An Open Letter to President Obama About the Republicans

[Christa]

(From a Former Republican)

Dear President Obama: I know that from time to time you read Huffington Post because you've written for it. As a Huffington Post reader you'll know that no one on this web site has more faithfully supported your candidacy and now your presidency than me. As a former lifelong Republican, son of a co-founder of the Religious Right; my late evangelical leader father, Francis Schaeffer, I'm in a unique position to tell you a few things about the Republicans from inside perspective. (As you know I left that movement in the mid 1980s.)

The lack of cooperation you're getting from the Republican Party will continue. You were right to indulge in a little bit of tokenism when you had to Pastor Rick Warren pray at your inauguration. But if you think that the Republicans in Congress and the Senate are going to do more than their utmost to obstruct everything you are and what you stand for you're dreaming.

As someone who appeared numerous times on the 700 Club with Pat Robertson, as someone for whom Jerry Falwell used to send his private jet to bring me to speak at his college, as an author who had James Dobson giveaway 150,000 copies of my one of my fundamentalist "books" allow me to explain something: the Republican Party is controlled by two ideological groups. First, is the Religious Right. Second, are the neoconservatives. Both groups share one thing in common: they are driven by fear and paranoia. Between them there is no Republican "center" for you to appeal to, just two versions of hate-filled extremes.

The Religious Right supply the kind of people who at McCain and Palin rallies were yelling things such as "kill him" about you. That's the constituency to which your hand was extended when looking for compromise on your financial bailout bill.

Full article:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-schaeffer/an-open-letter-to-preside_b_165359.html

[BlooInBloo]

1. It's so funny how people think they're telling Obama something he doesn't already know about repubs.

Hint to all of those people: Obama is SMARTER than you, not dumber.

[Hellataz]

3. true i do think Obama is a few steps ahead of them, but i think he also has a lot of naive hope ..

that the GOP will eventually see reason. I believed that Obama would come out on top and that he will be seen as taking the higher road, but now i also believe that the GOp has declared War on this presidency and he should let go of a little of that hope and embrace a little more reality. I don't want Obama to suffer any set backs because he was obsessed with proving that he could unite this country, it's a bigger job then for just one man, even Obama. He can continue to try with the republicans, but i just hope that in the back of his mind he always knows that while they may shake his hand with one hand, they are holding a knife behind their backs with the other..waiting for the right moment to take him out.

The religious right is nothing if not persistent and driven to get what they want because they truly believe in the hate and division they engage in, they think they are driven by god and are doing his well, they are delusional to the point of scary and no matter how much Obama wants to to show them that he can understand them and is willing to listen to their side, they will NEVER pay im tht same respect. Every inch he gives them, they take 10 more...he's a remarklably smart man,and i do think he sees a bit of what is going on, but i also think he himself is driven to be the savior of this country and unite us all under a very sweet equal and fair ideology, but as i said before, he can't do it alone.

So i hope what he gets from reading that is to maybe let go of that dream and shoot for repairing this country as best he can with the means he has available, with his eyes fully opened to the evil that surrounds him. Because the republican haven't even begun to screw with this man.

[BlooInBloo]

4. The example wasn't necessary, but thanks.

[Hellataz]

2. wow, just wow...i hope he reads it.

[LiberalPersona]

5. I still don't believe

that Obama is playing the bipartisan card for the benefit of working together with the republican party, he's fully aware that they have no interest whatsoever in working with him. I believe he's doing it for tactical use in swaying undecideds/centrists in future elections.