My President's Day Message--An Open Letter to President Obama

Dear Mr. President,

Thank you for all your e-mails over the past few years. Energized by the spirit of tolerance and the promise of change, I have enjoyed signing petitions, opening my heart and my home to your events, and even sending in the occasional donation or two.

But I'm afraid you've lost me.

I have watched in horror as the sweeping mandate you so skillfully won has been squandered. You have failed at every turn to practice the politics necessary to change the course of this country, sacrificing health care reform, regulation of the financial system and greater freedom and equality for all Americans on the altar of a personal crusade for civility in a long-since broken institution. Your commitment to bipartisanship and compromise has resulted in neither. Your opponents have derailed every initiative and gutted every innovation, while you have continued to reach out, coaxing and pleading for a better day that simply will never come. Your opponents have won. Their obstructionism has prevailed. I understand that you expect me to blame them for their conduct. I do not. I blame you. Your desire to shift the glaciated culture of Washington elevates discourse over policy, and civility over action. That is not the change I voted for.

To imagine that we could not undo with 60 seats what George Bush accomplished with 53, is a profound statement about the utter ineffectiveness of your high road rhetoric. I have devoted my life to trying to make this country better, and I had pinned my hopes on our ability to do that. I no longer believe that either you or the democratic party will ever be up to that task. I hope I am wrong, but as of now...

My heart is broken, my wallet is closed. I am done.

E-mail me no more.

With deepest regrets,

David Feige

 

 

 

Comments

[Big big Al]

04:12 AM on 02/25/2010

Unfortunat­ely, Obama will never be as efficient with throwing his weight around as his predecesso­r - because nothing will make a populous agree with whatever you say as well as fear.

[ewilder]

09:39 AM on 02/16/2010

If I may, I cosign this letter.

[redd35]

08:17 AM on 02/16/2010

lame

[boycottrightwingthings]

06:38 AM on 02/16/2010

We can't give up on president Obama, but sadly I do agree with some points this poster has made. This is not the change that America overwhelmi­ngly voted for, to hear Republican­s day after day acting like they won, and acting like the president has to listen to them, and not the President. It is time to - sir, dear president, with all due respect- grow a pair, and ignore the right. The right will NEVER listen to you or do your bidding. So, lets get this show on the road, ignore those who America WANTS us to ignore, and work with the Democrats, who were overwhelmi­ngly elected, and GET THINGS DONE!!

[ewilder]

09:42 AM on 02/16/2010

Obama's closest advisor, Emanuel, thinks progressiv­es are "f---ing r-----ed", get it?

[nomobull]

05:29 AM on 02/16/2010

now write one to the congress for not doing their job and supporting the president. the slogan was"yes we"can". not "yes I can'.

[Danigirl65]

09:22 AM on 02/16/2010

A slogan way too many have forgotten. Thanks for reminding those that feel like throwing in the towel on Obama that he cannot do this on his own - he never proclaimed to be able to. Yes WE can only works if WE do our jobs and keep Congress accountabl­e. Also, the 60 vote "super majority" was a super farce - 2 Independen­ts and 6 Blue Dogs kind of changed that dynamic, not to mention the repeated filibuster­s by the Republican­s who seem to talk out of both sides of their mouths at the same time.

[ilse]

02:57 AM on 02/16/2010

Sadly he is right. This obsession president Obama has with bipartisan is hurting him, democrats and this country. Too much of a gentlemen and not tough enough. I still love my president, but he and democrats need to get tough and do what they can without the republican­s. I am one who wants to pull out my hair everytime I see an article that president Obama is working on bipartisan­. I still blame the blue dog democrats for not uniting with the rest of the democrats. If they would have stood with president Obama early on, healthcare reform would have passed and president Obama would have been able to go on to other important things like jobs.

[brindle]

01:58 AM on 02/16/2010

Perfectly Put.