Dear Mr. President Barack Obama,

I came of age in the later years of George W. Bush’s presidency, a time when the American people lacked confidence in their president, their government and perhaps their country. I watched as my government abandoned its responsibility to its citizens and as my president marched our parents and siblings into wars that fed his ego, even as the wars starved us of all credibility on the world stage. Taxes were cut while spending increased, and these political moves were financed at the expense of our national debt. The economy was failing, and an entire American city was drowning.

But in 2008, I was in awe of you. I was truly inspired by a thoughtful, intelligent president with real solutions that I could support. From universal health care to the repeal of the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy, you were a breath of fresh air for liberals. You even recognized the existence of global climate change, a fact I wish we could take for granted.

More than that, I was inspired by your promise of a change to the institutions of our government that served their own good first. To me, you were the candidate of a good government, in contrast to those who called for no government. You called for unity against the division of the past. Your words inspired many, including myself, who may not have cared as much before to become involved in politics.

Since assuming the office, you have been arguably one of the most legislatively successful presidents in decades. I wish that you had gone further and pushed harder, but your accomplishments continue to speak for themselves.

But I’m sorry to say that you have failed in whatever mandate you had. Despite my own support of your policies, I would have forgiven you for not pressing health care reform. You have failed because you have not pressed for the kind of changes that your election called for. This may include things like energy reform, but more important are the governmental and electoral reforms central to our democracy. We crave a change in the way our government interacts with the people, as well as a change in policy.

Also consider that your inability to understand this has led to the most recent election results. In your failure, your challenge has grown. My own district is one of the over 60 seats Democrats lost this year. Now you face a Republican House of Representatives that was elected largely on the payroll of big businesses, with a sizable caucus that would roll back nearly a century of progress we have made as a country, if given such a chance.

Then again, who really needs the Department of Education? Republicans will oppose electoral reform because unlimited, undisclosed donations played a large role in their victories. These developments obviously make the job harder, but not impossible, for a president committed to the cause.

I sincerely hope you take this election for what it is. Americans want you to be doing what you told them you were going to: Change the way Washington, D.C., works.

Colin Crowley is a sophomore political science major. He is a guest columnist, and he can be reached at cocrowle@syr.edu.

Published on November 3, 2010 at 12:00 pm