The author, Wattree
[Beneath The Spin: Open Letter]
Dear President Obama,
First, I’d like to thank you so much for reaching out to the people and asking us what we want for a change. That alone is a refreshing change from what we generally see from our government. So you’re already off to a great start in creating a new approach to governance.
Now, with regard to my suggestion. It’s time to play hardball with the GOP. You’re doing an excellent job in office, but the primary reason that your detractors can gain traction among the less informed across the country, is exactly the quality that makes you so effective as president – your laid-back and thoughtful approach to dealing with issues.
Your approach seems to be, “never try to out-scream ‘em, out-think ‘em instead,” and I’m in full agreement with that approach. But unfortunately, there’s so much anger and impatience among some of the people that nuanced thinking is lost on them. Their frustration with the Republican Party makes them yearn for a hardcore response. That’s what they expected on day one of your administration. They’re spoiling for a fight, and your intellectual approach to getting things done is frustrating that yearning.
So while I think you, personally, should continue in the mode that you’ve established, at the same time, you should create a staff – housed right next door to the Oval Office – whose sole purpose is to debunk Republican disinformation. Then, whenever any Republican appears on the news to distort reality, he or she should be able to look forward to the next day’s news cycle being flooded with information not only debunking his or her words, but also, examining every action that he or she has engaged in during their career that tends to be in conflict with their current position. In short, you should parade their hypocrisy before the American people.
If you would take that simple action, Mr. President, you would not only drive home the GOP’s hypocrisy, but you would cause individual Republicans to run away the cameras instead of stumbling all over one another to be the one to present the latest Republican assault on reality. In addition, it would appease the thirst for blood among the people in your base, it would also provide writers like myself with grist for our mill, and give us an indication of what areas of investigation would bear the most fruit.
So again, Mr. President, I’d like to thank you for reaching out to us, and I hope that you seriously consider my suggestion. It’s simple common sense, so I’m sure you’ll see the rationale behind it, because common sense is something that you have in abundance.
