Just before dying a few days ago, my best friend wrote this:
Dear Mr. President:
If the first debate was a basketball game, you would have been crushed. You had no offense. You didn't speak simply and clearly to your base. Instead of repeating half-dozen times that Mr. Romney would lower taxes by five trillion dollars you could have said, "under Bill Clinton a person making two million dollars a year would have paid 'x' amount in taxes. Mr. Clinton left this country with the first budget surplus and lowest jobless rate in years. Under George Bush and his tax cuts, a person making two million dollars a year would have paid 'x' amount in taxes (I'm assuming the difference would be dramatic). Mr. Bush left office with the biggest deficit in history, the highest jobless rate in decades and the country on the verge of total financial collapse".
In a broader sense you could have said that "three weeks ago the whole world heard Mr. Romney on tape, write off 47 percent of the American public as helpless and entitlement addicted. If asked, I'm sure he will find ways to refute the comment. If he refutes it, I have a dozen other examples over the past year of him saying one thing to one audience and the opposite to another audience. Among the questions you need to ask yourself is, "who is Mitt Romney?" Is he the congenial man you see tonight, ready to save the middle class he wrote off, or the elitist who wrote them all off?
If your aim is to be a nice guy, you'll never win. Hopefully, you've watched Bryce Harper play baseball. He comes out swinging at every appearance. Opposing fans and teams dislike him. He couldn't care less. Drilled by an opposing pitcher, he ended up stealing home. He will be elected Rookie of the year. People say you are concerned about the angry black man image. Do you think that when Jackie Robinson stole home and wiped out the opposing catcher, he cared one wit whether he would be seen as an angry black man?
I've never written a letter like this before and it will probably never be seen, but it feels good to get it off my chest.
Sincerely, Your committed supporter,
Stephen Rosenblum, M.D.
Thanks, Steve. Too bad President Obama didn't get your message before the first debate. Let's hope he gets it this time. We miss you.