Letter From A Friend

I received the following email from a friend the other day and had to think about it for a bit before knowing how I wanted to respond to his concerns that Obama was not performing as advertised. (Links added to flesh out the conversation.)

Hey, Emily!

Sorry I haven't written earlier. And it looks like it takes an emergency to make me do so: I am greatly afraid--especially since I now dwell in anti-Obama land--that the President is getting defeated at every turn, and I lay part of the blame for that on the fact that (as far as I know) he just isn't aware of the information that George Lakoff talks about.

The far-right religious and political nuts (like the ones who are my Texas relatives) have stolen the day, and O. has no clue as to how to frame his programs. Is there ANY WAY that someone can get L.'s concepts thru to the President? I am so fearful that he is giving up his Presidency in less than a year's time and just caving in to doing what so many of the centrists consider what is "sensible".

Since I have moved to Texas, my SS and Medicare payments have actually gone DOWN! :-( Do you have any assurance for a former Bay Area guy who longs to return? Not assurance of returning any time soon--just assurance that the country can be salvaged.

My response:

Thanks for keeping in touch from the vacuum that is Texas! I'm not very focused on politics for now, trying to recover from the years of activism and right now I'm working on this year's ArtCar Fest which is in two weeks.

I still support Obama because he's got it in him to do the job he was elected for and he's only been at it for 9 months now. I want to give him a full, fair chance to fix the absolute destruction to our National government and infrastructure wrought by the GOP in the past decade. I'm being realistic that he, as smart and as dedicated as he is, cannot reverse the damage in such a short time...or even perhaps in one or two terms. The squealing and vicious attacks by the unfortunately, regularly televised, right wingnuts is making a nearly impossible job even more difficult. (The Top 5 Lies About Obama's Health Care Reform.)

It's a shame that what is being shown on Faux News and in these staged so-called "tea party protests" at Congressional Town Hall meetings, and elsewhere around the country, have come to be considered acceptable political discourse. They're NOT!

I hope you can make it back here at the least for a visit. Always keep the Bay Area in your heart and try to spread some of it's unique way of thinking wherever you are! Be well, blessed be.

Here's something special from another friend:

The Obama Experiment.