A Plea For Sanity
I am, and have been my whole life, one of those nameless, faceless members of the voting electorate that the political wonks often refer to as the common man, or the man on the street or, in more recent years the critical undecided vote. I am going to be presumptious enough to make a plea to the current U.S. presidential candidates, both Obama and Romney, on behalf of that group. Although I have never been a political type, I feel comfortable speaking for this large marginally homogenous group because I am convinced that both candidates, contrary to what they personally believe, don't have a clue how the major portion of the electorate thinks - what is important to the voters. And quite candidly, I feel that most of the time neither candidate is focused on our concerns, primarily because they and their 'experts' feel they know what is best for us. So gentlemen, would you both please hear out plea! We desperately want a return to sanity in American politics. A return to a government for the people!
Gentlemen, I suggest that the first step in our return to sanity in American politics should be a return to civility. I will admit that I, unlike the two of you, did not have the benefit of an Ivy League education that helped shape my opinions and values. However, if that is where you honed your skills at gutter-sniping at your opponents supposed achilles heels, then I am glad I missed that course. If all those cheap-shot tendencies are so thoroughly ingrained in your pysches, then do us a favor and return to the arenas of Chicago politics and Republican primaries were the practice is no less despicable, but at least it is out of the national limelight. The American people are tired of, and becoming increasingly more displeased with, the constant nagging and accusations that usually are only partly factual and seldom relevant to anything of concern to us the voters. Stop! A return to a government for the people!
Secondly gentlemen I would ask that you both do an abrupt 'about face' and stop facing towards the rear - the past. Whether Barack smoked weed in college interests me equally as much as what prank Mitt pulled on a college classmate. Likewise the Rev. Wright's blatherings and his influence (or not) on Barack Obama fails the same 'idiotic test' as what month Romney left Bain. And I plead with you to drop the 'flip-flop' crutch. Is it relevant that Mitt has a different postion on a subject than he did years ago when he was governor? Or that Barack's position has changed form his state government days? Please! Things, times and situations change as do solutions and approaches to problems. The only mistakes in this arena is not being able or willing to explain a change in approach. There is a name for those whose political positions never change - they are called a corpses! So, both of you please stop wasting our time and your energies beating dead horses. A return to a government for the people!
Gov. Romney, more specifically what I think we need to see from you are some specific programs and plans to turn our country around and get this country at least headed in the right direction. I feel it unwise to assume you can get elected President of the United States because millions of us are willing to vote 'No' on Obama. We may be disallusioned, but we are not stupid. Please tell us what programs you plan to implement if elected president, why those are the prudent things to do, how they wiil be inacted and paid for, and why you chose those approaches. Enough of the vague, philosophical double talk. This country's problems are not some grad course exercise. In this arena there are no style points awarded on what sounds good, or polls well. And we also suggest you get hold of this clown signing everyone up to the 'no tax increases under any circumstances' pledge and run him out of town. We are not interested in robots in government responded with knee-jerk 'no tax increase' every time a button is pushed. The modern world is too complicated for clones in government. A return to a government for the people!
Pres. Obama I beseech you to stop with the 'crucify the rich' approach. This is America where we grow up with the dream that we will some day be wealthy. And it is part of our nature to cling to that idea idependent of whether it is, or ever was, realistic. And do we accept that Bain's business practices probably caused some people to lose their jobs? Yes, but we also understand that Bain was getting involved with many companies that were on the ropes, and many (if not all) of their emplyees were stareing at the probability of losing their jobs. Since Bain did turn some of those companies around, obviously Bain's actions saved some people's job - a fact you seem to think that we don't understand when you are attacking Romney/Bains or a fact that you yourself do not understand. The 'Vote Against Romney Because He Is Rich' approach may work with the 'Occupy ...' crowd, but be advised that most of us think that bunch should be occupying jail cells. You also don't seem to realize that demonizing wealth is counter productive for you. The majority of us consider you to be rich! You spend more money on a single gown for your wife than most of us budget for our family's annual clothing budget. Your anti-wealth stance is a form of shooting yourself in the foot.
Note that I have not, and will not, get involved in a discussion about what has taken place in the Obama administration to date. I feel it would be counter-productive because my whole point is that it is time to be looking forward. I will leave it to the pundits and the so-called experts to continue to dissect ad nauseum the past three years. And in the final analysis history has taught us that it will probably be years before we are certain about the impact of things that have just occured in recent months.
So in summary, do I see a lot on the horizon that is encouraging for people like the ones I am being presumptious enough to speak for? Quite candidly - no. A big NO.
I am convinced that President Obama is an intellect of the highest order, but brings with that capacity an intellectual arrogance that reinforces in him the belief that he does in fact have 'the answers', and knows what is best for us, regardless of the noise being generated by the masses. He then surrounds himself with advisors whose 'real world' experience is as lacking as his and they can then proceed as they chose. If for no other reason, when things get really testy they can always just vote 'Present'.
In short Mr. President, your rode a wave of popularity into the White House largely based on soaring retoric and millions of folks enthusiasm with your idea of 'Hope and Change.' Three years later millions of people are still waiting for that change. And millions of others are starting to hope that you change.
Governor Romney on the other hand does have a long history out in the business world, but I feel that in a lot of those situations he was 'detached' by our standards. The corporation, and the world, looks different from the executive suites. He dosn't know 'what makes us tick' any more than Obama, and like Obama, doesn't realize that fact. Of even more concern to me, I see Romney as playing the role of 'The Great Appeaser'. I do not think he is ready (able?) to stand up to the divergent views and raucaus voices of his own party, much less the Democrats - a weakness he shares with Obama, and maybe even to a greater degree. Romney may well have some good ideas, but he is so busy trying to agree with everyone (except Obama) that he more and more seems to be appealing to noone.
For you Gov. Romney, it is time to fish are cut bait. You have managed to stave off a lot of tough competitors in the primary campaigns and it is now time to tell us what you intend to do if elected. We understand that you disagree with many of Obama's programs. So we know what you see as the big questions. We are waiting for you to stop harping about the failures and give us some answers. At least we need some assurances that you have a clue!
I hope this analysis is wrong. And if you don't agree with the general thrust herein, you probably aren't part of my population. Ha! How's that for an out?
A return to a government for the people! A dream?
Larry Matthews
Till Next Time. Pura Vida.