We’ve all wondered when this so-called Democratic advantage — majorities in the House, the Senate and the presidency was going to bring the changes and improvements we expected. Well, Larry Flynt, publisher of Hustler magazine has asked the questions we want answered and given the advice we all have wanted to give!
President Obama:
You have proven to be a great campaigner. You have yet to demonstrate your ability to govern. Who needs the Republicans? They don’t know what compromise is. They’re just out to derail your presidency. Bitch slap ’em at every opportunity and put them in their place. They lost; you didn’t.
As for disloyal Democrats, you need to yank the carpet out from under them. Remind them that their survival is dependent upon yours. Don’t pull punches, Mr. President. You need some gonads, and if you don’t have any, as Hillary would say, you’d better grow some.
You have failed to keep many campaign promises. You’ve ignored civil liberty violations such as warrantless wiretapping. You passed a stimulus package that is obviously full of pork for Democrats. You handed over billions more in taxpayer dollars to crooked bankers. You listened to the very people who created our economic meltdown, the Mutt and Jeff team of Larry Summers and Tim Geithner. You’ve let the insurance lobbyists hijack healthcare reform to the detriment of every man, woman, and child in America.
You must say what you mean and mean what you say. Closing Guantanamo means just that. You could do it right now, Mr. President. You don’t have to wait until January. You can place terrorist suspects in the federal correctional system without creating any risk to our citizens.
You’re a nice guy. Everybody likes nice guys. Sometimes they finish last. You don’t want that, and neither do those of us who voted you in.
The American people have placed their future in your hands. For heaven’s sake don’t let them down. Don’t let yourself down.
Larry Flynt
Publisher, HUSTLER Magazine
fnord
PrairiePopulistsAndProgressives.net 
Larry Flint??? To think he is the conscience of America is pretty unsettling, don’t you agree? Maybe the outcome of the Bush years were worse than I thought, even…
True, we could talk at length about Larry Flynt’s exploitation of women. But after reading the letter he wrote (more than once!) I want the answers to his questions, and I think his advice is great. In a perfect world where there were Republicans in Congress who wanted to compromise, or cared about Americans, I would encourage President Obama to seek those compromises. But we don’t live in that perfect world, and Republicans in Congress only want President Obama to fail. They seem unconcerned about Americans.
When you voted for President Obama what were the most important reasons for casting that vote? For me, over and above the obvious reasons: Supreme Court Justices, and that we had to get rid of warmongers, it was health care reform, protection of civil liberties, and stopping corporate welfare.
So, I’m not expecting miracles in a few months, and it’s easy to see there were many challenges left by bush the lesser, but I still feel strongly about the reasons behind my vote, and I still want the answers to the questions Larry Flynt poses.
btw, women exploit themselves every day. Women use feminine wiles — every man here and every woman who is honest knows this. So Larry Flynt made oodles and gobs of money off beautiful women, but he didn’t hold them prisoners or torture them, they cooperated and earned some money of their own along the way.
You see, this is the kind of people you’re dealing with when you say the word Republican —
An incredible poll out Friday from Kos/Research2000 found that a mere 42 percent of Republicans think that Obama was born in the U.S. According to Politico, the poll found that the rest believe either that Obama wasn’t born in the U.S. (28 percent) or aren’t sure whether he was (30 percent). Birther sentiment was highest in the South and among folks older than 60. Politico sussed out the implications as meaning that “a majority of Republicans polled either don’t know about—or don’t believe the seemingly incontrovertible evidence Obama’s camp has presented over and over that he was born in Hawaii in ’61.”
http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/0709/58_of_GOP_not_suredont_beleive_Obama_born_in_US.html?showall
Those are the same people who are either so ill-informed or so well led by the idiots at Fox News that they think health care reform will kill seniors, pay for abortions, and all other means of rumors easily spread among those who walk lock-step with whatever is said by their leaders Rush, Hannity, O’Reilly, Rove…
Even the elected members of the Republican Party are spreading untruths! These people can’t be worked with, they aren’t smart enough, they aren’t capable.
None are so blind that are not willing to see?
And, believe me, there is no changing their minds. Once these true Southerners get something in their mind, there is no changing it.
As I’ve mentioned before, I went to college for two years in Chattanooga TN. There are people there who still believe the South will rise again and win the war.
Is this stupidity or just ignorance?
Rush, Hannity, O’Reilly, Rove, Beck, Coulter and the rest of their band of merry men KNOW what they are spreading are lies but they also know that their legions of followers are easily led.
Ignorance pays off quite handsomely when combined with pure hatred.
Obviously there’s money in catering to the stoooopid.
I keep hoping Obama will get his back up one of these days and start skewing some Republicans over these lies. I thought we were seeing a glimpse of that backbone last week over healthcare, but I haven’t seen it since then.
Of course, the Tightie Righties have their panties in a bunch over the Gates arrest and want the healthcare derailed.
Maybe things will change now since Franken is the 60th Senator??
I don’t know, but I still hope for things to be better. But I’m not betting the farm on it.
Most of you know that I like to grill – specifically smoking ribs, brisket or tenderloin. The first rule of smoking is “low and slow.” Keep the temp low and cook it slow for best results.
That is, in my not so humble opinion, exactly what Barack Obama is doing. What the Republicans WANT is for Obama to say “my way or the highway” and ram through legislation with his overwhelming Democratic majority in Congress.
If he does that, the Republicans have a perfect political opening if the lege doesn’t live up to expectation or it takes longer than predicted for the results.
Obama is trying to get bipartisan buy in, while maintaining most of the principles behind his agenda. If nothing else, Barack Obama is a political animal of the first degree. He plays politics better than any president in the last 50 years.
Low and slow – crazy like a fox.
I agree with Biker that subtlety is powerful weapon, but I’m afraid Larry is correct about too much. When it comes to bringing Summers in, I would like to think about the old adage (“keep my enemies closer”). The problem, when it comes to the banking industry (which is still–sometimes literally–getting away with murder), the tail seems to be wagging the dog.
Ditto with the national security establishment. My most paranoid thinking suggests he might become this generation’s John Kennedy (ahem) if he didn’t cut deals with them. I also wonder if all the Bushite NSA spying led to some potent blackmail (friends, family etc.)–hence leading to his abrupt about-face during the election. I suppose that’s all far-fetched, but it’s hardly tinfoil-hat territory.
Whatever the reason, it’s still appalling, and scary, and–while I’m mindful that FDR suggested seizing “dictatorial powers” to fix the economy, the type of Executive power grabs I’m seeing have nothing to do with that.
There were two things that came out of his mouth during the campaign that even come close to resolve the glaring contradictions I see in his administration: “powers concedes nothing” and “I can’t do it alone.”
Think about that, and think the horse-trading that goes on behind the scenes. Yes, he should be bolder on health-care, but his problem is not with obstinate Republicans, or even the deal-making New England Republicans. It’s jackasses like Max Baucus and Ben Nelson–Democrats, in name anyway. Yeah, he can use his power to lean on them–even send Biden down there to do Dick Cheney manuevers on them–but that creates bad blood for the future.
The truth is, Cheney wasn’t even popular with the Republicans–they stuck together like orcs in Mordor only because they hate us far more.
And so it goes, but on health care at least it’s looking mildly hopeful. My own Blue Dog rep has become a surprisingly forceful advocate for reform, though I noticed she weaseled out of actually endorsing the public option.
In short, whatever his motives, whoever he’s stroking, whoever is controlling his actions, I will continue to say what I was saying all last year: it’s up to us.
He can’t do it alone.
P.S. Speak of the devil (friggin’ Ben Nelson):
http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/5649/t/4772/content.jsp?content_KEY=2697&tag=pob_dfaemail5
Looks like point-and-click activism already got his attention!
http://www.actblue.com/page/stayatwork