However, I think the base should keep the pressure on the president. I send a number of letters on various subjects daily. Here's one
Dear President Bush, Lately I have read disturbing reports that you may be considering nominating a "moderate" to replace Sandra Day O'Conner in order to avoid a bitter and vicious fight with Senate Democrats. Please resist all such temptations. We voted for you, in large part, because you promised to nominate originality's to the Court, men (and women) who respected the Constitution and would not substitute their own opinions for the law. So far, you have been a man of honor, and we respect and support that. We WANT a fight with the Senate Democrats. We are in the majority. We have fought for over 30 years to rein in a lawless judiciary. Pick the most controversial nominee you can and stick a thumb in the eye of the socialist, secular Democrats. Thank you for your consideration. Keep up the good work.
Do something about the amount of immigration that we are getting. We are NOT a colony of the world, and we do not need countless aliens driving down wages for American citizens.
The one thing that has struck me about this administration is that they are not swayed by outside forces, which include letters (such as yours).
This can be a good thing, or a bad thing. Overall I believe it is a good thing, even when he does things I disagree with.
My thinking is as follows.
The founding fathers understood that a "pure" democracy is unworkable (except for very small organizations). First it would be impossible for the entire population to keep informed of every subject and second it would in the end lead to anarchy. As someone has posted elsewhere a democracy is where two wolfs and a sheep vote on what is for dinner.
We have a republic, which means (as we all know) that we elect people who will represent us. Now, I am old enough to know I am not going to find anyone who agrees 100% with what I believe, nor will you are anyone else. Which is why political parties were formed. We have similar beliefs, but don't agree on everything.
When we elect a President, we are electing someone who has similar beliefs as ourselves, but once elected the President is free to do what he thinks best. Keep in mind he is the President, not a dictator or King, he can not issue an order and expect to be obeyed. His role is to administer the Federal Government, enforce Federal Laws, and he can influence Congress in getting laws passed. In doing this he has opposition from the other political party, the extremes on both end of the political spectrum, the media, Congress, the courts and the bureaucracy itself. And let us not forget we are at War, and there are a few out there that would be happy to drop a nuclear bomb on us if they could. The President must content with all of that, and it helps if he is comfortable with who he is, and where he wants to lead us.
Some Presidents have attempted to follow polls to determine what they should do and I think this is because they really don’t have any core beliefs.
Now this is where I really like this President. He does not seem to be poll driven, he appears to know what it is he wants to do during his term in office.
Now, I may not agree with everything, but I knew when I voted for him he would do some things that irritated me, but that is the nature of our form of government. We elect people to use their best judgment. In the next election we can fire them if we wish, or if they are really bad, we can remove them from office.
With all due respect I doubt if your letter (even if it reached the President) would sway him. I don’t think I would want a man with self doubt and could be swayed by polls or critics as a President (see Carter and Clinton for examples of each type). I want a man that knows himself, knows his beliefs and is prepared to stake his (political) life, and the life of this country on them. I trust the President to do the right thing even when I think what he is doing is the wrong thing.
I mean, if I was smart enough to know the right thing in every situation, then I would run for President instead of typing comments on a forum.
I have a lot of opinions but the worse that can happen when I voice mine is I can embarrass myself, so there is little risk in me being wrong. If the President makes a bad decision, then many pay the price. That is the job he wanted, the job we gave him and why we pay him the big bucks. He really doesn’t need grief from the peanut gallery.