The state of the nation has improved in many ways since the election of 2008. Foreign relations have improved dramatically, and the economy has been brought back from the brink of economic calamity to a state that has begun to resemble normalcy. The oppressiveness of the Bush years, with regard to civil liberties has eased a bit.
Yet the American people as a whole, including most Democrats, are profoundly dissatisfied with the way things are going, economically, and there is a widespread feeling of hopelessness about our economic future.
The question most Americans are asking today of our government is: "What can we hope for?"
Many Americans hoped, in 2008, that an Obama Administration and Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress would take bold and decisive action to turn the economy around and right the wrongs inflicted on the people by corrupt financial interests. Most people felt that they had been fleeced by Wall St, or that our economy had been damaged by excessive deregulation, and they wanted action.
Unfortunately, the current state of things is that the economy is bogged down, stuck, and there are no promising signs that things will get much better in the next year or two.
In fact, to the contrary, if the Democrats are swept out of power in November, all of the Administration's dreams will be dashed, and replaced by a series of nightmares reminiscent of those that President Clinton had to deal with for 6 years of his Presidency. As things currently stand, we will be fortunate indeed if the Democrats retain control of House and Senate. That is, we will be very fortunate if we lose only 5 or 6 Senate seats and 30 or 35 House seats. Yet, if these are the results in November, the Administration's political agenda will be forced to move even more slowly than it has moved since its inauguration, because Republicans in House and Senate will be much more capable than they are now to block any bold plan of action.
The only way to get things on track for a successful Presidency in 2011 and 2012 is to mount a tremendously convincing and compelling political campaign in the next 7 to 8 weeks leading up to the 2010 election.
But "politics as usual" won't get the job done. We need something more.
Our question is this: What can we HOPE for?
Mr. President - It is written that "without a vision, the people perish."
Today, the people are lacking the vision, the hope for the future. Those of us who most support your Administration are trying to keep hope alive, but it is hard for many of us to feel the passion that we felt when we supported your election in 2008.
We need you, Mr. President, to rediscover the source of passion that so energized you and us in 2008. And we need you to do it quickly.
Most of all, what we need is for you to tell us that, now that you've gotten the nation through a period of crisis, you and Democratic leadership in Congress are about to embark on a new journey, to set a new course.
The 2010 campaign needs a theme. May we suggest this: "A NEW BEGINNING."
To borrow an analogy, it's time to stop playing defense, to stop "trying not to lose," and begin to play to win the contest.
The mistake of the first year and a half of your Presidency is that you have played it too safe. You started out with a big lead, and by playing the game too cautiously, you allowed your opponents to get back into the game. Now, it is the middle of the 4th quarter, and time is starting to run out. Your opponents have tied the game, and they have the momentun, and the outcome is on the line.
Do you continue to play it safe, or do you start to run some big plays to turn the momentum around? It currently appears that you're trying to run out the clock, hoping to take the game into overtime, as if time were somehow on your side. It isn't.