Five Years Ago

I realize that my post on Monday was critical of Barack Obama and in particular his decision to allow a Super PAC, Priorities USA Action, to work for his reelection. Some friends have commented that this might not be the time for a a supporter to be criticizing the President during the Republican primaries, but it is hard to keep the faith when that faith demands blind followers. I want a candidate who is accountable to his/her constituents and willing to talk and listen to their feedback.

I have never met President Obama and know no more than his books and our objective media reveal (yes – intended!). But something in his grassroots campaign resonated with me: the hope, the honesty, the optimism.

That campaign kicked off five years ago last week. This might be a good time to remember why we got energized half a decade ago.

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Alon Shalev is the author of The Accidental Activist and A Gardener’s Tale. He is the Executive Director of the San Francisco Hillel Foundation, a non-profit that provides spiritual and social justice opportunities to Jewish students in the Bay Area. More on Alon Shalev at http://www.alonshalev.com/ and on Twitter (@alonshalevsf).