RePost of an Article originally posted at
http://everydaypeopleproject.blogspot.com/2009/04/mr-president-you-still-want-me-to.html
by Susan Barnett
I like our new president. I voted for him. I want him to succeed,
if his goals are the ones he pledged during his campaign. But the
latest email from his media guru, David Plouffe, leaves me cold.
Here is his discussion of opponents of the president's agenda
who say they want him to fail.
It makes you wonder whether they
see the same thing we do.
Advocates for the status quo are calling for President Obama to
fail while millions of families struggle. They're playing the
same old political games and offering the same failed policies at a
time of crisis.
In the coming days, opponents will do everything they can to
destroy the President's proposed budget, a bold plan to help
fix our broken economy and healthcare system and finally make
energy and education the priority we all know they must be.
The change we need won't come without a fight -- no meaningful
change ever does. Just like in the campaign, Barack Obama can't
win without you by his side. Town by town, block by block, this
grassroots movement is organizing and uniting Americans behind the
President's plan.
But to finish what we started, we need resources.
Will you join the fight? Help reach
10,000 donors before Monday, April 13th -- make a donation of $25
or more today to help President Obama turn this country around.
Donate $25 or more by April 13th
Excuse me? Did you just ask me to donate so my president can lobby
Congress? Read on.
We know that Washington won't
change overnight. It'll take time, commitment, and money, but
this grassroots movement can make change a reality -- affordable
health care, a clean energy economy, and quality education for all.
We know we are asking a lot from you -- but the stakes couldn't
be higher.
It's why we worked so hard to elect President Obama, and
he's counting on us to follow through. Today, you can make a
difference.
Jo Ann from Charlotte, NC, has joined thousands of other supporters
this week to support this movement and reject the same old
politics:
I am a sixty-two year old woman on disability. I followed the
election closely and did what I could to get Obama elected. Since
he was inaugurated, I have watched in awe to see how much has
already been accomplished. I live in Charlotte, NC where the
unemployment rates are double digits and going up. My youngest son
was out of work for 8 months because the company he worked for went
out of business. So many workers and families are losing jobs and
homes. There's so much more to be done, but this budget has to
be passed and the programs have to be put into practice before
things start to recover. That's why I support President Obama
and his plans.
Americans like Jo Ann deserve better than the kind of divisive
politics we've seen year after year. They deserve a truthful
debate about real issues and a budget that will turn this economy
around so that they can turn their lives around.
We need to seize this crucial moment to help pass this budget and
invest in the one thing that can make President Obama's
promises of change a reality -- the movement you built.
Before the Monday deadline, help reach our goal of 10,000 donors to
strengthen this movement. Make a donation of $25 or more
today:
It's a finely crafted letter, designed to pull at the
heartstrings of the loyal recipients, the people who helped Barack
Obama get elected. We certainly don't want him to face
unreasoning opposition to his progressive programs. Do we?
Maybe we do. Maybe the whole point of our so-called democracy is to
elect a leader, then allow the opposition to get in his way as much
as possible so as to ensure that
his programs are thoroughly discussed, examined and vetted. I know
we're in a financial emergency and I know that FDR pushed
through reams of legislation during the Depression in a frantic
effort to staunch the economy's bleeding. But did he go back to
his supporters and ask for more money to do it?
This feels all wrong to me. And I wrote back to Plouffe and said
so. I told him that this is my president. I pay my taxes. His job
is now to work with Congress to get the programs passed that he
promised in his campaign. Asking voters for money to lobby Congress
is inappropriate.
I support our president, but I won't support him blindly. I
think he is making some mistakes, especially in not immediately
rolling back Bush-era orders that undermine our Constitutional
rights. I think he's a charismatic leader in an uncertain time,
and that can easily lead to abuses of power.
I read the
Bilderberger
conspiracy theories and realize there is probably an element of
truth there - global politics and business are inextricably
entwined and it's one big club - why wouldn't they meet and
set an agenda? President Obama probably couldn't have been
elected without support from corporations. And don't call them
Corporate America anymore - there is no such thing. Any corporation
with clout is multi-national now.
I am still delighted that we were spared a McCain presidency. But I
cannot entirely trust this president who promised so much but seems
to be pulling back into a more centrist position. Blind worship is
for sheep. I will support our president when I believe he is right
and I will speak out when I believe he is wrong.
Allowing the DNC to solicit money from voters struggling in a
recession is wrong.
