Dear Senator Obama,

In my job, a large part of the tasks that I perform revolve around the hiring and promoting of executive staff. In essence, I have the task of measuring applicants and their pasts to determine future performance. Translated to your world, I tell the boards and owners who they should vote for, which one of the applicants that can best lead their company.

You should know that I am not one much for traditional thinking, your relatively low experience compared to your opponent is not in any way shape or form indicative of what you are capable of doing in office. Especially not since you and I agree that change is needed in the future presidency. Your 140+ days as a senator could actually be a strength in that regard.

But your recent track-record worries me. Albeit easy to call your opponents suspension of his campaign a political stunt. Your unwillingness to do the same has put me in the position of wondering whether you are actually interested in your own career over the well being and interests of those that elected you to represent them.

Leadership is Action, not Position
You are a United States Senator, one of the most powerful politicians in this country. As a senator, your responsibilities are to protect the interests of your voters. The people that placed their trust in you to represent them are expecting you to act. Not go about your own business and wait for others to call you. Not to place the job you already have aside so that you can spend time on getting a better job.

It has been said that your opponent is avoiding the debate because of failing polls. The other side of that coin is that it can be said you are pushing for it because your numbers are climbing. I understand that this is a golden opportunity for you to lock down voters for your candidacy, and that you have more to lose by not having this debate, this much is clear. But the country is facing a crisis, and your personal ambitions should not detract from the job that you have agreed to do already.

You have a job to do
As a United States Senator, you were hired because the people who voted for you believed that you could protect their interests. I am fairly certain that you didn’t win that election on the statement. “They’ll call me if they need me”. You were elected because you promised that you would be in the thick of things, fighting for them every step of the way. Waiting for a phone call simply wont cut it.

You have a job to do
The election rallies and debates are undoubtedly important. But the financial crisis is more important. “Call me if you need me” doesn’t cut it. I need to see the future President of the United States having the good sense to know that Your position as a senator demands that you roll up your sleeves and protect the interests of your voters. Not the interests of those that may vote for you in the future.

You have a job to do
The most important decisions of our time is being made in Washington, your opponent has shown that he considers completing the job he was hired to do as a Senator outweighs the importance of his personal ambitions to become President

Even if the impact that you can have is limited, even if you can only partake on the outskirts of the work on this bill, that minute input is still infinitely more important than your presidential campaign can ever be. Please show us that you understand this, and that partaking in this work to represent their interests is more important than your personal ambitions.

Don’t wait for that phone call, your voters deserve better from their Senator.

Stop worrying about the job you want
The people that have already placed their trust in you must outweigh the people that may vote for you in November. You owe it to them to be a Senator before you are a presidential Candidate. You owe them your promise of being their representative.

Show us that your opponent isn’t the only candidate that understands what leadership means. Prove that you understand leadership relies on your actions, not what the sign on your door says.

Show us your actions as a leader. We have all heard your talk about leadership. Stop waiting for that phone call and get off the campaign trail to do the work you have been hired to do.

Show us that the job you want but don’t have yet isn’t more important to you than the job you have already been hired to do. The people that elected you deserve better.

You have a job to do,
Show me that you are able to do that before you ask me to promote you to President.

Sincerely

Erik Johnels