Your legacy of a free and prosperous Middle East will turn on this election. If Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton win the presidency with a Democrat controlled Congress, they will do everything they can to distance themselves from the “Bush War.” Their desire to leave the battle before our mission is complete will cost lives and leave Iraq to a very precarious future. McCain is correct. If he can’t sell Americans on continuing to victory, he will lose. You must sell the progress and the need for resolve to see this through. Help McCain by sharing the craziness of Obama’s statement about leaving and returning if al Qaeda takes control. Point to the time and money it takes to move troops and to position resources to do the job. Give America some specifics about what this choice means. Yes, it costs us to keep troops there—it takes money and lives. But show them the cost of vascilating and having to return to do what we could do now. Keep painting the picture of progress by giving specifics.
Keep pressuring Congress to maintain the right to monitor incoming calls from known terrorists. Let them know that they will be responsible for any security problems because of their failure to act in renewing the act. Keep pressuring the Iraqi leaders to maintain progress. Let them know that the failure to show progress could result in a Democrat winning the presidency and a quick withdrawl of U.S. troops. Don’t let the Democrats have this issue on emotion alone. Everyone wants peace, but not at the price the Democratic retreat would have us pay!
Hold the line with a threatened veto of any attempt to give over setting mortgage rates for the Americans facing foreclosure to the judicial system! Soon everyone will have reasons they can’t afford the rates they took on and the only winners will be the lawyers pleading their cases. The responsible Americans will again be asked to pay for everyone. This stupid “stimulus package,” which is nothing other than a wealth transfer scheme any socialist would love, has given the Democrats hope that they can get more.
Why are we facing a loss in November? Washington has trained Americans that government is the answer and that someone else will pay. They can emotionally respond to eloquent candidates who promise more entitlements because they think there is a Santa out there who will pay for it. You may have cut our tax rate, but you cut taxes even more for low income citizens. The end result is that even though our rate is lower, achieving Americans pay even more of the income tax bill than before you took office. You failed to explain that! I never heard you say it.
We now have so few people paying the bill that people think they can get everything they need—healthcare, pensions, mortgages, child care…and Santa’s list keeps growing. We can’t afford the entitlements we already have, and they are promising more. Will you please stand up for smaller government? You can’t keep spending and just assume that the money will be there. We’ll survive, but our grandkids will be paying the bill…or rebelling.
We have an uphill climb to November. Start using the bully pulpit to sell your policies and our guiding principles. We can’t afford to quit the fight so easily. Attack their emotion and attacks with facts. The winners get to define history, and, with the media’s help, they won’t have any trouble blaming everything bad on one person—President George W. Bush. You aren’t up for election, but our way of life is!
In Growing Conservative Frustration,
Terry L. Paulson, PhD
(Source: First sent by mail on March 1, 2008, my 180th consecutive monthly letter to the current president!)
