To Obama Read online

  A Note About this Ebook

  In order to improve legibility on all screen sizes, most of the letters in this ebook are presented twice: first as an image, followed by the plain text of the letter content.

  Copyright © 2018 by Jeanne Marie Laskas

  All rights reserved.

  Published in the United States by Random House, an imprint and division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

  RANDOM HOUSE and the HOUSE colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

  All of the letters to President Obama contained within this work are reprinted by permission, and permission credits appear beginning on this page. However, adhering to the wishes of our contributors, not all letters have formal acknowledgments in this section.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Laskas, Jeanne Marie, author.

  Title: To Obama : with love, joy, anger, and hope / by Jeanne Marie Laskas.

  Description: New York : Random House, [2019]

  Identifiers: LCCN 2018023502| ISBN 9780525509387 (Hardback) | ISBN 9780525509400 (ebook)

  Subjects: LCSH: Obama, Barack. | Presidents—United States—Correspondence. | American letters. | United States—Politics and government—2009–2017—Sources.

  Classification: LCC E907 .L35 2019 | DDC 973.932—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018023502

  Hardback ISBN 9780525509387

  Ebook ISBN 9780525509400

  randomhousebooks.com

  Cover design: Anna Bauer Carr, based on the original design by David Mann

  Cover photograph: Callie Shell/Aurora Photos

  v5.3.2_r1

  ep

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Samples, 2008–2009

  Chapter 1: The Letters

  Chapter 2: Bobby Ingram, April 16, 2009

  Samples, 2009–2010

  Chapter 3: The Mailroom

  Chapter 4: Thomas and Joann Meehan, January 21, 2009

  Chapter 5: The Idea

  Samples, 2010–2012

  Chapter 6: Bill Oliver, June 20, 2012

  Chapter 7: Fiona Picks the 10LADs

  Chapter 8: Marnie Hazelton, April 5, 2011

  Samples, 2013–2014

  Chapter 9: Barack Obama

  Chapter 10: Marjorie McKinney, August 21, 2013

  Chapter 11: Red Dot

  Samples, 2015

  Chapter 12: Friends of the Mail

  Chapter 13: Shane Darby, February 2, 2016

  Samples, 2015–2016

  Chapter 14: The Writing Team

  Chapter 15: Donna Coltharp and Billy Ennis, August 4, 2016

  Chapter 16: Election Day

  Samples, 2016

  Chapter 17: Vicki Shearer, November 9, 2016

  Chapter 18: Obama in Jeans

  Samples, 2016–2017

  Epilogue

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  Permission Credits

  Also by Jeanne Marie Laskas

  About the Author

  Gold Hill, OR

  November 10, 2008

  President-Elect Barack Obama

  United States Senate

  713 Hart Senate Office Building

  Washington DC 20510

  Dear President-Elect Obama,

  My name is Benjamin Durrett. I am 18 years old. This was my first time voting, and let me tell you it was not a fun experience. I fought with my father over this election so much that I didn’t get my ballot filled out till the morning of the election. It was not until that night when the Democrats had a chance to get sixty chairs that I saw some of the things my father was talking about. He showed me how the Democratic Party now has majority control over all branches of the government. He even went as far as to say that we may not have an election in 2012. After he had finished his rant he looked at me, and said “I pray that you are right and I am wrong.” Voting for you in this election was truly the first time I have done something that went against my father. I feel that this has been a big step in becoming the person I am meant to become. I truly believe that you are the man who can make this place we call home a great one again. If we are doomed to collapse then so be it, I will look like a fool along with all of my friends, and my father will tell me its okay and that I never could have predicted this. I don’t know what you have to do to fix this place we live in. I don’t even know if you can. All I ask is that you give it everything you have. If you do that I will know that I made the right choice.

  Sincerely,

  Benjamin Durrett

  June 3, 2009

  Dear President Obama,

  I saw a report that you take 10 randomly selected letters each day to prepare a response. I hope mine is one of them. I really need to hear from you.

  The country I once knew and deeply cared about is disappearing. The capital that I and other generations before me built is being squandered. I have played by the rules thinking my family and I would be secure and that the preparation for old age would be safe in a country that would continue to honor the values of integrity (being a person of your word), fairness (you reap what you sew), self reliance, and discipline (forgoing short term reward for long term gain). All this is crumbling. It started before your watch but is accelerating during your administration. I am saddened.

  Let me tell you why I think this way. Like you, I was raised by a single mom of very modest means. My Dad was killed in a plane accident when I was 11. My mom had saved enough to start me in college. I paid for most of it and for all of my MBA which I earned after serving as a US Army Officer. I worked for AT&T/Lucent for 28 years and through a lot of discipline (see definition above) I paid for 2 daughter’s undergraduate degrees and helped them with their Masters in Social Work. I have been married for 40 years. I carry no debt except a mortgage. I have served as a church officer, been president of my national fraternity and now tutor, run a business, provide SCORE counseling and serve on a non- profit board. In short I have done my part as a patriotic American and have saved for my retirement without being a burden to my fellow countrymen. I have done all this without government help except for the little I received from the GI bill.

  Unfortunately, it appears I have been a sucker. I could be getting transfer payments for being irresponsible i.e. borrowing beyond my means to buy creature comforts, taking extravagant vacations and manipulating the weak to enter agreements they could not afford. I could have avoided the Army. I could have spent all my kid’s college money on myself. Instead, I am rewarding this behavior today through my tax dollars and your decisions. Not only that, but I believe the dollar will fail under your wasteful spending and transfer payments to the least productive among us. My savings will be worthless. All my hard work and sacrifice to no avail. All that American capital (moral and physical) from generations past will be spent.

  What’s more, you make all these decisions knowing that you and your family will never be affected by them. You will always be protected when social unrest and collapse destroys the rest of us.

  Here is my request. Reward integrity (people who keep their word), let people reap what they sew (the good and the painful), recognize citizens who have been self reliant and preserve the system that allowed them to become that way, show discipline and demand it of others.

&n
bsp; Also, on a personal note, fight against hubris. To be human is to be prone to that condition. I see signs that it is affecting you on the Brian Williams White House report and in your decision to go to NYC on a personal trip using my tax dollars. I think you are probably a decent man but even you can be destroyed by hubris.

  I remain a loyal American who at least wrote a letter,

  Richard A. Dexter

  Dover, NH

  THE WHITE HOUSE

  WASHINGTON

  Richard—

  Thanks for your letter, and for your service to our country. I applaud your life of responsibility, but frankly am puzzled as to why you think I don’t share in those values. The only transfer payments we have initiated were to states to prevent wholesale cuts in teachers, police officers, firefighters etc. in the wake of the financial crisis, and short term measures to prevent the banking and auto sectors from collapsing. (over)

  You may disagree with some of these policies, but please know that all I want to see is the hard work of individuals like you rewarded.

  Again, thank you for your thoughtful note.

  Barack Obama

  Richard A. Dexter

  Dover, New Hampshire

  Jeri LeAnne Harris

  Alger, MI

  November 5, 2008

  President-Elect Barack Obama

  John C. Kluczynski Federal Office Building

  230 South Dearborn St.

  Suite 3900 (39th floor)

  Chicago, Illinois 60604

  Dear President-Elect Obama,

  I’m not quite sure why I am writing to you, but as I feel compelled to do so—here goes! I am a ‘dyed in the wool’ republican. I didn’t vote for you and felt with my whole heart that you should have been defeated (Not the best start for a letter—smile).

  HOWEVER, my country didn’t agree with me and therefore, you are going to be the 44th President…my President of these great United States. As of 12pm last night—my heart changed. I wanted to tell you that even though I did not cast my vote for you, I respect the race that you ran and I will commit to you today—that I will pray for you and your presidency each and every day.

  I have voted since I was 18 (the last 8 elections) and even, in all my years of voting—I have never made that promise—or written a letter to a President but, as I stated before, I feel compelled. Your acceptance speech was gracious, and showed the makings of a true leader. I, like many others, am part of the fabric of this country and that I am going to be one of your constituents. I am proud to be an American each and every day and I’m proud that we have a due process that spelled out most definitely that America wants Senator Barack Obama as our next President.

  I realize you may never receive this, but I hope you do. I hope you know that there are voters—who like you said last night “Didn’t vote for you—but you will be our President”—I may have not committed millions to your cause, I may have not supported you before, but as of today, I am committed to serving you as a citizen and to praying for you daily. I can only hope that there are millions more like me—who will make that commitment to you.

  Thank you for your honest campaign and as you said last night—May God Bless the United States of America.

  Best Regards,

  Jeri L. Harris

  THE WHITE HOUSE

  Dear Jeri—

  Thank you for the wonderful note. It is most gracious, and please do keep praying for me, my family, and most importantly, the country!

  Barack Obama

  Jeri L. Harris

  Alger, Michigan

  11/4/2008

  Dear Mr. President Elect:

  You have my support until I draw my last breath.

  God bless you and yours.

  Respectfully,

  J. Martin Ball

  Richton Park IL

  USA

  April 6, 2009

  Peggy

  Spring, TX

  Mr. President:

  I am an average American woman. I am fifty-five years old. I am a wife, mother and a grandmother of two beautiful little girls, age seven and eleven. I love my country (The USA) and for what it stands.

  My husband and I both work very hard to earn our living. Each month we pay our mortgage, bills, TAXES, buy our food and take care of our own business. We are blessed because on top of that we are able to support our local church and various other organizations that feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty and clothe the naked (the simple things that God wants us to do). Please don’t make this harder for us to do by reducing our tax deductions.

  I also want you to know that life has not always been so easy for me. I was a single mom for several years. Things were hard some of the time, but I say to you that God met my every need and the government never had to “bail me out.”

  Mr. President, you are to represent the people of this nation. I can honestly say that I DO NOT feel represented by you. I am so disappointed and angry that you and many of the current representatives are trying to lead our nation into socialism. You should know from observing other countries with socialistic governments that this does not work and will not work in the USA.

  I, as one of the WE in “WE THE PEOPLE” say to you STOP this terrible debt that you are telling us to take on. This is not the future that I want to leave to my children and my children’s children.

  Mr. President, as an average citizen of The United States of America, I ask you to STOP what you are doing (NOW), admit that you are on the wrong path and move forward in governing our country with it’s original intent and in a way that would be pleasing to God.

  Sir, I know that you are very busy, but I feel that if you have not done so in a while you should read the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights. Please remember this is to be a government for the people and by the people.

  Thank you for reading my letter.

  Sincerely,

  Peggy

  May we never forget what it took—what sacrifices were made to win freedom for our country!!

  THE WHITE HOUSE

  WASHINGTON

  Peggy—

  Thanks for your letter. I wanted to respond briefly. First, no one is moving the country towards socialism. I have tried to deal with an unprecedented economic crisis by increasing government investments in roads, bridges, schools and other infrastructure to encourage job creation until businesses in the private sector get back on their feet.

  Second, rather than raise taxes, I have actually cut taxes for 95 percent of working families. I have proposed to increase taxes on those making over $250,000 per year to pay for the tax cuts for everyone else, but those increases don’t go into effect until 2010, and the rates will still be lower than they were under Ronald Reagan.

  We do need to get control of government spending over the long term, and I am commiting all of my team to find places to cut out waste, fraud, and abuse. But please rest assured that I take my oath to uphold the Constitution seriously.

  Sincerely,

  Barack Obama

  CHAPTER 1

  The Letters

  It felt almost like a secret, the way Shailagh was talking about the letters; she wanted me to know how important they were, and she seemed frustrated, or perhaps just exhausted, like a soldier in some final act of surrender, tossing off the keys to the kingdom right before the village blows up.

  This was October 2016. Hurricane Matthew had just rolled out to sea, Samsung phones were abruptly catching fire, and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was tweeting—“Nothing ever happened with any of these women. Totally made up nonsense to steal the election. Nobody has more respect for women than me!”—and I suppose Shailagh was feeling as wistful as anyone tumbling inside the gathering aw
areness of sweeping cultural change in America.

  She had served six years in the Obama administration, the past two as a senior advisor, and we were in her office in the West Wing, where she was reaching toward a bookcase filled with thick three-ring binders. Inside the binders were letters to Obama that dated back to the beginning of his administration. They were from constituents. Ordinary Americans writing to their president. “They became a kind of life-force in this place,” Shailagh said. She had her shoes off and a woolly sweater wrapped around her; she had a raspy voice and an unfussy Irish look, a person you might sooner find wiping the counter at a pub in Dublin than sitting comfortably across the hall from the Oval Office.

  At that point Hillary Clinton was still up by double digits in the national polls, and the unthinkable was still unthinkable. Clinton campaign staffers were jockeying for position in what everyone believed would be the new administration, and Shailagh had no designs on being part of it; two terms in the White House were enough. Her job helping to lead the administration’s communications strategy was to act as the gatekeeper between Obama and the people who wrote about him, and it appeared to have taken its toll. “I will not miss the bros,” she said. With Obama just a few months away from leaving office, journalists were reaching peak bravado, she said. They wanted exit interviews; they wanted them now; they wanted to be first, biggest, loudest. She was sick of the egos, the same old questions, the lack of imagination, and Trump was tweeting, and it seemed like the world was going haywire.

  The letters, she said, served as a kind of respite from all that, and she offered to show some to me. She chose a navy-blue binder, pulled it off the shelf, and opened it, fanning through page after page of letters, some handwritten in cursive on personal letterhead, others block printed on notebook paper and decorated with stickers; there were business letters, emails, faxes, and random photographs of families, soldiers, and pets. “You know, it’s this dialogue he’s been having with the country that people aren’t even aware of,” she said, referring to Obama’s eight-year habit of corresponding with the American public. “Collectively, you get this kind of American tableau.”