An Open Letter to the President of the United States
From an Average American
Hello, Mr President
My name is Norm, and I’m just a guy. That is to say, I’m an average American. I’m a recent retiree, and these days I write a weekly essay on Substack (The Storm. By Norm - check it out, subscriptions are free).
The reason for this rather long-winded missive is not because I am so full of myself that I believe the leader of the free world could benefit from my sage wisdom, great insight, flawless advice, and overall brilliance. No, as I said, I’m just a guy.
I am writing to give you the perspective of an average American, a perspective that, if I may be so bold to say, has too often been ignored by our elected officials.
Let’s get the negative stuff out of the way up front, okay? I voted for you in 2020, but, with all due respect, you were not my first choice. I am on record as saying that both presidential candidates in 2020 were too old. My stance on this was not based so much on your actual ability to do the job. It had more to do with this - I am a good bit younger than you and at my age there are some days where feeding the cats and taking out the trash are about all I can handle. I have found it difficult to imagine that someone who has lived for eight decades could possibly be up to being President of the United States.
Now, here we are, four years later. I still feel the same way. I guess that makes me an ageist. But, if you are totally honest with yourself and the American people as to your capabilities, and, if you truly believe that you are the one who can best keep your predecessor out of the White House, then by all means go for it. That fascist bastard should never come any closer to the White House than the nearest federal prison. However . . .
Having your predecessor in the White House again is the worst case scenario, but, having a President deteriorate physically and mentally right before our eyes would be terrible for our country, as well. Watching Dianne Feinstein and Mitch McConnell lose the ability to do their jobs is bad enough. It would be exponentially worse to see that happen to the President of the United States. Why would you want hanging on too long to be your legacy? My hope is that you’ll do what’s best for you and our country.
Now, considering the legal troubles of your son, clearly that has to play itself out with no interference from you or your administration. And, if he has done wrong, he’s going to have to pay his debt to society. It must be terribly difficult to watch your son go through this process, knowing you could make it all go away. But a preemptive pardon would be political dynamite. Obviously.
Unless I see some real evidence, I will assume that you have no culpability in your son’s alleged activities. And, I would also assume you have people who can absolutely be trusted to give you the straight scoop, looking into anything that could hurt you, legally or politically. Mr President, I hope there is nothing there, but if there is, wouldn’t it be better to get it out and dealt with as soon as possible? I believe the majority of Americans can be accepting of someone who has made a mistake and forthrightly owns up to it. Stonewalling and covering up always make things worse.
I, of course, have no idea what your son may or may not have done. I have no doubt, however, that your predecessor’s family has had plenty of nefarious business dealings over the years. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if you were to announce the formation of a commission or call for the appointment of a special prosecutor to look into any possible criminal activities committed by the immediate families of Presidents going back, I don’t know, maybe twenty years. (We’ll see if the Obama daughters gave any bogus excuses for missing school.) I would bet that the former guy’s family would just shit themselves, were that to happen.
Like most presidents, your administration has had its ups and downs. I do not believe that either you or your surrogates do enough to bring positive attention to your accomplishments. Considering the horrible mess left for you by the previous guy, I think you have reason to do some tooting of your own horn (with all due modesty, of course). It is important to keep your opponents from defining your narrative.
The overall inflation rate is coming down as your administration gets control of a volatile economy. Job creation numbers are great, in stark contrast to your predecessor, who presided over a net loss of jobs, the first president to do so since Herbert Hoover. Unemployment is low, and illegal border crossings are down a bit (but a comprehensive solution is still necessary). Your work on rebuilding the infrastructure of this country is to be admired. There is nothing wrong with touting the positive news, while continuing to acknowledge that much work still needs to be done.
Perhaps the biggest issue facing you regarding the economy is that food and gas prices are currently too high. The political headwinds will be strong with average Americans if your administration does not make meaningful progress on this. Soon.
You know, Mr President, the amount of money spent on elections in this country is obscene. But, this is the system we have. Money rules. And, I am aware that even an incumbent president does not have an unlimited amount of cash to spend on campaign activities. Funds have to be thoughtfully targeted toward where they will provide the most benefit. However, it seems like a mistake to write off large swaths of America as lost causes.
Democrats must figure out how to appeal to voters in places like Missouri and Iowa and Alabama, without losing the voters they already have. A difficult needle to thread, indeed. Maybe a series of town hall meetings, or bus tours, or whistle stop rallies throughout the red states to learn what is on the minds of the citizenry there. Perhaps sit-downs with the major media outlets in those states would be worth considering, Show them the lines of communication are open. Explain in plain language how your policies have been beneficial for everyone, not just those who have supported you.
Of course, there is a certain percentage of people who will not be interested in participating in an honest dialogue. No doubt, the MAGA morons will use the dirtiest of tactics to disrupt any attempt at open and sincere discourse. I feel that having the courage to face down the disruptive element and calmly explain your vision for all Americans will play well everywhere, not just with the ones who already plan to vote for you.
While it is pointless to get into a pissing contest with a skunk, I would encourage you not to shy away from highlighting some of your oft-indicted predecessor’s many crimes against America. I am not suggesting to make that the focus of your campaign (if you do, in fact, run again), but I believe in dropping the hammer on him and the spineless Republicans who supported him, when the opportunity presents itself. Perhaps it would be helpful to remind voters that anything said by the former guy is, in the words of Macbeth, “ . . . a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury. Signifying nothing.” Plus, it never hurts to emphasize the obvious, which is that he’s a narcissistic prick who is totally incapable of telling the truth about anything.
Mr President, I have to ask - what’s up with your Veep? Is she ready to be President? Perhaps I am simply uninformed, (a distinct possibility) but it seems as though Kamala Harris has not been given many opportunities to shine. Why is this? Has she proven to be incapable? If so, you’re going to have to dump her. Sounds harsh, I know, but if she is not up to the job, then she has got to go. I would guess elections are hard enough to win without a running mate being a drag on the ticket.
It is my sincere hope that VP Harris has been doing great work behind the scenes. Why keep it a secret if that is true? I would suggest an adjustment in messaging to better accentuate the Vice President’s accomplishments. Show us she is ready to lead. Polling shows her negatives are way too high, so it seems like an issue that needs some attention, right? Respectfully, I would encourage you and your team to get together and figure it out. The sooner the better.
Okay, Mr President, that’s all I have. I hope for your continued good physical and mental health. My best to you and your family.
Sincerely,
Norm
“The Storm. By Norm”
Norm. I hope Old Joe listens to you. Or possibly you could run. I would vote for you. But who am I
Just a gal.