AND I WELCOME THEIR HATRED

Dear Folk,

I wrote Obama after reading an article in New York Times Sunday review, entitled "What Happened to Obama," by Prof Drew Westen, Emory U, and author of The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation. Because of the brilliance of his article, I am going to buy his book though I have stayed away from any more political books. He writes that Obama has not told the right story. 

The author writes what the story should have been: "Dear citizens, I know you are angry and frustrated because of loss of jobs and homes, etc. The collapse was not natural; it was done by Wall St. and conservatives who eliminated regulations and rewarded the greedy and the reckless. 80 years ago (the great depression) we learned what to do, by first putting people to work with public programs (remember what FDR did: WPA and CCC put millions to work). We will also restore integrity to the financial market (recall that FDR took over big banks for a while)."

The above story would have powerfully impacted all of us, so that the President would have had more leverage in exposing the Republican minority in the House and Senate, both of which were the absolute party of NO, as you recall. Also, because of the stupid functioning of the Senate, Republicans there used used the Filibuster over 120 times in contrast to previous annual averages of about 40. As a result, 400 plus bills died in that ineffectual body.

Unlike FDR and Martin L. King, Obama did not face the bullies, which in both cases made "the bully show his true and repugnant face in public." He did not say, as did FDR, about his opponents: "They are unanimous in their hatred of me" and then he, like Thunder said (I watched this on TV): "AND I WELCOME THEIR HATRED" and the listeners yelled a great approval.

Crucial, says author, how he handled the stimulus. Instead of listening to Nobel-prize winning economists --one I know Paul Krugman, and other named Steigler --the amount spent was meager and "diluted it further with tax cuts."

I wrote him, saying, that I had read every word of his life story, Dreams of My Father.  I felt it was an authentic story. Now, I said, tell the authentic American story. It is not too late. Lay out the truth and force the basters [sic] to show their true face.  - John G