Email itu...

Email itu berbunyi:

Arie --

Yesterday morning, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that corporations can spend freely in federal elections.

It's a green light for a new stampede of special interest money in our politics, giving their lobbyists even more power in Washington. Now, every candidate who fights for change could face limitless attacks from corporate special interests like health insurance companies and Wall Street banks.

While the GOP is celebrating a victory for its special interest allies, President Obama is working with leaders in Congress to craft a forceful response that protects the voices of ordinary citizens.

Email (surat elektronik) ini makin memperkuat teori saya bahwa tidak ada satu bangsapun di dunia ini yang berhak mengklaim diri "lebih baik" dari yang lain.

Pesan ini makin menunjukkan bahwa perubahan dan perbaikan dibutuhkan oleh semua bangsa, semua masyarakat yang merasa berada di sistem yang makin tidak sesuai dengan harapan konstitusi masing-masing.

Beberapa jam sebelum menerima pesan ini, saya menghadiri sebuah ceramah "US-Indonesia Society Open Forum: Expectations and Accomplishment of Obama's First Year". Pembicara, seorang doktor politik dari Massasuschets University yang mengatakan, "Our political system is broken".

Beliau menunjukkan keheranan tingkat tinggi terhadap kegagalan Pemerintahan Obama menyelesaikan Undang-undang Jaminan Kesehatan (Helath Care Bill), padahal administrasi ini memenangkan pemilihan umum dengan suara mayoritas yang luar biasa.

Demokrat, partai Obama, juga kehilangan kursi senat di negara bagian Massasuschets, kursi yang tadinya diduduki oleh Almarhum Ted Kennedy.

Berikut pesan dari kubu Obama/Demokrat:

Arie --

Yesterday's disappointing election results show deep discontent with the pace of change. I know the OFA community and the President share that frustration.

We also saw what we knew to be true all along: Any change worth making is hard and will be fought at every turn. While it doesn't take away the sting of this loss, there is no road to real change without setbacks along the way.

We could have simply sought to do things that were easy, that wouldn't stir up controversy. But changes that aren't controversial rarely solve the problem.

Our country continues to face the same fundamental challenges it faced yesterday. Our health care system still needs reform. Wall Street still needs to be held accountable. We still need to create good jobs. And we still need to continue building a clean energy economy.

The President isn't walking away from these challenges. In fact, his determination and resolve are only stronger. We must match that commitment with our own.

But it won't be easy. Real change never is. For that reason, I am grateful you're part of this fight with us.

Thank you.

Partai yang memenangkan pemilu, semakin kehilangan popularitas? Kenapa bisa begitu?

It is for the Americans to figure it out. And for Indonesians to realize that we are not the only country that is experiencing political turmoil.

Kita bukan satu-satunya negara yang keheranan bahwa presiden terpilih dan partai yang paling banyak dicoblosnya, ternyata terhimpit kenyataan politik.

On that note, Americans and Indonesians, have their own homeworks and therefore, we are not in the capacity of telling each other what is best and what is not.

Tabik.