Dear Mr. President-Elect,
Let me start by saying, I hate politics. In a perfect world, the most talented artists would be the biggest celebrities, the biggest criminals would get the largest jail sentences, and the smartest people would be our world leaders. As it is, sex tapes kickstart more careers than they destroy; the biggest criminals have golden parachutes funded by middle class retirement funds, and…I think the guy you’re replacing wasn’t that bright. But he was a hell of a politician, wasn’t he?
When I started learning how to be a businessman, I quickly recognized that ambition and politics go hand in hand. Over time, I’ve learned how to say no without the word ‘no’ coming out of my mouth; I’ve learned the difference between ‘going over every detail’ and ‘lying’. I still hate politics, but I’ve learned how to get what I want.
So now that the campaign built on ‘CHANGE’ and ‘not doing things the old way’ is over, and you’re about to name Hillary Secretary of State, well, it is what it is, eh? I’m not mad at you brother, I thought months ago that you would need all the help you can get. The euphoria of seeing a black president, a black president barely old enough to be my father, that joy died months ago. Your enemies are waiting for your first major misstep, so I’ve shifted my attention toward watching your enemies. More specifically, I jumped off the bandwagon of helping you become a great candidate, and started thinking about what I could do to help you become a great president.
Call me cynical or call me practical, but I don’t believe everyone who helped you get into the White House has as much interest in helping you stay there. I’ve never seen or heard so many friends and family members take an interest in politics. It’s sincerely a beautiful thing. I’m not faulting anyone who goes into ‘back to normal’ mode either; that’s the whole point of having elected representatives chosen by the people. For me personally though, I feel a renewed desire not just to be an American, but to be an American citizen.
I still don’t know what I’m going to do yet. Maybe using this space to offer thoughtful opinions is enough. Maybe I’ll think about making more socially conscious ‘Spike Lee’ type movies. Maybe I’ll officially trade in my ‘Independent’ card, and look into getting involved with your political party. We’ve got at least four years, maybe I’ll eventually get to all of these things. Or none of them.
As jaded as life has made me in some ways, I teared up good whe I saw Barack Obama Elected President on my TV screen. I have to be honest, now that you’ve got the job, I honestly wouldn’t want to be in your shoes.
But I want to help.
