A letter to President Obama

December 9, 2010

Dear Mr. President:

Now’s your chance to bring back some pride and dignity to the Democratic Party and to millions of Americans. While so many of your dreams (and ours) are crumbling before our eyes, there are still things you can do.

You’ve made a fool of yourself by believing that compromise was the way to go. You thought you could govern from the middle, but you underestimated American greed and the willingness of your political opponents to hold those in need – and the American economy – hostage. The democrats are leaving you like a sinking ship. I wouldn’t be surprised if you don’t win the primary in the next election.

I understand your reasoning behind the tax cuts capitulation – at least those dependent on unemployment benefits will keep their heads above water a while longer. You may have sold your children’s future to keep the wolf from the door, but we see your logic, even though we totally disagree with you on the bigger picture.

I can’t tell you how it pains me to see you get blamed day after day for things beyond your control. You deserve better.

At least you tried, you tell us. Maybe history will show you were right to make the decisions you did, but right now the Republicans smell blood in the water, and people are calling your administration Bush’s third term. They’ve got you right where they want you. You failed to stop torture. You failed to stop two ongoing wars. You failed to close Guantanamo. And gays and lesbians see you as missing in action when it comes to their civil rights. All because you thought you could work with that bucket of warm spit that is the United States Senate.

Please, Mr. President, get real about the people you’re up against. I watched your press conference the other day and heard you defend your position and speak plainly about being held hostage. I know there’s a fighter in there somewhere.

But it’s one defeat after another. Today Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell went down in flames – the latest casualty of the Senate’s cowards and bullies. Despite overwhelming support for getting rid of this disgusting policy of forcing gays and lesbians in the armed forces to lie about who they are – from the military leadership, from the troops themselves, from the majority of the American people – despite all that, the Senate has pissed in the soup yet again.

The legislative branch of government has become dysfunctional. When the American voters come to their senses, one day we may elect legislators who can fix it. But since there is no end in sight of rule by the superrich for the exclusive benefit of the superrich, we have only you and the courts to count on.

You have the power as Commander-in-Chief to issue an executive order to get the military to stop discharging gay men and women. The courts are there ahead of you. It’s not only the right thing to do; it will give your supporters like me reason to want to stay behind you. A small thing, when compared to health care, the economy, war and the environment, perhaps. But it’s something you can do, and something that will really matter.

Please, Mr. President. Fix this mess.


Yours truly,

Alan J. McCornick
2734 Ellsworth St.
Berkeley, CA 94705




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