President Obama has shown great effort in his efforts to fullfill campaign promises, including striving to gain more bi-partisan participation in legislative decision-making. However, it's obvious that there is a movement to thwart this as well as other endeavors of his presidency. Is President Obama being too idealistic in his hope to seek bi-partisanship? Is there hope for a "meeting of the minds"? Will continuing on this path lead to failure? Is it possible to slay this Republican demagogical dragon? Where do we go from here?
Looking at it from another's viewpoint...The following letter speaks to what may be the key reason for the roadblocks the new president is facing.
An Open Letter to President Obama from Frank Schaeffer:
Dear President Obama: I know that from time to time you read the Huffington Post because you've written for it. As a Huffington Post reader you'll know that no one has more faithfully supported your candidacy and now your presidency than me. As a former lifelong Republican, son of a co-founder of the Religious Right; my late evangelical leader father, Francis Schaeffer, I'm in a unique position to tell you a few things about the Republicans from inside perspective. (As you know I left that movement in the mid 1980s.) The lack of cooperation you're getting from the Republican Party will continue.. You were right to indulge in a little bit of tokenism when you had Pastor Rick Warren pray at your inauguration. But if you think that the Republicans in Congress and the Senate are going to do more than their utmost to obstruct everything you are and what you stand for you're dreaming. As someone who appeared numerous times on the 700 Club with Pat Robertson, as someone for whom Jerry Falwell used to send his private jet to bring me to speak at his college, as an author who had James Dobson giveaway 150,000 copies of one of my fundamentalist books allow me to explain something: the Republican Party is controlled by two ideological groups. First, is the Religious Right. Second, are the neoconservatives. Both groups share one thing in common: they are driven by fear and paranoia. Between them there is no Republican "center" for you to appeal to, just two versions of hate-filled extremes. The Religious Right supply the kind of people who at McCain and Palin rallies were yelling things such as "kill him" about you. That's the constituency to which your hand was extended when looking for compromise on your financial bailout bill. There's only one thing that makes sense for you now. Mr. President, you need to forget a bipartisan approach and get on with the business of governing by winning each battle. You will never be able to work with the Republicans because they hate you. Believe me, Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter are the norm not the exception. James Dobson and the rest are praying for you to fail. The neoconservatives are gnashing their teeth and waiting for you to "sell out Israel" or "show weakness" in Afghanistan, whatever, so they can declare you a traitor. The problem is that when you deal with the Republican Party you're talking to the polished characters in Washington. I wish you could see the hate e-mails that I have received over the last two years because I supported you, letters calling for God to kill me, telling me that I hate God because I supported you and that I am "an abortionist" and worse a "fag lover" because I've written that I believe that you will be a great president. What those senators and congressmen are telling you is not what their rabid core constituents are telling them. Their loyalty is to a fundamentalist Christian ideology on the one hand and American exceptionalism of perpetual warfare and hatred and fear of the "other" on the other hand. Between the neoconservatives and evangelical Religious Right Republicans you have no friends. The good news is that most Americans support you. And if you will just get in the face of the Republican Party and call their bluff you'll be surprised how many individual ordinary Republicans will support you, not to mention the rest of us. America is sick of the Republicans. The Democratic Party won for a reason: the Republicans failed and have taken us all down with them! You're doing your presidency and America no favor by extending an open hand to the perpetually knotted fist of what has become the embittered lunatic fringe of our country. They would rather go down in flames than "compromise" their ideology. As you showed us again at your press conference of Feb 9, you are a brilliant, articulate and decent man. Your Republican opponents are not decent people but ideologues bent on destroying you. To quote the biblical adage sir, don't cast your pearls before swine.
Frank Schaeffer is the author of CRAZY FOR GOD-How I Grew Up As One Of The Elect, Helped Found The Religious Right, And Lived To Take All (Or Almost All) Of It Back.
Looking at it from another's viewpoint...The following letter speaks to what may be the key reason for the roadblocks the new president is facing.
An Open Letter to President Obama from Frank Schaeffer:
Dear President Obama: I know that from time to time you read the Huffington Post because you've written for it. As a Huffington Post reader you'll know that no one has more faithfully supported your candidacy and now your presidency than me. As a former lifelong Republican, son of a co-founder of the Religious Right; my late evangelical leader father, Francis Schaeffer, I'm in a unique position to tell you a few things about the Republicans from inside perspective. (As you know I left that movement in the mid 1980s.) The lack of cooperation you're getting from the Republican Party will continue.. You were right to indulge in a little bit of tokenism when you had Pastor Rick Warren pray at your inauguration. But if you think that the Republicans in Congress and the Senate are going to do more than their utmost to obstruct everything you are and what you stand for you're dreaming. As someone who appeared numerous times on the 700 Club with Pat Robertson, as someone for whom Jerry Falwell used to send his private jet to bring me to speak at his college, as an author who had James Dobson giveaway 150,000 copies of one of my fundamentalist books allow me to explain something: the Republican Party is controlled by two ideological groups. First, is the Religious Right. Second, are the neoconservatives. Both groups share one thing in common: they are driven by fear and paranoia. Between them there is no Republican "center" for you to appeal to, just two versions of hate-filled extremes. The Religious Right supply the kind of people who at McCain and Palin rallies were yelling things such as "kill him" about you. That's the constituency to which your hand was extended when looking for compromise on your financial bailout bill. There's only one thing that makes sense for you now. Mr. President, you need to forget a bipartisan approach and get on with the business of governing by winning each battle. You will never be able to work with the Republicans because they hate you. Believe me, Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter are the norm not the exception. James Dobson and the rest are praying for you to fail. The neoconservatives are gnashing their teeth and waiting for you to "sell out Israel" or "show weakness" in Afghanistan, whatever, so they can declare you a traitor. The problem is that when you deal with the Republican Party you're talking to the polished characters in Washington. I wish you could see the hate e-mails that I have received over the last two years because I supported you, letters calling for God to kill me, telling me that I hate God because I supported you and that I am "an abortionist" and worse a "fag lover" because I've written that I believe that you will be a great president. What those senators and congressmen are telling you is not what their rabid core constituents are telling them. Their loyalty is to a fundamentalist Christian ideology on the one hand and American exceptionalism of perpetual warfare and hatred and fear of the "other" on the other hand. Between the neoconservatives and evangelical Religious Right Republicans you have no friends. The good news is that most Americans support you. And if you will just get in the face of the Republican Party and call their bluff you'll be surprised how many individual ordinary Republicans will support you, not to mention the rest of us. America is sick of the Republicans. The Democratic Party won for a reason: the Republicans failed and have taken us all down with them! You're doing your presidency and America no favor by extending an open hand to the perpetually knotted fist of what has become the embittered lunatic fringe of our country. They would rather go down in flames than "compromise" their ideology. As you showed us again at your press conference of Feb 9, you are a brilliant, articulate and decent man. Your Republican opponents are not decent people but ideologues bent on destroying you. To quote the biblical adage sir, don't cast your pearls before swine.
Frank Schaeffer is the author of CRAZY FOR GOD-How I Grew Up As One Of The Elect, Helped Found The Religious Right, And Lived To Take All (Or Almost All) Of It Back.
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3 comments:
To most the Bi-partisanship goal is not realist; in fact some would say that our president is not truly seeking bi-partisanship, that he is using this method as a smoke screen to incorporate his own ideas. The concept is that he will appear as though he's taking the high road, while those that oppose him--while gnashing their teeth--will look bad, if they don't vote with him.
Thinking of it in that light, if I were naive, I would think that the president is brilliant. However, I have learned from our history: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. appeared to be unrealistic in his approach to end segregation; to build a bridge between our races; to bring peace to our nation...Peacefully. When you take a look at history, our absolute greatest leaders have definitely "thought outside the box."
I believe that our nations leader is commendable for the route that he is taking. This journey is all inclusive; however, no matter how brilliant the plan, there will always be haters in play.
We don't need to fight their type of ignorance with even more ignorance; thankfully, most of us aren't. Remember, that evil existed long before we existed, and evil will continue to grow in number and power, just so long as we leave peace and righteousness out of the equation. Their reign in the White House will soon end. Until then, I hope that people like you will continue to shed light on the hidden hatred in the world.
One portion of the article stood out the most for me... The writer mentioned how the polished politicians knew better than to appear to be racist. There will always be reluctant bigots in the world; it just depend on which way the wind is blowing to see how they play the hand that they were dealt. We shall see who's who by the way that they vote, campaign, and what causes they advocate for.
In essence, the truth shall come to the light on who's a bigot and who's not; our job from here on out is to vote for the politicians that aren't. We have the power to over turn these unfortunate events... if we vote.
Deedy, as always, you never, disappoint. There's always alot of good thinking and interesting perspective in your comments! Also, your positive points are invigorating and inspiring.
Yes, some would say that our president's motive is not bi-partisanship. However, I believe he is a man of his word and wants to be inclusive. Unfortunately, he has met with a 3-headed fire-breathing dragon in the form of republican demagogery. Fortunately, because of his brilliance, I have confidence that he will focus beyond (outside of the box) and get the job done that he was elected to do.
We must give him continued support and feedback as he overcomes the dragon that stands in his way. Yes, I agree that most of us see through the extreme rightist bigotry and hatred cloaked in the rebulican banner. However, I do not put anything past them. Hopefully, the people as well as our president will continue to see through the smokescreen so that the true objectives remain clear.
Yes, we need to continue to defeat them at the ballot box. But, also, we must continue to educate the youth to be thinkers and not followers. It was the youth that put candidate Obama over the top on election day, and it will be the youth who continue the struggle for fairness, equity, inclusiveness, peace and justice long after we're gone.
Let's just hope that their (the youth) attention span does not wither in the process, as this recovery process that President Obama has us on will take time manifest in its fullest, therefore endurance in our patriotism is required. Thanks for sharing with us.
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