What my President would say in the debates…

Sometimes I picture what my presidential candidate would say.  Do you do that too?  I think we all do but I don’t know.  I think we all should.  To be honest though, in the past I never really thought too much about what the President should say, I just tried to register what he did say… and most of the time, I didn’t even bother with that.  Lately though, I’ve been thinking a lot more about what he or she should say, what my candidate for President would say in the debates…

So my friends, Come on Down, it’s the “What my President would say in the debates” Show!  (I know, we need a more catchy title).  And here’s an “over 40” shout out to all you who know how to get these YouTube videos to go viral… do me a favor:  Infect Us, the US could use a constructive political video to go viral right now — We the People need one.  Not the brand we have on TV, but real people respectfully presenting ideas and thoughts on how we make us a better US.  That’s what we need today.

If you can get us, the everyday Americans, you and I, describing who We are by playing the “What my President would say in the debates” Show, we might just start developing some answers – might even realize that we’ve been wrong on a couple things.  But in the meantime, since my YouTube video skills are obviously lacking, and you the reader have made it this far… I’d like to just ask you, how would you answer the question?  What would your President say?

I look forward to your response.

And yet, since I’m the writer today, I’ll start.  Here’s what mine says:

“Wow, thank you.  And thank you America!  Although most of you haven’t heard of me yet, yes, believe it or not I’m actually here… on this stage.  Wow, that is a testament to you all out there.  Make no mistake, I am here entirely and only because of the good old-fashioned hard-work from supporters like you – blood, sweat, and tears it took to make this happen.  For all of you, and any of you who know my name know who you are, for all of you that actually cared enough about Us to get me here, wow, thank you — I am humbled both by your faith in me to lead Us, and by your determination, stamina, and unending drive to enable a new path forward.  We need it, and when I think of what it takes to get an Independent on this stage tonight, what we had to overcome, what you all did… You restore my faith, my faith in Us, and for that I most humbly thank you.

To be here, in this great nation’s capital, standing on this stage with all these Great men and women around me, the Leaders of our generation, I am truly honored.  Anderson, your reporting has always been something I could bear, so I thank you.  For that is saying a lot these days.  Seriously, you are a trusted reporter, you are a good man trying to present a problem to the people, rather than a paid persona trying to present a perspective, and for that I thank you.  Although we need both types of reporting, yours is a rare breed these days – and its a breath of fresh air.  You’re reporting on Katrina, Afghanistan, and Iraq, your interviews, they help us to see the story rather than just hear the soundbites.  It is much appreciated and we are in your debt.

And Governor Romney, it is my distinct pleasure to be on this stage with you.  What you did with the Salt Lake Winter Olympics was truly remarkable, thank you.  That appeared to be on a rough heading, and most likely would have continued that way had not you intervened.  Great job.  And on a personal note, I want you to know that my wife knows someone who worked with you in the past and had interaction with your family… she said she knew you.  And her ardent and dedicated support for you was due solely to this fact for, because of that interaction, she knew you to be good.

That says a lot… that says the world.  You should know that about yourself, as this is a true story.  People who have come to know you… they have discovered that you are a great person, a loving father, and a smart businessman.  Your work as Massachusetts Governor, trying to solve problems, balance budgets, get people medical care when they need it.  Sir, I salute your great service in our financial industry, in our political system, and in our communities.  You truly are a Great American.

We don’t say that enough these days about our nation’s successful… and we ought to. Well I say it to you tonight Mr. Romney.  Well done, congratulations, and thank you.  And you too Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Steve Jobs and any other future man or woman who manages to succeed in this world.  I tell you my friends, we do not envy you, we are proud of you!

And Governor Romney, if America was a business, if what We were was in fact a holding company, USA Ltd, and we needed to find our best business manager to run it, I wouldn’t be here today.  Because I would most certainly be voting for you.

But America is not a business.  We are US.  A society of man.  When We go bankrupt, we really do hurt.  I’ve read about it, our elders can still tell tales of it, and our society of man wants to do better than bankrupt.  You see, unlike a business, we can’t “fire” anybody in a society of man.  Like in a marriage, for better or worse, we are stuck with each other.

And We are engaged on a quest!  It’s the Quest for the Holy Grail!  It is: On this planet, in this life, at this very moment, and for as many days as we walk the earth, we are on a most Holy Quest to find the best way to run a society of man.  That’s what America is doing… that’s what we are.  The whole world is engaged on the quest.  And here’s all we know:  We want it to be as close to “heaven on earth” as we can possibly make it.

That’s our meaning, our purpose, that’s what politics is and why it is so important – and why I am standing here on this stage tonight… Mr. Romney, We-the-People don’t think you are presenting the best vision forward for the Us.  That’s why I am speaking to you today instead of sitting at home with my family.  Your political party is stuck on an idea termed “Reaganomics” by some and “Trickle-Down Economics” by others, and it doesn’t work.  I realize you still believe in it, and I understand it might be hard from your perspective to ever abandon it, but because of this… I can say with some confidence that you are simply not the right man for this job.  You are not the one to release the sword from the stone, to break the gridlock in Washington, and to lead us to better days.

Look, we tried the theory… and it was good to try it.  If no kidding, if we could just lower taxes on our wealthiest and that would spur growth and cause everyone to excel, that would be awesome!  But look around.  Governor Romney, Republicans, my fellow Americans, please let us re-examine the theory on its results, there truly is no shame in being honest with ourselves… there is only shame in choosing ignorance, or apathy, or greed.  We have over $15 trillion dollars of debt and it has grown more in the time I’ve spoken than I make in a lifetime.  We can now see the result of trickle-down economics… and We don’t want it anymore.  That’s why we can’t vote for you, we can only vote against him.  You are stuck on a failed political vision.

I’m sure the lawyers can find all sorts of spins to allow you to continue the argument and the other side will as well, you always seem to be able, but here’s the deal: we’re done with it.  Because we no longer need to speculate about it… we can just look around and see what it creates.  And so we’re ready to change course.  We’re ready to go back to what our forefathers envisioned in the 16th Amendment of our constitution.  We’re ready to tax ourselves to pay our bills.  We’re ready to do it the hard way, the right way, the only way… we’re ready to balance our budget every year by placing a heavier burden on our wealthiest.  I’m sorry millionaires I truly am and, God willing, perhaps I will join the club one day – I am certainly doing better than most already.  But I also am more than ready to accept that, when and if my endeavors in this life amount to large blessings, I will pay more.  And not just a flat rate more, but a tiered rate more.  I’m ready to pay more than my “fair” share to allow this great Body to exist.  I realize that Trickle-Down economics does not produce what We had hoped when we tried it, and I’m ready to embrace the notion that the “Great Society” we all seek will never be reached this way.

Thankfully our founder’s gave us a way to change course, a way to choose an option other than this.  And that’s why I am here tonight, to present America a new direction.  We’ll see how it all plays out.  But for today, I am simply honored to be on this stage in this arena with you… Governor Romney.

And President Barack Obama!  Yes, this is like a dream come true for me… actually talking to a President.  And you of all people.  You truly inspire me President Obama, and you are a person I wish I could have known personally.  You seem like a good man, with a great heart, charting some rough waters.

You are in many ways my hero.  A man who, against what some might say are all odds, climbed above it, rose above it, and then served with distinction and honor as President of the Us.  You make me proud to be an American.  I applaud you, and history will write well of you.  And not just because your speaking is phenomenal, your demeanor is right, and your heart is good, but because you also had a terrible scenario to start with and sought for the way out.  Sir, it is an honor to be here with you today and I salute your great service to our great country.

And President Obama, if America was on track, if America was on the right course to reach our destination, I wouldn’t be here today.  Because I would most certainly be voting for you.

But America is not on the right track.  The US, our society of man, is broken.  We the People are no longer on a quest for the Great Society, we are engaged in a tug of war over money.  We, our society, the Us, has been slowly tearing apart since We the People began a “War on Poverty” in the 60s.  We deviated from the “limited government” mindset of our founders, and tried an experiment:  We thought it might work to create a “Great Society” by taxing our working to pay for our non-working in hopes that would help bring along all of Us.  It is a beautiful vision and, if it worked, I’d be all for it.  We applied this same vision to education when we came up with “No Child Left Behind.”  But here’s the deal:  It is a failed philosophy that refuses to acknowledge the nature of Man.  For Man does not excel in this environment.  We do not end Poverty, in fact, the numbers imply the inverse is true.  By the same token, our children will not excel in a school that focuses on those who do not wish to learn.  We the People are ready to accept that government welfare and programs for our non-performers does not produce the results we all seek – Federal programs do not work to bring “heaven on earth,” to create the best “Us” – instead they divide us, entrap us, and cause us to resent each other.  As such, we’re ready to abandon them and chart a better course.

Mr Obama, you are our President – you are our “Arthur,” and you are not presenting the best vision for We-the-People to see.  That’s why I am speaking to you today instead of sitting at home with my family.  Your party is stuck on a failed philosophy of federal government welfare programs as the response to poverty, and it doesn’t work.  Be honest, how did you get here today, how did an African-American come from poverty to occupy the most humbling position in the world?  Did that result from government entitlement checks or from a path and some hard work?  I have not yet read your auto-biography, but I can say without reservation that it came from hard work.  Because it had to… there is no other way.

Look, we tried the theory… and it was good of us to try it.  If no kidding, if we could just pay taxes and our big federal government would bring out the best of our underprivileged, that would be awesome!  But look around.  Read about the Soviet Union, observe Greece, look around inside our own borders.  President Obama, Democrats, my fellow Americans, please let us examine the results of government intervention, there truly is no shame in being honest with ourselves — there is only shame in choosing ignorance, or apathy, or envy.  We are $15 trillion dollars in debt, and we can now see the spoils of our “War on Poverty.”

We the People are ready to admit that we should look for better ways to serve our poor.  We’re ready to abandon the notion that giving money to our poor will help them to overcome.  It won’t.  We see what it does in reality now, because we’ve been looking at it for 40 years.  We would rather have the government fund private industry to promote job growth and keep its “aid” restricted to community centers, charter schools, and college grants.  We must provide a path out, not a government check… we can only provide the door, they have to decide to walk through it.   This is what We the People believe now.  The “Great Society” we all seek will never be reached the direction you are heading.  That’s why we can’t vote for you, we can only vote against him.  You are stuck on this failed political vision.

Thankfully our founder’s gave us a way to change course, a way to choose an option other than this.  And that’s why I am here tonight, to present America a new direction.  We’ll see how it all plays out. For today, I am simply honored to be on this stage in this arena with you… President Obama.

But I am here.  So I think that says a lot about Us…

However the election of 2012 turns out, I want to salute you for being the Great man you are.  Thank you for serving as President in what appears might be the most broken Congress of our history.  We needed a man like you at this time in our journey, and I look forward to all the great things you will continue to do going forward.

And thank you Mr. President for getting our troops home… please, whichever one of us “wins” this election, please we beg the both of you, just stop the wars.  We’re ready.  The world is ready.  Please at least see this Truth.  We, the big WE, the all of US in the world, are ready for the Us to release our hold.  And so are we.  Thank the Lord, so are we.  We have always been more than ready.

Please leaders hear this:  Keep the troops home and pay the bills, that’s the right course for America again.  We got pulled off of it I know, but we no longer need to stay over here off track.  Maybe one day we will rename the United Nations the United Sovereigns and start working on the big US — what say you world?  Or maybe the world isn’t ready yet… but we’re ready, we have been since the beginning.  And today, we are once again letting go.  Come on Iran, throttle back as we go home.  Bring this fire down, we all want the same thing.

I tell you what world, We the People are once again counting on you to not destroy US.  The Giant is once again going to sleep, hopefully this time for good.  We’ll see.  But we’ll also be counting on you Brazil, you India, you China, you Russia, you France… and you Iran, you Arab League, you Pakistan, you Egypt, you Israel – to help keep the world at peace.  It’s not that hard to teach your children that peace is the right answer, they know it in their hearts.

So the focus of the USA will shift — our meager defense budgets will probably be reduced down from the 5 times as much as any other nation spends, to something of the order of “less than or equal to” whoever is spending the most.  And that will be mostly on intelligence and special forces to keep us safe.  Yes World, the drawdown of the USA military is beginning, and it will be significant.  Come on world, together we can pen some borders and march toward our destination, what say you today?  We don’t want your land, we don’t need your oil, and we don’t want your money.  We just want peace.  Watch, we’ll show you.

OK, whew, I’m getting ahead of myself now.  So I suppose I end here…  To all of America I say, start your engines because here we go!  Arthur is looking to pull the sword from the stone and only you can allow it.  My course, my Vision, my Excalibur is a course of limited federal government and taxes on our wealthy to pay for it.  It is time to resume our track from nearly 100 years ago, the course of our Roaring 20’s… but this time, with needed regulation on the financial system.  I believe this is the best course forward in our day, and I look forward to the discussion — let’s start the debates!”

Then I picture Anderson Cooper saying something like, “Sir, I don’t know what my President would say… but I’m quite certain he’d say a lot less than you…”

Yours in Faith for a better America and a better World.

 

 

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