Julio Barthson in his Own Words: On the Campaign Trail for Barack Obama

In 1992, he was a valiant foot soldier for the Union for Change movement which nearly brought down the Biya regime. 16 years later, Nfor Julio Barthson, former reporter for Challenge Hebdo and La Nouvelle Expression, and former Managing Editor for Cameroon Post, reminisces about his experiences as a campaigner for Barack Obama.

  I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for having worked so hard to bring change to our great country. I am so honored to be have been one of yours; I am blessed to be called one Obama Soldier among Millions like you. Thanks for anyone who supported our strategy at the Real-Time Obama Active Response (ROAR). As I prepare to deploy overseas on another active duty tour in January, I would like to share a few words from my blog with you.

I met some of the most wonderful people in America thanks to Barack Obama's campaign. I will never forget.

I was one of those who signed on early to Barack Obama's campaign; in fact, I was among the earliest to sign several online petitions to draft him into the race - the most notable of which was a petition initiated by none other than the Senior Seator from Illinois himself, Dick Durbin.

Barack inspired me in a way that only one other person ever had - and that was while I was still a student and journalist in my native country Cameroon, Africa. Even though I was on active duty with the US Army - California National Guard for most of the period of the campaign (and I'm still on active duty at present), I traveled far and wide, on my own time and dime, to work for Barack because I believe in his word. I believe in his promise to change America, thereby changing the world too. I believe in his positive message that transcends hope as a mere feeling, transforming it into a real, palpable, reachable, touchable emotion.

I did the little I could to contribute as much money as I could afford, and raise funds for the campaign through MyBO. I posted blogs, emailed and called mainstream media to push Obama issues. I was just one among millions for Obama, but his style of campaign that was so inclusive and empowering made me feel like I was special.

I met so many wonderful Americans canvassing for Barack on the trail in California, Nevada, Texas, Pennsylvania, Colorado, etc. And I had the opportunity to talk by phone to hundreds of Americans hungry for change, ready for change, ready for Barack. In Ohio, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Oregon, North Carolina, etc. It was always such a thrill debating the issues for long minutes with an undecided voter and finally getting that "Yes" signifying a commitment to vote for change. My best moment was a few days to the election when I called a 71-year old woman in Colorado; she had never voted Democrat before, but she interrupted me when I was still struggling to make my case for Obama and said, "I'm voting for Obama because of his wife Michelle." As she hung up, tears filled my eyes as I could hardly contain the mixture of joy and bewilderment from expoding in my chest.
I am so proud of our country, and I thank Barack and Michelle for having been courageous enough to take the heavy weight of this country on their shoulders. I also have nothing but respect for the fact that Barack chose a fighter like Joe Biden to be his partner in this daunting task.

As a military professional with years experience in international journalism, public affairs and intelligence matters, I believe I am not going too far when I state that, the rest of the world believes that Obama is going to be their president too. The world is looking for leadership; Barack Obama will provide it.

I am deploying to Kosovo next year in order to participate in one of our most successful peacekeeping missions. I would like a President Obama to take the example of what Bill Clinton did in Kosovo, with the help of Gen. Wesley Clark, and replicate it with obvious cultural modifications in Afghanistan and Iraq.

I would also LOVE to see President-Elect Obama give a prominent role to wounded veterans Max Cleland and Tammy Duckworth. I propose Max for the Department of Homeland Security (that would be the best answer for those who used images of Osama bin Laden to scare Georgians from voting for him), and Tammy for US Veterans Affairs Secretary (she has more than earned it by deed and example).

MOST IMPORTANT THOUGH: I would like to invite the President-Elect and his family to spend a whole day intermingling with his troops - his Army, his Soldiers, his Warriors - on the eve of his accession to power. I have a wonderful plan for that, and I would like to discuss it with someone from the Transition Team or from the President-Elect's entourage. 

Here's s summary/synopsis of the project: On January 19th, 2008, hundreds of American Soldiers belonging to the National Guard from several different states will be leaving from Camp Atterbury, Indiana, for overseas tours to Kosovo and Afghanistan (possibly Iraq too, but I do not know for sure). It would be a wonderful opportunity for the President-Elect, for the troops and their families to spend a social day together like no other President-Elect or acting Commander-in-Chief ever has. Michelle Obama has made military families one of her priorities, so I believe that if she and her husband spend a whole day with Guardsmen and their families before deployment, that would say a lot to the troops and to the nation as a whole about the way they view our nation's warriors. Brief stops at military bases for photo-ops is not the same thing as actually spending valuable time with troops and their families for a whole day, interacting and playing games with them, listening to them and taking careful note of their problems. No other political leader has ever done it that way, but Obama is a Leader of Firsts.

Furthermore, that would also allow the President-Elect to interact in a personal way with these troops of his who will not be in the USA when he officially becomes their Commander-in-Chief the next day (January 20th). He could play basketball with them, talk to the commanders, senior and junior enlisted alike over lunch, and thereby show how much he really respects his military and expects no less in return from them.

Finally, this would be an excellent opportunity for the President-Elect to introduce his future 4-Star "full" General that will be the first eve Chief of the National Guard Bureau with a seat at the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I realized talking to some of my colleagues that they do not even realize that President-Elect Obama intends to honor the National guard, for the first time ever, with a seat at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, thereby giving him the opportunity to get direct and unfiltered advice from the Guard. If the President-Elect uses such an occasion to introduce his choice for that position after he officially becomes Commander-in-Chief, it would go a long way towards helping in building morale among reservists and guardsmen/women, their families, and the rest of America. That may also be an excellent recruiting tool at a moment when he wants to increase the size of the Army and the Marines.
Of course, this project is also a little bit personal for me (truth be told) because I will be right there in Indiana preparing for my deployment until January 19th, 2009. I would be greatly honored to work on this project with some of my commanding officers and senior enlisted advisors. I worked hard for Obama's campaign like millions of others; but I will not be there on January 20th for his inauguration because I must answer the call of duty in the same way that Beau Biden did in Delaware. So a visit to our training base in Indiana (not too far from Chicago, and on his way to Washington, DC for the inauguration) would be more than a blessing.

God bless Barack and Michelle Obama. God bless Joe and Jill Biden. God bless America.

SIncerely,
Nfor Julio Barthson
(Contributing from Camp Williams, Utah)

Check out "The Chia Report" for a two-part interview with "JulioBats".

Comments

[Alifaka Toure]

What a pleasure to rediscover JulioBats who disappeared from the (Cameroonian) scene nearly a decade ago. It's good to know that his dynamism which was evident during the Yaounde university student uprising of 1991, the Villes Mortes, etc. is still alive and well. Too bad it is a different country which is reaping the fruits of his labor. Cameroon's loss, America's gain... and the brain drain continues while Biya and his bandits carry on...

[Penambuco]

Man, guys like this writer make me cringe. Being inspired by someone is one thing, but after reading something like this gushing piece, I find myself yearning for the worldly cynicsm of a kermit The Frog. I've not got anything against Obama, please don't get me wrong, but I also like to exercise caution in every sphere of life. I wish Obama well (hell, if all Americans had to choose from was between him and McCain, then why not him?) but here are my reservations about him:
1) He's a member of the Council On Foreign Relations.
2) He's a member of the Trilateral Commission
3) He came from nowhere, and suddenly he's got hundreds of millions of dollars behind him in campaign money. Most of which is not from contributions at street level. Where's this money come from? Why did these donors choose him, and what has he promised in return? Are his promises in alignment with the needs and of ordinary Americans?
4) His fawning stance towards Israel.

After seeing what the real powers-that-be in America made the likes of Condoleeza Rice and Colin Powell do, I would rather not be emabarrassed by another Black person grovelling in front of an elite who don't give a damn about me.

The writer describes himself as someone with "experience in international journalism, public affairs and intelligence". I just wish he'd have used all this to read between the lines a little bit more, analyse American politics a with a little more emotional detachment, instead of this saccharine piece of tripe.

[UnitedstatesofAfrica]

No God's blessings for Cameroon or Africa?

My problem with this Obama-mania is with these Africans worshiping Obama as if he has won the presidency of the United states of Africa or their individual African countries. I was watching clips on youtube from various African countries and people foolishly kept saying how Africa has been saved now that Obama is president. One woman even went as far as saying that with Obama as president, Africa will be at the forefront of African politics. Naivety has eaten deep into the core of Africa...so deep it sickens me. Typical African fashion; always trying to claim what is not ours.

I give these people one year of the Obama presidency...just one.

[Kamer]

UnitedStatesofAfrica,

LOL! In short, you've hit the nail very squarely on the head! Mehn, this ish really irritates me to no end.
I wrote a post on this on my blog. You can check it out here http://kamerstories.blogspot.com/2008/11/my-obama-post.html

[Louis_Mbua]

Hello UnitedstatesofAfrica,

Your comparison between Obama and Rice and Powel is inappropriate because Obama is an elected leader of the American people while the latter two were appointed by Bush, an elected leader. Obama has powerful executive powers to help Africa, his own country America, and the world while Rice and Powel didn't have such a luxury.

Addressing your doubts as to who controls Obama; the answer is that no one but the American peoples wishes: especially the Middle Class. Obama never took money from the Military Industrial Complex or big co-corporations such as Rupert Mudoch's empire. He actually paid the Media to make his broadcast on the eve of the American General elections. He is actually genuinely trying to come to the embattled General Motors, Ford and Chrysler.

As to who funded Obama: Ordinary people. Obama has more than active 3 million donors and more than 10 million potential donors in his database of emails. It is known that Obama raised about $1 billion over the period of his campaign. This accounts to about $300 per donor – Obama raised money from ordinary Americans over the internet. Consequently Obama owes his actions to the American Middle and working class not to the Rich and powerful: He is the first American People's President and the first Internet President in History; and why Obama was not afraid to proclaim that he was going to tax the >$250,000 bracket while leaving the poor and Middle classes untouched.

He can further afford to intervene in the present financial and international crises without fear of reprisals from powerful interest groups. The Africans were right; Obama has the perfect opportunity to help Africa if he wishes to do so; and if that is one of his priorities as President of the USA.

[Neoli Ndluvu]

Am I missing something here? Based on the piece that I just read, Mr. Barthson is an American citizen, living in America and proudly serving in the US military; one who did not just go crazy over Obama from distant Africa but actually campaigned for the man fromm within. So what is all this stuff about him bieng one of the "naive Africans"?

To me, the importance of this posting is that it puts a face to Obama's grassroots "army" that made his victory possible; what drove people to support Obama? what did they do to give flesh to that support? how enthusiastic were they? Etc.

Julius Barthson in this post and the interview on the other blog answers those questions clearly for historians, political scientists and even aspiring politicians. So let's stop being juvenile and take the posting for what it is.

BTW, even if Barthson was living in Africa, why on earth should he condition his support for Obama on Obama's Middle East policy? Do you think there is a single Arab or Israeli out there who is saying to himself: "hmm, I like that obama guy but his Zimbabwe policy is atrocious so I wouldn't support him"? It is only Africans who love to cry more than the berieved and fight other people's wars while their house is burning. This explains why George Bush, the American president with the most expansive pro-African policy in US history *(even more than Bill Clinton!) was despised by Africans because of irrelevant issues such as Iraq, Palestine, etc. Stupid, stupid, stupid...

[UnitedstatesofAfrica]

@ kamer. I'm with you pal, this ish equally iritates the hell out of me. Amazing blog by the way, I'll be a regular on it.

@ Luis Mbua

let me start off by quoting a sentence from your post

"Obama has powerful executive powers to help Africa, his own country America, "

Really Mr. Mbua? really? ignorance is truly a crime. I won't bother to respond.

@ Neoli

As long as you are an American immigrant, you will never be 100 percent American. It might be different if you were born in America to immigrant parents or you moved to America at a very young life. For a grown up man like Julio who born and raised in Cameroon and was even actively involved in Cameroonian politics, he can never be 100 percent American, never. He will always have cultural, social and political ties to Cameroon which are stronger than his American ties, whether he likes it or not.

I am not against an African supporting Obama or working on his campaign or even "wiping his lass after ei don shit". I could care less. My problem is the naive way in which Africans are treating Obama. Sure, his victory is a victory for all black people. However, Africans need to realize that Obama is president of AMERICA not Africa. Obama will put America's interests first, before any other country. Obama will continue America's foreign policy, regardless of the continent, of securing natural resources and raw materials abroad in order to enrich Americans at home. So do you think Obama will stop Chevron from exploiting oil in Nigeria? do you know that oil from Nigeria guarantees supply and stabilizes the prices of oil in America? do you really think Obama will favor Africans over tax-paying Americans? People need to stop acting like idiots. Obama will change very little in Africa...he can bring change to America but not in Africa. Only Africans can bring change to Africa...not Obama. So instead of foolishly running around and shouting "Obama is here, suffer don finish" why don't you try to fix your own country? or do you think Obama will leave the white house and go to Etoudi to kick Biya out of power?

Typical African fashion; claiming what is not yours...only to end up disgraced and humiliated.

Like I said before, I give you guys only one year of the Obama presidency...just one. Then reality shall swing a heavy slap on your face.

[Ma Mary]

USMinnesota, please do no burst a coronary, because we foolish Africans are not listening to your hostile admonishments. We kinda prefer Obama hope to your hating. Try some hope. It could cure your stomach ulcer.

Peace.

[UnitedstatesofAfricas]

Ma Mary,

I could care less if you listen or not. That's exactly the problem with your SCNC history club, they don't listen. I'm happy to hear that you are still drunk from the celebratory Obama victory party. Let's hope that when he's inaugurated, his top priority will be marching in Cameroon and liberating Southern Cameroons from the pangs of "La Republique". IDIOT!!

[Neoli Ndluvu]

Mr. UnitedStates of Africa,

where exactly did I state that Obama was going to change anything in Africa or kick out Biya. I stated that thanks to Barthson some of us are able to put a face to the millions of enthusiastic volunteers and activists who mobilized the grassroots and made the Obama victory possible. And I also challenged the guy who argued that africa who supported Obama were wrong because of "His fawning stance towards Israel". And my response was "Do you think there is a single Arab or Israeli out there who is saying to himself: "hmm, I like that obama guy but his Zimbabwe policy is atrocious so I wouldn't support him"? It is only Africans who love to cry more than the berieved and fight other people's wars while their house is burning."

So all the bile that you vomitted above had absolutely nothing to do with my posting. And whether Mr. Barthson will ever be a "full American" or not is totally irrelevant. The bottom line is that he is a US Citizen on active duty with the US military; the kind of immigrant whose input keep rejuvenating this country and make it the greatest country on earth. As a first generation American, he might never be fully integrated but he is integrated enough, and his kids will be much more integrated and I believe that is good enough for him and for any other immigrant who fully embraces the US.

By the way, by the time Barthson immigrated to the US, he was not much older than that other first generation American called Arnold Schwarzenegger who supposedly had more "cultural, social and political ties" to his native Austria, to use your phrase. But where and what is he now with all those Austrian ties? Please learn your history.

[Louis_Mbua]

Monsieur UnitedStates,

Obama has executive powers as US President. How he uses it is dependent on his priorities.

A good observer of international politics will know that the second most powerful position in America is the US Secretary of State. The President defines the foreign policy to be implemented by the latter. The following is that Obama has the means and power to help Africa come out of this miasma of corrupt leadership and poverty. Whether he will do it or not is another matter.

United States has helped Japan (writing the present Japanese constitution in 1945), the entire Europe with the Marshall plan, Korea and other countries. What makes you think they can't help Africa?

I believe you have very little grounds for discrediting hope here.

[Penambuco]

Ma Mary,

You're wrong on two counts when you say this:

And I also challenged the guy who argued that africa who supported Obama were wrong because of "His fawning stance towards Israel".

1) I never said anyone was "wrong". I only stated my reservations, and was chiding the original writer of this post for not seemingly having any reservations.

2) Re: the Israel issue, you've got to understand that it's more than just middle Eastern policy. To anyone who understands American politics, it's code for kow-towing to the powers-that-be, the media-military-industrial complex. Which means that with Obama, it's going to be just business as usual, thank you Mr and Mrs Elite. Hence the disappointment, and my reservations. Get it now?

In many ways, Obama reminds me of Tony Blair. I remember when he moved into 10 Downing Street, with cheerleaders lining the pavement. I turned to a friend and ardent supporter of Blair and said: "It'll all end in tears". Reason I said this was because I'd read somewhere about Blair's attendance at a then recent Bilderbeger's meeting. That told me he was just a tool of the Elite. And I say the same about Obama when I refer to his Council on Foreign Relations and Trilateral Commission memberships: he's just a tool, to be used and dumped as and when. And you can quote me on this, anytime.

[Louis_Mbua]

Hello Penambuco,

Your analysis does not stand up to close scrutiny. To compare Obama to Tony Blair misses the point completely. Firstly, Tony Blair was a war monger while Obama has vowed to stop the war Tony and Bush began; and then to close the GuantBay so that peace might reign. One a peace maker; another a war monger.

Second: Obama is the first President who does not have allegiance to the Military Industrial Complex as he didn't collect money from the media and the big industries in the usual sense. On another note, he has a duty to defend American interests and maitain security. If Israel is their friend to do it, so be it. Why would he act differently?

He actually gave them (Media) money in his broadcasts and ads. As a resullt he has a stronger hand than you usual. The Big Three are depedndent on him for survival and not the other way round as you appear to believe.

Having said that the Motor industry played a great part for Obama's wipeout of the Republicans. Conversely, the Military Industrial Complex is dependent on the Big 3. So it is a give and take and not the winner takes all as you believe.

You are right to suggest that people should be cautious. On the other hand, it is wrong to judge a man before his "crime". Let's wait and see rather than speculate using false premises and misguided historical data.

[Ma Mary]

All US presidents are beholden to someone, but Obama is relatively much more independent of the men in the smoke-filled room, as Louis Mbua has stated. It is because of the independence of his voting, and because he is backed by a movement. Movement presidents are able to defy the powerful interests and to bring them to book if they have been breaking the law. This is very early in the process, but I am optimistic about Obama.

[Ma Mary]

Meant to say, independence of his funding.

USMinesota, you remind me of a foaming rabid dog. Except you have no teeth.

[Unitedstatesofafrica]

Ma Mary, you remind me of a old and bitter menopausal woman...and unfortunately, you are a menopausal old and bitter woman

[The SouthWesterner]

USA please go SLOW on our DEAR Ma Mary.
In any case i strongly agree with you.

Africans should stop their senseless HOPE. Barack is not gonna be any different from other occupants of the white house. I wonder if he would muster the courage to stand up to BIG fat COWS that are having a field day exploiting poor countries of their natural resources.

I think BUSH gave more help ,atleast on paper to Africa than Clinton. Yet he was hated and less popular than the former in the African continent.

Africans must be their own change agents. We are used to this notion of hoping that somehow a MESSIAH will come from somewhere to save our asses based on some corrupt western religious teachings. We wait, fold our arms, give our corrupt leaders a pass and keep waiting, hoping that GOD will take care and all power belongs to GOD or ALLAH etc.

Africans, our mental slavery , our refusal to believe in ourselves and hoping the solutions to our troubles must only come from someone, somewhere out there is the biggest stumbling block to our progress.

I dont give a DAMN about OBAMA. I just wish him luck,no more, no less.

[Penambuco]

No, Louis_Mbua, you're not getting it. I compared Obama to Blair only in the sense that "It's all going to end in tears", and I stick by this assertion. And when you say that Obama paying for his ads proves that he gave money TO the media, then I'm afraid I'm going to have to bail out on this discussion, sooner rather than later, as it appears you don't really understand who controls America, and how they do it.

Obama is a member of the Council On Foreign Relations, and the Trilateral Commission. As are John McCain and Hillary Clinton. What this means is that they were all hand-picked behind the scenes by a handful of king-makers, based on the knowledge that they won't rock the boat. Forget all the seeming differences like abortion or when to get out of Iraq. These are just smokescreens to bamboozle Americans into believing that they actually have a choice, that it is a democracy. Newsflash: America is really a one-party state, backed and controlled by the elite. There's really no right or left, it's all the same, and the more things seem to look different, the more they're really the same. Do you even remember that people like Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich were in the race? Probably not, as they were edged out quite early on. Now these two are people who really had opinions and plans that would have messed things up for the folks that really control America: they talked about things like abolishing the Federal Reserve, as well as the IRS. This would have been a good place to start as it hits the real power brokers where it hurts the most, in their pockets. Hence these two were hardly mentioned in the lead-up to the primaries. Same people who own this private cartel (yup, it's private, and all Americans' income taxes go to pay just the interest on money this cartel generates out of thin air) are the very same who own the big businesses that exploit the world's resources, and the media. And I repeat, there is NO WAY IN HELL that they'll let anyone be President of America that is not of their choosing. That's why I'm saying all this euphoria is only going to end in tears. Different face, same old policies.

[UnitedstatesofAfrica]

"Africans must be their own change agents. We are used to this notion of hoping that somehow a MESSIAH will come from somewhere to save our asses based on some corrupt western religious teachings. We wait, fold our arms, give our corrupt leaders a pass and keep waiting, hoping that GOD will take care and all power belongs to GOD or ALLAH etc.

Africans, our mental slavery , our refusal to believe in ourselves and hoping the solutions to our troubles must only come from someone, somewhere out there is the biggest stumbling block to our progress.

I dont give a DAMN about OBAMA I just wish him luck,no more, no less."

- The Southwesterner

EXTREMELY well said, very very very well said. You have articulated the core of this issue perfectly and eloquently. Please, try and inject some common sense into your friend, Ma Mary's wooden head. Some idiot even went as far as saying that Obama will use his executive powers to "change" Africa. It's a disgrace that in the 21st century, Africans calling themselves educated will make such statements. It's a shame.

[UnitedstatesofAfrica]

"That's why I'm saying all this euphoria is only going to end in tears. Different face, same old policies. " - Penambuco

I am impressed to see smart and thoughtful Africans who know what is going on and who get it. Hope is not lost after all.

[Nfor Julio Barthson]

Wowie!!! I was totally missing out on this hot debate ongoing here in the Dibussi World. I had totally forgotten that he wanted to cull one of my blog posts, and I'm amazed that a few words of reflection post-campaign have unleashed such a deluge of opinions from the left, the right, the top and, yes... from the bottom. Please, keep them coming. I'll probably return with a word of mine if I think I need to clarify anything. In the meantime, I hope you don't mind me sharing another in-depth interview that I did with Innocent Chia of the Chia Report.
LINK (PART 1):
http://www.chiareport.com/2008/11/by-innocent-chia--as-global-citizens-continue-expressing-joy-and-disbelief-in-the-election-of-barack-obama-as-the-44th-us-pre.html

PART 2:
http://www.chiareport.com/2008/11/foot-soldiers-of-president-obamas-victory-march-an-exclusive-interview-with-nfor-julio-barthson.html

Thanks for your compliments and divergent opinions. Please, please, stop talking down on Ma Mary. I do not know her in person, nor any of the other persons behind the screennames, but we can obviously disagree on these issues without being disagreeagble, without getting so personal. Thanks again...

[ngum]

julio, u and this word "change" eh (LOL).
master stroke with the "meet the military families" business. a journalist at heart no matter what :)

i'm not too sure about this obama being the president of the world thing though bro. yes, let other leaders look to him for inspiration (as i'm sure he could look to some) but it ends there. they must be creative and competent enough to fulfill their duties to their own people. after all, isn't do it for yourself a big obama mantra?

someone said something about israel? i really don't expect much motion there. no american president has the bottle to change the current stance.

[ngum]

hey dibussi, congrats on your award! it's v well deserved.

[UnitedstatesofAfrica]

@ Julio, you defend Ma Mary because you don't know her. The menopausal old witch does nothing but prowl Cameroon-oriented blogs, insulting and verbally lashing out on people on don't support the SCNC cause. I have had it with her garbage and I refuse to tolerate her anymore. I would slap the old witch down if she attempts to rear her ugly head. Cranky wench; her husband is not satisfying enough. That is why she spends all her time online picking fights with people.

Now, back to the topic at hand. Mr. Julio, what is your two cents about all the allegations levied against your point of view?

[UnitedstatesofAfrica]

Mr. Julio, I'm going to direct you to this quote . I think you need to read it over and over again. It speaks volumes.

"Africans must be their own change agents. We are used to this notion of hoping that somehow a MESSIAH will come from somewhere to save our asses based on some corrupt western religious teachings. We wait, fold our arms, give our corrupt leaders a pass and keep waiting, hoping that GOD will take care and all power belongs to GOD or ALLAH etc.

Africans, our mental slavery , our refusal to believe in ourselves and hoping the solutions to our troubles must only come from someone, somewhere out there is the biggest stumbling block to our progress.

I dont give a DAMN about OBAMA I just wish him luck,no more, no less."

- The Southwesterner