Hello Nina! I voted for you this time around. Much of what you present in the commentary is window dressing and cheap American nationalism. Consider the fact that your parents were forced to immigrate largely because they backed the wrong side in an independent struggle in Southeast Asia. The USA replaced the colonial French in the exploitation of your ancestor's home. Now so much has changed for the better in Vietnam. Meanwhile in the USA we are heading for social-economic oblivion. My son recently graduated with a degree in computer science and mathematics but "big tech" is firing experienced workers by the thousands. I'm encouraging him to study Mandarin this summer in order to apply for PhD study in China. There is no future here under capitalism. So please be honest and see the real situation in our sad country.
Louis, thank you for your vote and for taking the time to read and respond so thoughtfully. I want to address your point directly, because you deserve that. What I expressed was not nationalism — not in the performative, flag-waving sense you are describing. It was something far more personal. I came to this country as a little girl from a war-torn land with nothing but my family and whatever resilience we could carry. Life here was not easy. I faced real challenges, real injustices, real moments where the promise of this country felt very far away. What I also had — and what I do not take lightly — was the freedom to overcome those things. That freedom was not given to me by a government. It was fought for and won by generations of people who sacrificed everything to build and defend it. My campaign was run in that same spirit. Not to celebrate America uncritically, but to protect what is worth protecting and fight for what has not yet been fully delivered.
I hear your concerns about where we are heading — and I share them. The economic pressures on young people, the consolidation of power in big tech, the hollowing out of opportunity for a generation that did everything right and is still struggling — these are real and they are urgent. Your son sounds remarkable, and you sound like exactly the kind of father this country needs more of. He is fortunate to have someone guiding him with that kind of wisdom and care. I wish every young man had a father like you in his corner.
On the question of hope — I understand the exhaustion behind what you are feeling. I felt it these past few weeks. The results were not what we worked for. The system is harder to move than any of us want to believe. However, I have seen what happens when people stop believing change is possible — and it is not a better outcome. It is simply an easier path for the people who benefit from things staying exactly as they are. I refuse to hand them that.
Hope is not naivety. It is the only thing that has ever moved this country forward, and I am not ready to let go of it.
Thank you for sharing your truth with me, Louis. This conversation is exactly what this work is about.
The irony of current U.S. political culture is that roughly 60% of the youth desire a future form of socialism over the insecurity of contemporary capitalism and forever wars.
Hello Nina! I voted for you this time around. Much of what you present in the commentary is window dressing and cheap American nationalism. Consider the fact that your parents were forced to immigrate largely because they backed the wrong side in an independent struggle in Southeast Asia. The USA replaced the colonial French in the exploitation of your ancestor's home. Now so much has changed for the better in Vietnam. Meanwhile in the USA we are heading for social-economic oblivion. My son recently graduated with a degree in computer science and mathematics but "big tech" is firing experienced workers by the thousands. I'm encouraging him to study Mandarin this summer in order to apply for PhD study in China. There is no future here under capitalism. So please be honest and see the real situation in our sad country.
Louis, thank you for your vote and for taking the time to read and respond so thoughtfully. I want to address your point directly, because you deserve that. What I expressed was not nationalism — not in the performative, flag-waving sense you are describing. It was something far more personal. I came to this country as a little girl from a war-torn land with nothing but my family and whatever resilience we could carry. Life here was not easy. I faced real challenges, real injustices, real moments where the promise of this country felt very far away. What I also had — and what I do not take lightly — was the freedom to overcome those things. That freedom was not given to me by a government. It was fought for and won by generations of people who sacrificed everything to build and defend it. My campaign was run in that same spirit. Not to celebrate America uncritically, but to protect what is worth protecting and fight for what has not yet been fully delivered.
I hear your concerns about where we are heading — and I share them. The economic pressures on young people, the consolidation of power in big tech, the hollowing out of opportunity for a generation that did everything right and is still struggling — these are real and they are urgent. Your son sounds remarkable, and you sound like exactly the kind of father this country needs more of. He is fortunate to have someone guiding him with that kind of wisdom and care. I wish every young man had a father like you in his corner.
On the question of hope — I understand the exhaustion behind what you are feeling. I felt it these past few weeks. The results were not what we worked for. The system is harder to move than any of us want to believe. However, I have seen what happens when people stop believing change is possible — and it is not a better outcome. It is simply an easier path for the people who benefit from things staying exactly as they are. I refuse to hand them that.
Hope is not naivety. It is the only thing that has ever moved this country forward, and I am not ready to let go of it.
Thank you for sharing your truth with me, Louis. This conversation is exactly what this work is about.
Thank you for your response, Nina!
The irony of current U.S. political culture is that roughly 60% of the youth desire a future form of socialism over the insecurity of contemporary capitalism and forever wars.
I think that prospect is hopeful, indeed!