An Open Letter to U.S. President Barack Obama

Dear Mr. President,
Today is the day after the election in which the Democratic Party was roundly defeated by the Republicans. Today is also the next day in your presidency, and so as a citizen of the U.S. I am writing to you with several requests.

       1. I am a supporter of yours, which borders on crazy for me to say in public because many people in my circle of friends are NOT supporters of you. As one of your supporters, I want to remind you about something that Bill Clinton learned. You can campaign from the political left, and you may be able to win a presidential election speaking from the left. However, you must govern from the political center-right.
       2. Resist the temptation to be a political idealogue. You are a left-leaning politician, but do not use your political views as a battering ram. Political idealogues on the right are nothing more than thugs; political idealogues on the left are nothing more than goofy jokers. Do not fall in these categories. Rise above the partisan bickering of this current political climate.
       3. Now that the Democrats have held the Senate (barely), please find a new Majority Leader. Harry Reid has thoroughly discredited himself and is simply a weak leader. Please help your party find new leadership.
       4. Align yourself with the so-called "Blue Dog Democrats," those 50 or so fiscally conservative Democrats who are the last remnant of what was called a "moderate." Oddly, many of these people lost in the election, leaving the political middle ground vacant. Still, I urge you Mr. President to move into the political middle and govern from there.
       You have the most difficult job in this country, and I do not envy you for the responsibility you have. I hope, and pray, that you will govern well in the coming days.
Sincerely,
Brian Newman
Lakewood, CO
(CO- 7th Congressional District)