. We are ultimately responsible for all aspects of our government, including crimes committed by our president. And like any errant child, if a president abuses the powers we have granted, it is our responsibility to take them back. It is no less than our solemn duty.

So now I return to my first question. If you do not believe President Trump has fulfilled his oath of office, if you believe he has betrayed this country, committed your moral definition of treason, if you believe he does not have America’s best interest at heart, if you believe he meets your moral definition of a traitor, then it is your solemn duty to call for his impeachment. There can be no question of what we should do. We must call for his impeachment today and every single day thereafter until the Great American Betrayer is out of the Oval Office, whether it happens through impeachment or through our next election cycle. It matters not. What matters is that we do our duty and use all peaceful means available to eject him now, and we keep doing it every day until the glorious day the Great American Betrayer is no longer in the Oval Office. Trump was placed in office by the citizens of this country and he can be removed from power by the citizens of this country. Have no doubt of this, my fellow citizens. You not only have the power, but you are the power.

But why doesn’t Obama step up and help us? I know you are asking this as I see it posted all over social media. Some speculate that he is afraid. Others just wonder at the void and don’t understand why he is silent. He is not afraid, my countrymen. Oh no, it isn’t fear that stills his voice.

Obama first taught us to hope. Then he taught us that change was not to be feared, but to be used to propel us to a greater future. But he cannot step up now to help us to this new future, because he believes so strongly in democracy, and part of democracy is that when one takes the mantle of power of the presidency, one must be willing to give it back to the people. We have heard him say to keep fighting, and in those words, he is telling us all we need to know.

Obama has one more lesson to teach us though, and that is about self-empowerment. That lesson must come to us through his inaction. I can see him now, sitting next to Michelle, watching the Russia Summit Unmasking. I can see Michelle taking in a slight indrawn gasp and Obama, so in tune with her, turning toward her with the sparkle of tears in his beautiful eyes. I can see his great love of his country and his pain at our pain, and his frustration at his inability to act because of his great reverence for our democracy.

Then I imagine he turns introspective for a moment and starts remembering the last two years. I imagine him reviewing the first protest when women said they would not be objectified. Next, all protests since run through his mind like an old fashioned still movie, with old and young people, wearing pink hats and carrying erudite signs. Then I imagine him reaching over and holding Michelle’s hand and giving it a gentle squeeze with a slight nod, saying, “They’ve got this. They will do it.”

You see, when you wonder where Obama is, all you have to do is stand in front of a mirror or close your eyes and look inside yourself. We all have pieces of him already. We brought pieces of him to each march, rally, and protest. We have already practiced his final lesson. First he taught us Hope, then he taught us not to fear Change, and our final lesson is Self-empowerment.

When you need a leader, just stand in front of a mirror and you will see one. “Keep fighting,” Obama tells us. He is talking to you.

We have a democracy. The People put Trump in power. The People can take him out. We are citizens of the United States of America and we will not stand for someone who we believe to be a traitor to sully the Oval Office. We have been told that, because of Trump, America can no longer be considered the leader of the free world. Well, clearly the world hasn’t been paying attention, because our presidents never were the leaders of the free world. We are a republic. It has always been our citizens who have led, because our presidents are never greater than We the People are, from whom they are granted their power. We are the first great democracy on earth, and I’ll be damned if Putin is going to silence Our Voice or Our Will with a puppet president.

If you believe Trump has violated his oath of office, if you believe he doesn’t have America’s best interest at heart, if you believe in democracy, if you believe your will matters and your voice has power, then lift it. Lift it I say. Call your U. S. Representative to demand impeachment. If you think they won’t listen, then call the House Judiciary Committee where they will tally your call for impeachment and pass it on. Call your U. S. Senators and tell them you will stand for this nonsense no longer. Light up the phones. Write letters. March. Register new voters. Give hope to the disaffected. Share your vision with the disillusioned. Speak out in public forums, in your places of worship, in bars, in coffee shops, on street corners, yes, even on social media. Roar your truth from rooftops. Peacefully occupy your town squares in shifts and shout out your truths over megaphones. Lift up your voice. Be the leaders Obama knows you to be. Use the power of our democracy and do not stop until Trump is doomed to be nothing more than a cautionary tale we share with our grandchildren. Show the world what the first great democracy on Earth can do when it decides to shine its light and forge a new future.

And when you are done, flick Putin off your mind, like the inconsequential piece of lint that he is. He is one man, a dirty trickster who thinks being the president of a corrupt authoritarian regime is a great thing. He’s got nothing on us. We emerged from the skirts of Lady Liberty who not only holds a light to shine the way, but also opens her arms with compassion and has the strength to shelter the weary. We have the blood of all First People of all Nations on Earth running through our veins. The American Eagle is our symbol because we taught the entire world what freedom means. We are the most powerful free body on earth. We are Citizens of the United States of America. We are We the People.

Where is Obama you asked? We the People birthed Obama from the belly of our diverse nation, we are his legacy that can never be undone, and he is a piece of our hearts. He is confident we will overcome the travesty of the American Betrayer even without his help because Obama knows his greatness came from us, not the other way around. Now let us use our Power, use our Will, use our Voice, use our Wings of Liberty and let the world watch us soar.

*********************
If this post has moved you, I hope you will share it.