Letter to the President
This is a letter that my sister sent to "w" after his "victory".....................Scott
November 6, 2004
Dear President Bush,
I voted for an opponent of yours. In your victory speech you said that you would need my support and that you would work to earn it.
So, I thought I would give you some ideas about how you might do that.
1) Pay attention to the fact that, in spite of ruling this country for 4 years, you barely won. We, the nearly half of the country who did not
vote for you, are still here. We still have ideas about how to deal with the country's problems. Even in the "red" states, there are "blue"
folks who do not agree with your policies and your approach to the world. And, there are still another 40% who did not vote at all, but
still have feelings and ideas about how the country is going. They are not part of the "mandate" that you and your supporters are
talking about either. So, while you have won the electoral college vote, and managed to get your base to come out by focusing on
wedge issues, so that you have a popular majority, you still have a substantial minority group for whom you are also the President,
whether we like it or not. In this country, thank goodness, the minority still has rights that are protected and respected by law.
2) Learn how to recognize that human beings make mistakes. You make mistakes. We all make mistakes. I am truly afraid that you
don't know how to recognize when you have made a mistake. If you can't do that, then you can't learn from your mistakes, and you can't
reach out to explore options for how to fix them. For instance, invading Iraq was a mistake, and the results have been horrific and
continue to compound themselves. The advisors that you have chosen to trust have proven to offer you policy choices that were
mistaken. I hope that you take the opportunity to review their mistakes and replace them with people who have a wider view of the
world, and are more willing to consider a wide range of options.
3) However, I do not see you listening to folks who have different ideas for how to fix the situation in Iraq, either here or in other countries.
Please notice that I did not say that I have not seen you talking to others--I said "listening." For instance, if you were listening to me
writing this letter, you would be hearing how upset I am, how concerned I am about the future of this country and the world because
you are President for another 4 years, and you would wonder, if you don't already know, how you could understand my point of
view better, and you would wonder if I have any thoughts and perspectives that could be helpful to the process of leading this vast
and powerful country. You would not dismiss me as evil, or stupid, or "liberal", or any of the other unhelpful names that have been
flung during the recent campaign.
4) Stop using Orwellian tactics--naming bills like "No Child Left Behind", or "Clear Skies", that actually have opposite outcomes. If you
believe that privatizing education, and supporting corporate power against caring for the environment will ultimately help the United
States of America, say it out straight and explain yourself in plain English. Don't hide behind liberal labels like the examples you chose
above, and proceed to manipulate the electorate in the way you have done for the past 4 years. I don't think that this kind of manipulation
is good for this country--it undermines any trust that people might still have in government. I still believe that we need good government
that is trustworthy to handle the things that we all hold in common.
Finally, you can start the process of earning my support by responding to this letter in a substantive fashion. You will notice that I have
written my suggestions from a certain point of view of you and how you function. I may have that assessment of you wrong, but if I do,
that view has come from the way that you have conducted yourself in public and how that affects me when I look at you from my point of view.
So, if you want my support you will need to provide me with an alternative view--show me that you can act differently, or that you have a
different idea of the world than has come across in the media so far. A form letter from a low-level staffer, with your name stamped on it
will infuriate me further. I am serious about taking the time to write you. Many of my friends are astonished that I would take the time and
effort to do so.
Thank you for your attention.
Sincerely,
Anne Anderson
November 6, 2004
Dear President Bush,
I voted for an opponent of yours. In your victory speech you said that you would need my support and that you would work to earn it.
So, I thought I would give you some ideas about how you might do that.
1) Pay attention to the fact that, in spite of ruling this country for 4 years, you barely won. We, the nearly half of the country who did not
vote for you, are still here. We still have ideas about how to deal with the country's problems. Even in the "red" states, there are "blue"
folks who do not agree with your policies and your approach to the world. And, there are still another 40% who did not vote at all, but
still have feelings and ideas about how the country is going. They are not part of the "mandate" that you and your supporters are
talking about either. So, while you have won the electoral college vote, and managed to get your base to come out by focusing on
wedge issues, so that you have a popular majority, you still have a substantial minority group for whom you are also the President,
whether we like it or not. In this country, thank goodness, the minority still has rights that are protected and respected by law.
2) Learn how to recognize that human beings make mistakes. You make mistakes. We all make mistakes. I am truly afraid that you
don't know how to recognize when you have made a mistake. If you can't do that, then you can't learn from your mistakes, and you can't
reach out to explore options for how to fix them. For instance, invading Iraq was a mistake, and the results have been horrific and
continue to compound themselves. The advisors that you have chosen to trust have proven to offer you policy choices that were
mistaken. I hope that you take the opportunity to review their mistakes and replace them with people who have a wider view of the
world, and are more willing to consider a wide range of options.
3) However, I do not see you listening to folks who have different ideas for how to fix the situation in Iraq, either here or in other countries.
Please notice that I did not say that I have not seen you talking to others--I said "listening." For instance, if you were listening to me
writing this letter, you would be hearing how upset I am, how concerned I am about the future of this country and the world because
you are President for another 4 years, and you would wonder, if you don't already know, how you could understand my point of
view better, and you would wonder if I have any thoughts and perspectives that could be helpful to the process of leading this vast
and powerful country. You would not dismiss me as evil, or stupid, or "liberal", or any of the other unhelpful names that have been
flung during the recent campaign.
4) Stop using Orwellian tactics--naming bills like "No Child Left Behind", or "Clear Skies", that actually have opposite outcomes. If you
believe that privatizing education, and supporting corporate power against caring for the environment will ultimately help the United
States of America, say it out straight and explain yourself in plain English. Don't hide behind liberal labels like the examples you chose
above, and proceed to manipulate the electorate in the way you have done for the past 4 years. I don't think that this kind of manipulation
is good for this country--it undermines any trust that people might still have in government. I still believe that we need good government
that is trustworthy to handle the things that we all hold in common.
Finally, you can start the process of earning my support by responding to this letter in a substantive fashion. You will notice that I have
written my suggestions from a certain point of view of you and how you function. I may have that assessment of you wrong, but if I do,
that view has come from the way that you have conducted yourself in public and how that affects me when I look at you from my point of view.
So, if you want my support you will need to provide me with an alternative view--show me that you can act differently, or that you have a
different idea of the world than has come across in the media so far. A form letter from a low-level staffer, with your name stamped on it
will infuriate me further. I am serious about taking the time to write you. Many of my friends are astonished that I would take the time and
effort to do so.
Thank you for your attention.
Sincerely,
Anne Anderson
posted by T. Scott Brineman at 8:36 AM
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