Throughout our history, it took a strong leader, a bold plan, and a unified American people to get us through our toughest times and enabled us to build an even brighter future. And yet here we are once again facing the abyss, without any of the three.
Where is our strong leader (Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt) able to put aside politics for governance. A visionary able to see beyond our individual constituencies to seek our common good and unite us in our common goals.
Where is our bold plan that is not left, right, or center — but Main Street American. A plan that demands and encourages work and innovation. One that gives us back our American dreams and aspirations. One that creates the foundation for strong productive lives. One that launches our best and brightest future.
Where is our unified “we the people” that individually and collectively form the roots of the mighty oak we call our Republic. A people that are more than their individual constituencies. Ones that share common goals for a strong and healthy future. Ones that share common aspirations and dreams for productive lives. Ones that know that in our unity, we become the trunk of that mighty oak we call the United States of America.
Back in early 2009, I wrote a post on Suggestions for The President and said:
Personally, I’m just a little frustrated that the American people are not being enlisted as builders of our own future. It’s as if we were the fourth leg on that three-legged stool everyone keeps trying to construct. Only we got thrown out with the packaging materials and the instructions!
I even wrote a little ditty about it:
WAITING AMERICANS
by Linda AnselmiWe can awaken our courage,
And uncover our grit.
We can strap on responsibilities,
No matter the split.
But frustrations are growing,
Despite readying all that we can.
Because we see no real future,
And nary a plan.
Those stools don’t need mending,
We can no longer afford such a sit.
America is waiting, Mr. President,
To see where our citizens will fit.
Two and half years later, the American people have read the tea leaves (each in our own way) and gotten the message on our dysfunctional government system. The latest ABC/Washington Post poll:
Nearly three-quarters of Americans polled said they have little or no confidence in Washington to repair the economy. Confidence is down 21 percentage points from October 2010 and is less than half its 2002 levels. Roughly four in 10 have no confidence at all in the federal government when it comes to dealing with the economy…
Nearly eight in 10 of Americans polled were dissatisfied with the way the political system is working, up dramatically from late 2009. The unhappiness is intense, with 45 percent saying they are very dissatisfied. That feeling is shared widely across party lines.
Right, left or middle, we have stopped waiting and suggesting and started demanding loudly for a leader and a plan.
Small business owner Amilya Antonetti, CEO of AMA Productions, gave a passionate summation of where we are and what we lack in a recent interview with Cavuto on Fox:
I would say that until we get true leadership into this country, true leadership, which means we build a plan that we rely on, the definition of confidence means: “I can rely, right?” I can’t rely on anything, everything so far has been a myriad of lies and manipulation and none of it been true. And this is what the business community has been saying for over a year, over a year, saying we don’t have leadership. There – there isn’t – the information coming from us is – this is what you tell me today and your gonna do something for me different tomorrow…
He [Obama] did [inherit a mess]. It doesn’t matter; I inherit a mess every day as the CEO of my company. Every day I inherit a mess. That is my job title; to fix problems. To get people to work in harmony for one common goal. He can’t get the people in the White House. I don’t care if you are a red or blue, your job is to make people work together in harmony for one common goal. The common goal is that this country is a safe, secure country to come to; this is the ‘American Dream’. WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO OUR COUNTRY? Get these people together, not vacation, and get them around the table, and come up with a plan; understand how you build a plan, what is the plan, what are the steps, how are we going to get there. Why can’t you put together a plan?
Yes, we want a leader and a plan to deal with unemployment, the economy, the housing crisis etc. But is that enough?
Dylan Ratigan made an impassioned demand for dealing with the larger issue of “the money extractors” first. Because no matter how bold the plan or how brilliant the idea, nothing will happen so long as the extractors still control the stings of politicians.
“Tens of trillions of dollars are being extracted from the United States of America. Democrats aren’t doing it, Republicans are not doing it, an entire integrated system, financial system, trading system, taxing system, that was created by both parties over a period of two decades is at work on our entire country right now,” said Ratigan. “We’re sitting here arguing about whether we should do the $4 trillion plan that kicks the can down the road for the president for 2017, or burn the place to the ground, both of which are reckless, irresponsible and stupid.
[snip]
It is about one guy. I would like him [the President] to go to the people of the United States of America and say, “People of the United States of America, your Congress is bought, your Congress is incapable of making legislation on healthcare, banking, trade, or taxes because if they do it, they will lose their political funding and they won’t do it. But I’m the President of the United States, and I won’t have a country that is run by a bought Congress. So I’m not going to work with a bought Congress and try to be Mr. Big Guy … I’m going to abandon the bought Congress like Teddy Roosevelt did, and I’m going to go to the people of the United States get rid of the bought Congress.”
Of course, Dylan’s plan would only work if that “one guy” wasn’t being funded by that same extraction system.
It seems a consensus is forming that Obama is not the leader we were looking for. Con Carroll of the Washington Examiner points to this telling piece of polling news.
Buried deep in the internals of The Washington Post’s latest poll… troubling news for President Obama’s reelction prospects. Fourty-four percent of American adults, and 46 percent of registered voters, told The Post they definitely will not vote for Obama’s reelection. Only 20 percent of respondents said they deifinitely will vote for Obama in 2012. Thirty percent said they would consider it.
But the 2012 election is coming fast. Will a leader emerge that is strong enough to put governance over politics? Will we get a plan that is bold enough to launch our future?
And will ‘we the people’ move beyond party long enough to fight together for our shared future?
Share your thoughts!
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