Day 87...Dear Mr. President... "Give 'um Hell Barry!"

Day 87

Dear Mr. President,

There are probably only a few people who know you well enough to call you Barry… but, if I was one of those people, I would say this on the eve of your speech about job creation; “Give ‘um Hell Barry.” Just as Harry Truman became President in one of this nations darkest hours, following WWII and after the use of the atom bomb… you began your term following the disastrous illegal war in Iraq and the largest debt increases in history incurred under the Bush administration.

Tomorrow night you have a herculean job… the job of conveying to the American people what your plan is for creating jobs. There is nothing more important today than jobs for Americans. Even those of us who know almost nothing about economics, know that the only way out of the mess we’re in is to create more jobs. We understand just enough to know that if people don’t have jobs then they don’t have money, and if they don’t have money they can’t buy goods. If we don’t have consumers buying goods, then the corporations that provide the goods will cut back, and that in turn will put additional people out of work and necessitate the need for even more jobs.

Sounds like a vicious cycle doesn’t it? So tomorrow night I’d like you to think about Harry Truman and the uphill battle he fought against all odds before he was elected President. I know, this isn’t a campaign speech, but it might well be the kickoff catch-phrase opportunity for entering the campaign mode. That catch-phrase should be… “It’s about JOBS stupid.” Let me be perfectly clear… I’m not inferring that you are stupid… of course it’s the reference to Clinton’s, “It’s the Economy Stupid.”

I know you are loath to do any name-calling, but during Truman’s campaign he often referred to the “Do-Nothing 80^th Congress,” rather than attack Dewey personally. You, Mr. President, have the same exact opportunity, to call out the “Do-Nothing 112^th Congress,” because that is what you have… a dysfunctional, “Do Nothing 112^th Congress. Even though Truman was small of stature he used his body language fearlessly, giving the impression that he could go toe to toe with anyone… and that kind of presence does not come by working out… it comes instead, from within.

So tomorrow night when you step up to that podium, think of Harry Truman… and “Give ‘um Hell Barry.” Tell the American people exactly what you are going to do to create jobs. Call out the current Congress… tell them what your plan is… don’t ask their permission or cooperation… tell them to get started on putting people back to work. Now is the time to be assertive, not submissive or conciliatory… it’s the time to define what you want for America… not what you hope Congress will do… what you expect Congress to do.

I watched the whole, painful, obnoxious, debate last night, and not one of them can hold a candle to you… not as a debater, not as an American, not an intellect, or a humanitarian… I‘ll be listening tomorrow night, so once again… “Give ‘um Hell Barry!”

Most Respectfully,

Marcia Reimers, 

Your Gadfly Granny