A Friendly Note to Obama

Mr. President, perceptions determine support. I have supported you, starting with the primary campaign, but my perception is that you have screwed up, big time.

I respect your energy and your intelligence. I also know that you have much more access to experienced political advice than I but the buck stops with you and you have screwed up. You let the Republicans on the Senate "gang of six" roll you on health care. You gave Joe Lieberman a veto knowing that Lieberman does not work for the folks who elected you. He supported McCain against you and now he is working for the health insurance industry. The corporate Caligulas (big pharma, health care insurance and banking) who have been bleeding the nation white will never give up that privilege without a hard fight. Surely you must know that, but you made a deal with big pharma to oppose the re-importation of their products - after which they raised their prices yet again. You have banksters running the treasury and giving you economic advice. Where are the people's representatives? (Does the name, Spitzer, mean anything to you?)

Are you all hat and no cattle? Carefully parsed talking points will not help.

I think the urgency of NOW has caught up with you. You never had sixty honest votes in the Senate, so please find at least fifty of them and get tough in a hurry. Your present course will have more energetic reformers running against you and your party by 2012.

Bipartisan? What a load of crap! Money makes the monkey jump.

Marat