(350 Springfield Bikers after the ride, 10/24/09)
Obama spoke about climate change during his announcement and in every major speech since. The first Presidential nominee to make clean energy a central theme of his campaign received the largest voter mandate of any Democratic President in 44 years.
Many of us who joined the 350 rally were present at Obama's first official campaign speech and again when he returned to add Joe Biden to the ticket. We rallied today to remind Obama, and Congress, that we expect them to fulfill our mandate for taking action on climate change. When Obama spoke in Springfield on a bitterly cold day in February 2007, he said this about climate change:
We can set up a system for capping greenhouse gases. We can turn this crisis of global warming into a moment of opportunity for innovation, and job creation, and an incentive for businesses that will serve as a model for the world. Let's be the generation that makes future generations proud of what we did here.
(Obama at the Old State Capitol, Feb. 2007)
What we need now is a full effort to negotiate a meaningful treaty in Copenhagen. We need Obama's administration to remember what we elected him to do. We need Congress to understand that the voters spoke on election day and we expect results.
(Stefano Longo speaking at 350 rally)
UIS Environmental Studies professor Stefano Longo spoke to rally goers about the need for a democratic movement by the people to solve this crisis. It echoed comments Obama made at the same location.
But too many times, after the election is over, and the confetti is swept away, all those promises fade from memory, and the lobbyists and the special interests move in, and people turn away, disappointed as before, left to struggle on their own.
That is why this campaign can't only be about me. It must be about us - it must be about what we can do together. This campaign must be the occasion, the vehicle, of your hopes, and your dreams. It will take your time, your energy, and your advice - to push us forward when we're doing right, and to let us know when we're not. This campaign has to be about reclaiming the meaning of citizenship, restoring our sense of common purpose, and realizing that few obstacles can withstand the power of millions of voices calling for change.
(Rally kids)
Climate change and health care. That's what Obama spoke about most during the campaign and why so many thousands of people worked to get him elected. Now is the time for millions of voices to overcome the special interests standing in our way.
(I knew this one would turn out. Thanks go to Harv Koplo for taking the good pictures and letting me use his camera to take the rest! I'll post more soon.)