Obama staffer says make neighbor’s struggles real
Michael Strautmanis, an Obama administration staffer, addresses members
of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society. UMNS photos by
Kathy L. Gilbert. |
By Kathy L. Gilbert*
March 23, 2009 | WASHINGTON (UMNS)
People of faith have a tremendous responsibility to keep the
struggles of their neighbors’ daily lives in front of the president,
Senate and House of Representatives.
Members of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society heard
that message repeatedly as they visited legislators from their states
and districts during their March 18-22 spring meeting in Washington.
A member of President Barack Obama’s administration pleaded with the
board members to remain engaged with their communities and the Oval
Office.
“We need your help to keep our voices from being drowned out by a
culture that has been successful in thinking a certain way,” said
Michael Strautmanis, chief of staff to Valerie Jarrett, the assistant
to the president for intergovernmental relations and public liaison.
A Chicago native, Strautmanis started his career as a paralegal in
Michelle Obama’s law firm. He served during the Clinton administration,
was legislative director to Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and worked
for the American Association for Justice.
A call to open doors
Strautmanis addressed the board during lunch on March 20. He arrived
after an overnight flight with Obama, who went to California to hold
two town hall meetings.
|
“We need your help to keep our voices from being drowned out by a
culture that has been successful in thinking a certain way,”
Strautmanis says.
|
“Not one person talked about AIG – that’s all they are talking about
here,” he said. “They talked about health care, about teachers being
laid off, about kids wanting to go to college. It reminded me of our
responsibility to bring those voices to Washington D.C.”
He asked board members to “open your doors and windows” and engage
with neighbors and friends. He said the president is motivated by his
faith and he knows people are hurting because of the economic crisis.
In an interview after the luncheon address, Strautmanis said United
Methodists can “lift us up during this enormously challenging time.”
He shared that Obama makes it a point to read 10 letters sent to him
from across the nation every night before he goes to bed. “He shares a
lot of those letters with us,” he said. “It is a challenging time, but
what keeps us going is thinking about the people we have met over the
past two years.
“United Methodists have a long history of engaging in public policy.
We want to reach out to them and tell them three things: ‘Keep it up,
we need you, and we are your partners.’”
Messages of love
At the end of the speech, Bishop Jose Quipungo, Angola, Africa, rose
to speak to Strautmanis and had a message for him to take back to his
boss.
“Obama is our president too. We in Angola are confident in his
government and know it is not easy to guide this great country,” he
said. “We hope Obama will think about the children and women in Angola.
Your work is important for all of us.”
“As the president engages in the world, he sees things from a
grassroots level and no more than in Africa,” Strautmanis replied.
“As the son and grandson of the continent, he has no patience for
corruption. He has tough messages of love and challenges all of us.”
* Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.
News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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