While watching the State of the Union last Wednesday night, I cried, I laughed, I boo’ed a few members of Congress and I cheered for our President.  I left the Organizing For America watch party feeling patriotic, inspired, and hopeful.  Not only was his speech moving, I was proud of the community that gathered at the OFA office who worked together to elect Obama and now reunited to watch his first State of the Union.

Then I thought of my neighbor, who has been out of work for 6 months.  I thought of the woman behind me at the watch party who yelled “I still need healthcare” at the screen.  I thought of the closed bus lines in St. Louis. And I wondered how we got here.

In the past year, Obama’s administration has made significant progress.  The Recovery Act has created jobs, the bailout – whether you agree with it or not – saved our country from a depression, and a healthcare bill has passed the House and Senate.  And yet unemployment is over 10%, people are uncertain about Afghanistan, and weary of the bitter bipartisan political process. It’s been a tough year and the American people are still looking for answers.

Some may say Scott Brown’s recent election in Massachusetts – to Ted Kennedy’s seat no less – was a mandate on the Obama administration.  Martha Coakley was certainly not our ideal candidate.  Her strategy of inevitably was completely out of touch with the voters. (And she could have at least faked being a Red Sox fan.) The election proved that people are looking for leadership and new ideas in these tough times.  The Democrats need to step up, fight hard for each race across the country, and regain the trust of the American people.

We cannot expect the same voters of November 2008 to show up again in 2010.  Democrats have to give us a reason to keep them in office. Students flocked to the polls for Obama because he offered a new vision for America.  We need that inspiration again, a change of politics as usual, and to take control of the issues back from the Republicans.  This is our chance to be truly progressive and enact the policies that will make America a better place for all – like a real healthcare bill, strong environmental policy, and a commitment to the gay rights movement.

But that depends on us.  And how much we are willing to work for the change we seek.

I’ll admit that I can be somewhat idealistic – some would say corny or perhaps naive – when it comes to politics.  As cliché as it sounds, I believe in the power of millions calling for change. I believe in the community who gathered last Wednesday night at the OFA office. Because if nothing else, the American people can come together for our country like we did in 2008 and like we will in 2010.  As Obama said at the end of his speech, “The spirit that has sustained this nation for more than two centuries lives on in you, its people. We have finished a difficult year. We have come through a difficult decade… Let’s seize this moment — to start anew, to carry the dream forward, and to strengthen our union once more.”