Dear President Obama,
You don’t need me to tell you
that in politics, perception is more important than reality. Currently, the
media is sending the message that you have given up on governing and are more
interested in the trappings of your office than battling with Congress.
I don’t happen to believe this is
true but you have to face the reality that until the new Congress meets in
January, 2015, you will be fighting intransigent congressional Republicans who
have made it clear that they will thwart any of your government’s initiatives.
The USA has been here before.
Within days of assuming the presidency, Harry Truman had to face numerous
immediate problems. What to do with the bomb, how to negotiate with Stalin at
Potsdam, and the terms for ending the war in the Pacific? Post-war domestic
unrest was rife as industry and business sought to return to a peacetime economy.
For three years from 1945, Truman faced strike after strike as he held to his
economic policy.
In 1946, the Democrats lost
control of both the House and the Senate but Truman did not let this turn in
his fortunes prevent his government doing what he considered right. Mind you,
in those days Congress had many moderate members.
So, Mr. President, may I suggest
you put a sign on your desk, “WWTD” in big letters. The sign stands for “What
Would Truman Do?”
Let’s look at Obamacare and the
computer program failure. Mr. President, quite properly, you have passed the
problem down the line to your Secretary of Health, Kathryn Sibelius, a very
experienced administrator. If Harry Truman had found himself in this position,
I believe he would have publicised his discussions with his Health Secretary,
seeking confirmation that the computer program contractors were contractually
bound to put the problems right as soon as possible and that the Health
Secretary had assured him that everything that was needed to be done was being
done. He would also have added that no government computer program of the size
of Obamacare had ever worked properly from the get-go and the media hysteria
was unhelpful. Mr. President, you could also remind the public that forty
million Americans will benefit from the Affordable Care Act.
The next WWTD relates to spying.
I don’t understand why the cell phones of the leaders of America’s allies
should be hacked. What national security issues arise? Surely, anything
confidential would be spoken on a protected cell phone which was “scrambled.”
The NSA would only listen to gossip and, maybe, evidence of extra-marital
affairs. Was an American government department seriously intent upon
blackmailing their country’s allies?
Truman would have had no truck
with this kind of spying. He would very publicly have fired the NSA operatives
who decided to instigate the bugging program. He would have held a news
conference when he would have denied personal knowledge of the bugging but
accepted responsibility. He would have said it was wrong and that it would
stop. He would have gone on a charm offensive, meeting European leaders and
other allies. He well understood the need to create friendships for political
purposes. The Berlin air lift would not have been successful without strong
allies.
And WWTD about the fiscal deal?
Since October 17th, no moves have been reported to solve the budget
impasse. I don’t believe Truman would have sat still. He would have addressed a
joint session of Congress, reminding them of their duty to fund the expenditure
which Congress had already approved. He would re-state that America does not
default on its debts. In short, he would have given Congress hell.
He would also have proposed
revised budget terms that would appeal to middle and working-class America.
Truman was a savvy politician who would have kept the 2014 mid-terms in the
forefront of the debate. Did America’s hard-working families want to be
dominated and disadvantaged by a Tea Party minority?
So, Mr. President, get out of the
Oval and take your case to the people. You might be surprised by the reaction.
Yours truly,
Dr. John Matlin.
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