Saturday, December 17, 2016

A Letter To President Obama

I read Joe Klein's "Amazing Grace" article in the Dec 19 edition of Time, and was inspired to send the following letter to our outgoing President today:


Dear President Obama,

You may recall that you spoke at OPOWER's Arlington headquarters in March of 2010. Just a few months later, in June of 2010, I was hired to help build the engineering team for OPOWER's San Francisco office. That was the first time I missed you.

In the two weeks leading up to June 24 of 2010, I was ramping up on my new job at the Arlington office. As I was leaving the next day, my boss took me and another co-worker out to lunch on that Thursday. He offered me the choice of where to go. Two of his suggestions were Guajilo Mexican food or Ray's Hell Burger. I thought Mexican sounded good, so we walked there. A short while later, black SUVs showed up and a Secret Service agent posted himself inside the door of Gualjilo's to make sure nobody left while you and Dmitry Medvedev enjoyed a burger and fries next door at Ray's. This was the second time I missed you.

Now we come to the end of your term, and I can't help but already be missing you for a third time. I will most miss your clarity of vision, our steady progress towards broader public good and the compassion and leadership you demonstrated and modelled for our whole nation. Whether in the face of good, bad or sometimes ugly events, I always felt reassured by your hand at the wheel.

I have grave fears that the same legislative engine that so vigorously opposed all the good that you've accomplished in spite of them will now spitefully dismantle it all in concert with the President Elect. These fears have caused me to question the 22nd Amendment. However, you have inspired in me great hope that what has been done once can be done again. That anything undone can be re-done with sufficient clarity of vision, steady progress, compassion and leadership.

Respectfully and Thankfully,

Rob Fagen

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