President Barack Obama
\n1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
\nWashington, DC 20500<\/p>\n
July 15, 2011<\/p>\n
President Obama,<\/p>\n
By the time this reaches you the situation will likely be over, or at least one would hope, but since a similar situation is almost certain to come up again sooner rather than later I\u2019d like to share my thoughts with you about the negotiations to raise the debt ceiling.<\/p>\n
In some regards you\u2019re doing an excellent job. \u00a0You\u2019re acting like the bigger man and staying above the fray, working to build consensus and compromise despite near-impossible odds. \u00a0That\u2019s good, I respect that and I know millions of Americans agree with me. \u00a0However, when building consensus you must keep in mind who you\u2019re attempting to build a consensus with, what their goals are and who, in the end, is being represented.<\/p>\n
The stance of the House Republicans that all deficit reduction must come from cuts to services is absurd, and their general unwillingness to compromise is unreasonable. \u00a0They clearly don\u2019t understand the concept of negotiation; regardless of your stance or the position any reasonable person has to understand that concessions have to be made. \u00a0When facing a debate opponent that won\u2019t give an inch on principle, continued concessions are futile. \u00a0It just won\u2019t help. \u00a0And to be fair the left isn\u2019t all that much better, the partisan infection in government exists on both sides.<\/p>\n
Your job is to be the adult in the room. \u00a0The right wants nothing but service cuts. \u00a0The left wants nothing but revenue increases. \u00a0So the reasonable thing to do, rather than coddle both sides essentially for the PR, is to split the difference, put the offer on the table and take your case to the American people.<\/p>\n
A Pew survey in May showed that there is a consensus across the board on certain measures. \u00a0Cutting foreign aid, for example, is supported by 72% of people including 83% of Republicans and 61% of Democrats. \u00a0Generating revenue, again according to Pew, is even easier: 67% of people support raising the Social Security cap and 62% support reducing income tax deductions for large corporations (interestingly, 62% of Republicans support this as opposed to 58% of Democrats). \u00a0Even raising taxes on people earning $250,000 and up is supported by 66% of all Americans and 67% of Independents, with 49% of Republicans approving, which while not a majority is still a surprisingly high number considering the line coming from their representatives in Congress.<\/p>\n
The people elected you to be the voice of reason, to take these measures which people outside Congress can agree on and put them in front of both sides. \u00a0Base your proposal on poll numbers and present it as the opinion of the American people. \u00a0From there, treat Congress like your daughters arguing in the back seat on a long car trip: They may cry and kick and scream and hold their breath, but it\u2019s your job as the adult to hold firm on what you know is fair and reasonable until they concede to parental (or in this case the people\u2019s) authority. \u00a0Giving in will only create spoiled partisan brats.<\/p>\n
Not only will this chip away at the corrosive partisanship that\u2019s crippling our nation, but I promise you that it will guarantee your reelection. \u00a0The right-wing partisans won\u2019t vote for you regardless of what you do, and the left-wing partisans will vote for you regardless no matter what they say. \u00a0There\u2019s nothing anyone can do about that. \u00a0Those in the middle, however, those who have jobs and lives to spend time on rather than arguing politics on the Internet all day, will recognize and respect your maturity and sensibility if you take a fair and equitable proposal that equally considers both sides directly to the people and stand behind it regardless of reaction.<\/p>\n
Plus, while Ayn Rand may control the hearts and minds of Congressional Republicans, the people who hold the purse strings would never let them continue to hold their breath if it looks like the government may actually default on its debts. \u00a0Ideology is all well and good but in the end money always wins.<\/p>\n
Sincerely,<\/p>\n
Daniel J. Willis<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
President Barack Obama 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, DC 20500 July 15, 2011 President Obama, By the time this reaches you the situation will likely be over, or at least one would hope, but since a similar situation is almost certain … Continue reading