Time to Stand Tall

Dear President Obama,

I really do admire and applaud your bipartisan spirit and efforts to find common ground with the Republicans in congress. Perhaps I’m naive, but I actually hoped and expected that your approach might prove contagious and usher in an era of cooperation.
Such has not been the case. Unfortunately, the branch of the Republican Party getting the media attention consists of those who have not shown any sincere desire to cooperate or to reach any bipartisan agreement on any issue.
Worse yet, we’ve been subjected to a parade of absurd, baseless distractions, instead of a substantive debate.
Remember these “issues” –
1. Is Barack Obama really an American citizen? We’ve seen his birth certificate and the birth announcements in the paper, but can we be sure?
2. If doctors are allowed to get medicare reimbursement for consultation about end-of-life issues, doesn’t this mean there will be “death squads” and we’ll all have to justify our existence to a “death panel”?
3. Health insurance reform is socialism!
4. False outrage over “indoctrination” when you tell school children to study hard and stay in school.

We already have roads, a postal system, armed forces, schools, libraries, police and fire protection — all paid for with taxes. These aren’t considered “socialist” institutions. Why is it any different to add basic health care to this list of things that we as a society want to guarantee our citizens? We don’t buy special insurance to be allowed to drive on the roads, call the fire department, or attend public school.

But, let’s get to the point.
You’ve been kind of wimpy about this.
Time to man up, dude.
Out here on the front lines, we’re getting a bit restless. Brows are furrowing. This isn’t about reaching a compromise with folks who don’t want to compromise. It’s about reassuring us that you’ve got the strength and the nerve to stand up for us.

Bipartisanship is a worthy goal. But, doing what’s best for the American people is more important than a political abstraction. People are getting sick and dying while congressmen bicker. Trust me on this – we’d rather see you lose swinging that keep on being so timid.
Stand tall on Wednesday.
The masses out here need to know that you can and will do that.

Excuse me, can I have a hand, I need to hop off this soap box.
Hop!
Here’s hoping for a fiery speech tomorrow!
Give ’em hell!