A Plea to the President

Could there be a better time for truly progressive Americans to begin a movement for reform? With the Tea Party leaders blathering on about undoing all the social and economic reforms of the last 110 years and returning the United States to, what. . . the 1890s? Yeah that is what we need, a roll back of progress to a time when we had unsafe food and drugs, no child labor laws, most of our wealth being consolidated in the hands a few super rich bankers and industrialists, no fire codes, substandard housing, no Social Security, no Medicare, no federal money for infrastructure projects, no flood controls, no building codes, no highway system, no safety rules governing transportation, no public health programs, no Center for Disease Control, no air and water standards and. . . well, need I go on.

Taking advantage of the fear and anger generated every time we go through hard economic times, extremists like the Tea Baggers are screaming for an end to government "interference" in our lives and, of course are totally oblivious to the consequences of what they are calling for. But to make matters worse, our Democratic political leaders are doing nothing to call these pin heads on the lunacy of their proposals. But instead, they are cowering in Washington hoping that the idiot brigade will just run out of gas and go away. Speaking only for myself, when I voted for Barrack Obama in 2008, I was voting for a set of policy initiatives but I was also voting for some political leadership. The "Bully Pulpit" is exclusively available to the President and it appears that he is reluctant to use it. As much as I support most of Obama's policy decisions, I did not vote for a technocratic manager, but for a person who would lead us in a new direction in a time of crisis. It seems pretty clear now that President Obama is reluctant to engage politically, believing that the American electorate will eventually see the merits of his agenda, by what. . . osmosis?

Looking back on our political history, it is clear that fundamental political change not only required a sound set of policy proposals, but the leadership of bold presidents to see those initiatives through. Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and Lyndon Johnson did not neglect the political side of the legislative equation in getting their programs adopted. It is as if President Obama does not want to soil his hands in the dirty business of politics to bring about the adoption of his agenda. If he has learned anything from the Tea Party gang, it has to be that success in American politics is often won after some fierce battles, and can be lost by too much intellectual pondering. One does not have to look further than the failed presidencies of Jimmy Carter and George HW Bush to see the results of being too removed from the rough and tumble political arena. Like it or not, most American voters do not read the New York Times, Listen to NPR, or watch Public Television. But instead, they consume infotainment in the guise of news, consult the fringe element on the Internet, or listen to commercially sponsored talk radio for political advice.

If Rupert Murdock has taught us anything it is that the addition of screaming demagogues to simplistic and slanted news shows can be highly profitable, while building a significant following. Sometimes, Mr. President you have to punch back. . . especially since there is no intellectual hurdle one must negotiate for the privilege of voting in the United States. We have just as much of a God-given right to be stupid, vile, and bigoted in this country as we do to be reasoned and well-informed. Remember all the high brow intellectuals John Kennedy brought to Washington in 1961, you know, the so-called Best and Brightest? Well he accomplished not one of his legislative reforms while sticking to the high road. It took the all time master of political infighting, the guy the Kennedy clan reviled with Brahman disdain, Lyndon Johnson, to get a Civil Rights BIll, a Voting Rights Bill, and a Medicare Bill through a timid and reluctant Congress. LBJ was neither nice nor polished, but he was effective. He seemed to live by a philosophical position I have long employed during my teaching career: IF I CANNOT WIN YOUR RESPECT, I WILL SETTLE FOR YOUR FEAR.

Take off the gloves Mr. President, before it is too late. We not only hired you because of your positions on public policies, we hired you to lead too. And sometimes that means getting into a fight or two and calling out your critics, clearly and loudly. Heck, once you get in there and mix it up a bit, you might find that you actually like it!