Dear Mr. President:
Let me open by saying this is not a letter of attack, nor is it a letter of unconditional praise. It is, in fact, a request, a request for leadership which I believe you have within your power to do for this country, leadership that is sorely needed in these troubled times.
I frankly had not been paying much attention to you or the political scene, until the moving speech you presented on September 9, on Health Care reform. I’m not sure why I listened, though health care is a personal concern, so I gave you an hour I normally wouldn’t give any politician.
Let me take a brief moment to give you some context: I was raised in a staunchly Republican household, and am attracted at times to some Libertarian thinking. With your speech, you successfully challenged me to open my mind to what your Presidency seeks to achieve.
Simply, your speech was brilliant. You defined the issue; delineated your expectations; challenged not just the assembled senators and representatives to work together on the issue, but all of us watching; reached across the aisle using your opponent in your Presidential race, John McCain, as a symbol of his party; and skillfully used the recent passing of Ted Kennedy for a final call to action built on an emotional appeal that only the most hardened heart would dismiss.
You even handled Representative Joe Wilson’s indiscretion with poise, and strength. For a time I was personally outraged by Wilson’s act, and felt strongly he should be expelled from his position in some manner. I applaud your commentary on the September 13 installment of 60 Minutes for downplaying the need for further censure of Representative Wilson. I say this because it can only fuel more division, something it is clear you understand.
This brings me to my point: division is a luxury we can no longer afford, because our country is tearing itself apart.
This is more than the economic crisis, this is more than health care, this is more than any number of issues.
As a people, we have become more concerned about creating division than creating unity, and it is clear our political leadership as a whole are as guilty of this as the rest of us. Possibly more.
The majority of Americans live by the judgments they make on others.
Because the other person is of a different political persuasion, the other person is in the wrong and deserves to be stonewalled and disenfranchised.
Because the other person is a different race, the other person is in the wrong, and deserves no mercy from our condemnation.
Because the other person holds different religious beliefs, the other person is in the wrong and deserves the torment of the ugliest Hell we can imagine.
We are not unique in the world in this regard, but we should be better than this, because we are Americans.
What did Gandhi say? “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”
And to quote Martin Luther King: “Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.”
Mr. President, I believe you are authentic when you speak of finding commonality and agreement.
What I would ask of you is to urge the fellow members of your party to do the same.
What I would ask of you is to continue to persuade your party to the best of your enviable ability to extend the olive branch across the aisle. To provoke your party to listen with a heart that seeks the best, unbiased answer. And, yes, to occasionally turn the other cheek.
By this example, your party might truly lead our nation.
I ask that you please consider this suggestion, offered by a curmudgeon who still finds himself leaning toward the Right side of the aisle.
Respectfully,
– Daniel Brenton
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© 2009, by Daniel Brenton. All Rights Reserved.
My name is 
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Well done, Dan! Your letter was straight from the heart. It is my hope that not only will President Obama get to read it, but that it will be passed across this country as a sign of support for the healing of this nation. Whatever one’s political stance, you cannot deny the intrinsic desire to be unified. It is my hope that anyone who reads you letter will take a moment to share it with others.
“We must become the change we want to see in the world.”~Mohandas Gandhi
Mags –
Thanks for that. That would be wonderful if something like that were to happen. Of course, should it set up a spark, I’ll/we’ll have to find a way to make it catch fire.
–Daniel
Thanks Dan. This is an excellent, well-written piece. Check the White House web site. I believe there’s an email address for the president. Perhaps your blog link can make through to him so he can actually see it. It could happen
In the meantime, I’ll RT this link. Have a great day.
Kelvin –
Thank you for your suggestions and support. It truly is appreciated.
– Daniel
Daniel,
What an amazing, heart felt and well written post.
I see the vision of President Obama and stand with him. You have hit the nail directly on the head when you talk about the divisions that haunt America – especially it’s political system.
We need to stop tearing each other a part. Our elected officials need to see the vision of Gandhi and King. It’s time to shut up, quit bitching and start the work needed to heal the division.
Most importantly, we as individual Americans need to work towards the greater and common good. Something I believe President Obama is doing and your post exemplifies.
Thank you my friend,
Frank
Dear Frank,
While I appreciate the open-mindedness expressed in your letter, I have to shake my head at who you think is mostly responsible for the division of your country. The President and the Democrats have been negotiating with Republicans on all manner of issues (including health care reform), but the very Republicans with whom they’ve been negotiating have been BRAGGING that they are slowing down the process, if not impeding it altogether!
The repulsive, thinly-veiled racist and overtly paranoid vitriol coming from the right has been tolerated and even tacitly encouraged by conservative leaders. As someone who is observing from another country, I have to wonder and worry where all this will end.
I hope you truly believe the many wonderful things you’ve written and write an equally impassioned letter to the leaders of the Republican Party.
Thank you,
Eclecta
Eclecta –
I do need to say that my name is Daniel, not Frank.
Having said this, it seems clear you did not read my commentary very closely, because you do not understand what I am saying here.
Probably everything you stated about the actions on the part of the Republicans is true. Fine. Now, who is going to be big enough to stop first? Are we going to continue to see our leaders act like elementary school children when it comes to placing their selfish needs ahead of the needs of our country? Is it going to continue to degenerate into a case of “well, HE started it! No, HE started it!”
Are we going to do the same?
We see this in the Middle East, don’t we? Who wins there?
With this mentality the only way to win in the Middle East is through genocide.
Is that what we should do with the Republicans, Eclecta?
I am not condoning the Republican behavior. If you think I am, you are sadly mistaken.
I would also note that both Obama and Pelosi said “Let’s move on,” and the Democratic body pushed to continue with the resolution to take some kind of punitive action against Wilson. And I am pleased to say 17 congressmen had the strength of character to cross party lines. The bottom line with the resolution is that it was a slap on the wrist that embarrassed Wilson and put his party more deeply on the defensive, but had no other repercussions.
(It seems to me if you’re going to punish someone, you should punish them in a meaningful way, or not do it at all.)
What I am suggesting here was that this is an excellent opportunity for those who have the upper hand to take the High Road.
The Democrats are in power now. One would hope, having the leverage to bargain from a position of strength, they might be willing to consider being a little charitable, and extend a hand of friendship to the opposition, even if that hand is swatted away.
Maybe, here and there, it won’t be swatted away.
As for writing to the Republican leadership, this might be a worthwhile thing. I will have to think on this.
Am I saying it is the Democrats’ responsibility to bring the Republicans in line? No, they’re both responsible, and we (Americans) are responsible as well. Harboring thoughts of hatred toward either party blinds us to the fact that these are living, breathing human beings, just like you and presumably me.
If we lose touch with that, then division wins over unity, and everybody loses.
– Daniel
Eclecta –
I have deleted your second comment. You are still trying to find blame, which is creating division. You have missed the point.
– Daniel
Eclecta –
No, I’m not posting that one either. You are still trying to fix blame.
– Daniel
I think it is wonderful and heart felt, but I must confess to being a bit resigned that, in the near future at least, I cannot foresee anything but strife. Our elected leaders are in the process of the Norming, Storming and Performing stages of teamwork. They are strongly in the process of Storming. The Republicans are pushing the Democrats to see the mettle they are made of. Once they have figured it out and have Normed their behavior I believe some sort of change may occur. While I am certain that it won’t be the nightmares that the Republicans are warning against, neither will it be the Utopia that the Democrats wish for. And that is OK. Creative tension has always been proven to be good for organizations. I am just afraid, like Nancy Pelosi, that the tensions may be escalating to open incitment and could deteriorate further and that will be very bad for the country. We need to pray very hard (this from an atheist like me!), hold hands a lot, hug and kiss each other, especially Republicans on the far right and the Democrats on the far left and everyone in between, maybe sing Kumbaya, because LOVE is the strongest thing this world has ever seen! Love is not wishy-washy. A great seer once said, “All we need is Love!! and invited us to Imagine! I believe their works have been recently remastered. Color me optimistic!
Narayanan –
Optimism accepted. Thanks for the comment.
– Daniel
Dear Dan, that was a well written, heartfelt letter and you are to be commended for your effort. The problem I have with all of this is that the Founding Fathers of this country never intended for the government to take over and tell us what is best for WE THE PEOPLE. The current administration is imposing it’s will on the country with suprisingly bold aggression covering its actions with soft talk and charming rhetoric. From the President, to Vice President, to Nancy Pelosi they continue to show indifference to the will of the people as experienced by these town hall meetings, recent marches, and tea parties. As ignorant and brutish as these people are made out to be, they are the backbone of this country. The people in power have not had the privilege of being poor. they are so out of touch as to spur protests reminiscent of the anti-Vietnam War movement. To be unified we must be willing to listen to everyone great and small and give them a say in the affairs and policy of the country and not simply dismiss them as unenlightened and ignorant. The ball is in Obama’s court and I don’t personally think he will be able to pull this one off. I DO NOT wish for him to fail because that means the whole country loses.
Thank you,
Steve
Steve –
Thanks for the comment. I have no disagreement with anything you’ve stated here. The media is biased, clearly, and it is very easy to believe our representatives are not interested in representing us at all.
I think even if our elected leaders were working from perfectly honorable intent and without undue influence or pressure from all quarters, it would be difficult to please the constituency — the best outcome might even be a matter of displeasing everyone about equally. Part of what’s missing here, beyond our representatives representing US, is leadership. We don’t need (and wouldn’t put up with) being lead by the nose, but someone who challenges us, and calls on us in an effective manner to bring out the best and wisest in us is sorely lacking in our country, and in our recent political history. We think of John Kennedy, or better, Abraham Lincoln as these kinds of leaders. This is what we need — we can’t manage the day-to-day minutia of running this country, what’s needed are those who will act for us in our best interests, and go the extra mile to help us understand the complex issues we face.
We are all capable of this kind of leadership. Most of us don’t realize this, and this in part is why we’ve abdicated control of our country to those who are not serving us.
Simply, if our leaders can’t or won’t serve us as I’ve described, we need replace them with those who will.
They are, after all, called “public servants.”
We are all to blame for the state of our nation’s leadership …. every single one of us. It’s up to us to fix it, and we will have to find the leadership to do this inside of ourselves to chart the wisest course to this end.
– Daniel
Good morning, I am an American working residing in Canada. I went to school here and became member of alumni this year. I dream of coming back to amercia to dedicate all my skills to the country I was born in.
I am also a writer and would like to state the following I wrote:
1. “Peace is not necessarily the absence of war but the absence of reasons for war.” So lets get rid of the resons for war and create peace for all.
2. “When the truth is silent justice is denied, when the truth is spoken before the unjust, justice is slaughtered.” Shall we then stop the denial and the slaughter. I feel that every country is a home where some may live and others may visit. Every home has its problems but we do not trash the home because of this we get to work do the repairs so all may live and visit.
Well said, Daniel. I also grew up in a Republican household and tend to have Libertarian values, but like you I’m striving to see the big picture and realize than unity is more important than individualism at times, namely when it leads to ugly divisiveness that weakens the country as a whole, and each person’s lot. Thanks for the post.