Dear President Obama,

I’m glad you took the advice in my recent letter to you and finished the issue of healthcare, even if it was at the expense of a few key issues such as abortion rights and a public option – thank you for using the political strength we, your voting electorate, knew you had within you to follow through on the single most debated topic of the past year.  Despite this victory, however, you should not consider yourself finished with the tough, partisan issues, as the work is far from done.

I am of the belief, just as you once voiced in an interview, that it would be a far better mark on history to be a great one-term President than one with two mediocre terms – healthcare is not the only issue that you may have to sacrifice your longterm political career for over the greater good of the nation.  It is, therefore, imperative that you continue to push the issues that are of great relevance to the betterment of our people than those that are politically easy, and do so as fast as humanly possible in order to accomplish the very maseparating businesses from politics, ximum your Presidency can achieve.  Re-regulating the financial sector, addressing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, and passing valuable legislation on the issue of Climate Change, especially in light of the failure at Copenhagen, are just some of these immensely important issues.

The hard fights should not all be fought in your first Term, however.  If you have a second Term, as I hope you will, it should be used for the political battles that are currently impossible:  further regulation and reform of the insurance cartels, the creation of a public option, and various other topics that, while pressing, are not feasible given the current political climate and the cost, both time and effort, it would take to simply see them fail – an eight year legacy of reform, regulation, and restoration would be something that every freethinking, intelligent citizen of America would be proud of.

Do not let the threats of Republican healthcare repeal, or its challenging in the Supreme Court, both of which are inevitably destined to fail, scare or dissuade you from further action – as we have seen, their party is simply interested in opposition, partisanship, obstruction, and the status quo.  This is not the time to declare victory and let the rest of your Presidency run free, a concept you seem to understand since you’re already moving onto the reform of the financial industry.  Do not worry about elections, as you still have the majority in Congress:  use it to the greatest possible effect, and worry about next year when the November elections arrive.  Do not worry about the insane, upset, demonstrably crazy vocal minority that is currently screaming obscenities, behaving like children, and issuing death threats to you – they represent the People even less than most of the current Congressional Republicans do.

I’m proud, and thankful, that you saw an issue through that could have resulted in a political backlash – it speaks volumes of both your character and purpose, justifying why I, along with so many others of my age and mindset, elected you as our President.  I have great faith that you will continue along this vein and follow your political heart wherever it takes you, hopefully resulting in history recognizing you as the early 21st century’s FDR.

Good luck – I think you’ll need it.

Sincerely,

Kyle Brady

Kyle can be found on his blog, on Facebook, via email, or on Twitter.

Anthony Weiner is a Congressman  in the old fashioned tradition, a leading voice in the fight for reform, and a left wing democrat. He’s been at the forefront of the fight for the Public Option in American Healthcare from the very beginning and hasn’t let up for a minute. It’s RELATIVTY OnLine’s humble opinion that American Congress needs more lawmakers like him.

Watch as Weiner rips the Republican Party a new one, calling them a “wholly owned subsidiary of the insurance industry.”

After his comments, he is asked to temporarily step down from the podium – the congressional of equivalent of being told to stand in the corner – and his words are ordered withdrawn. Upon his return, he agrees to withdraw his words. When given the chance to continue however,  he throws a hard right hand lead at the Republican Party yet again. Word has it that Weiner is now considering a UFC Heavyweight Title shot.

Bipartisanship, in modern politics, is a lie – a falsehood, a hopeless dream, a fantasy based on nothing.  And yet this doesn’t prevent either side of the political divide from using the idea of it as a tool for derision, division, and justification, even when those employing it know it to be nothing but empty words.

In the purest sense of the word, bipartisanship is a meeting of groups or individuals with opposing views, while sharing some common points of interest, that results in a healthy compromise between the disparate positions for the overall better.  American politics has not seen this kind of bipartisanship in the last few decades, if not longer, and the roots of partisan voting, including its vitriol, can be traced all the way back to the Declaration of Independence, with 2010 Washington doing their very best to continue this unhealthy state ad infinitem.

Recently, bipartisanship, or a lack thereof, has been used by Republicans in attempts to kill legislation of any kind, but their cries of partisanship avoid a certain fundamental truth:  President Obama’s Administration, and its Congress, have not been bipartisan for the simple fact that the Republicans have refused to participate.  The lack of a desire to govern is not at all comparable to a lack of bipartisan efforts, the latter of which has not been in short supply over the last fourteen months.  This is not so much a battle of diametrically opposing ideologies as it is a distinct dislike for President Obama and his efforts and goals, not to mention the striking characteristics of the GOP’s childlike political tantrum.

It’s time to give up, at least for the remainder of the Obama Administration, the idea of bipartisanship – on everything.  If the opposing party, in this case the Republicans, wish to participate with the President and his Congressional majority in the process of running the nation, they may do so, but concessions should not be made to a group of corrupt individuals that have absolutely no intention of being part of the legislative process except for their own personal gain.  While this applies to Washington at present, the same criticisms can be made for Administrations past, on both sides of the party line, and will no doubt continue into the future.

Until politics reaches a state of enlightenment that includes the ability to have reasoned, unemotional debates, bipartisanship is a lie.  Once the American people realize that the idea of bipartisanship is merely a tool used to garner votes for the party out of favor at election time, the country will have a chance at finally moving forward, as those within Congress will recognize the farce as being over.  Applied immediately, great benefits could be had within a very short period of time.

From Kyle Brady…

Kyle can be found on his blog, via email, or on Twitter.

Greece is in serious financial trouble, thanks in no small part to Goldman Sachs, and is hoping for a bailout not from within, but rather from its European Union partner nations – causing an uproar throughout Europe and the Western World in general.  This has many implications, most of them obvious, but for one specific reason that has been conveniently ignored thus far:  the possible evolution of the EU into a stronger body than just a set of economic and policy agreements between neighboring nations.

One of the central tenets of the EU was the euro, a central currency to make trading between nations much simpler, and even though it hasn’t yet become the singular currency for all nations, it’s become the dominant currency for a large swath of Western Europe.  For the first attempt at a multinational currency among nations that haven’t historically always been friendly to each other, to say that the euro has been a success would be an understatement – especially since there is no central bank to regulate it.  However, Greece appearing to stand on the brink of collapse has underlined some serious problems with the system, such as their views toward internal economic policy, that need to be addressed in order to further prosper.

All of this comes at a time when talk was beginning of expanding the EU’s power of control and legislation within its member nations, in the name of greater prosperity for the whole, which would essentially be the prelude to a substantially more interconnected government.  If the European Union becomes not a group of nations that adhere to certain economic and trade policies, but instead a federation of nation-states that bow to the rule of a greater governing body, that, truly, would be the formation of a government the likes of which has not been seen previously – at least without bloodshed.  Given recent events, it is only logical to assume that the EU will now be forced into greater action, so as to protect its currency and very existence, and become considerably more interested in the financial status of their members, especially in terms of other policies or action that would have any bearing whatsoever on general stability.

In the event that the European Union does extend its tendrils of control further into those who created it, not necessarily of evil import, the next decade could be extremely interesting geopolitically.  One-world governments have been predicted by people of all sorts for decades, and the current Grecofinancial crisis may indeed turn the first experiment at large-scale fiduciary cooperation into the world’s first peaceful pan-nation government, setting the tone for an even more daring attempt at a truly Western one-world government.

All of this, of course, depends on the outcome of the Grecodisaster and the behavior of the EU in the ensuing years.

From Kyle Brady…

Kyle can be found on his blog, via email, or on Twitter.

A year ago, Barack Hussien Obama, son of an African Muslim, a child of divorce with an international, multi-racial, and multi-cultural upbringing gave hope to America. In fact, he gave hope to the world. He was a living image of the North American Dream – a symbol of the notion that anything, no matter how far away it may seem, is possible in the land of opportunity. A year later, although his mere presence in the White House still inspires many and his diplomatic and intellectual approach to ge0-politics continues to make  him incredibly popular overseas, Obama is in crisis at home.  After what was perhaps the most partisan first year in American Presidential history, Obama is on the ropes. The question now is, will he come back firing or set his sights on appeasement in the name of re-election? RELATIVTY OnLine’s American coorospndent Kyle Brady poses this very question to the man himself.      

Dear President Obama,

I’m writing to you as a 22-yr. old Democrat that not only helped vote you into the Presidency, but as an individual politically changed by your campaign and ascendancy.  I’m writing to you as a so-called young adult that’s heavily interested in politics, thanks in no small part to you, and is concerned about the current political climate.  I’m writing to you because your State of the Union, in combination with your Address to the GOP, gave me hope – one of your overriding political principles.

I was impressed with your campaign because you seemed interested in returning intelligence, self-respect, and poise to American politics, all of which were sorely diminished after your predecessor’s disastrous Terms of Office.  And, to be fair, you have done all you can to return these values to our way of life, most especially with respect to the foreign view of our nation.  The actions you have taken to give science, math, and education their rightful places in American society are extremely respectable, as are many of the other changes you have wrought either via Executive Order or a forceful wrangling of Congress.

While I don’t support your decisions unilaterally, such as the various bailouts of corrupt and broken institutions, I do support your overall message of change.  Healthcare reform, in its truest sense, is widely recognized by the American people, in an overwhelming majority, as necessary to both our continued healthy and profitable existence, just as are the reforms of financial institutions and legitimately addressing climate change.  However, your supporters are beginning to lose faith because of your insistence on fair politics.

Your interest in bipartisan politics is highly respectable, especially given that you’ve chosen to tackle a historically disastrous issue in a political climate that is far less than favorable, and no-one will ever deny you this fact.  But the attempts over the last year to have bipartisan involvement in federal-level politics have proven to be mostly fruitless, exempting the few special cases such as Defense spending – why should this offer of cooperation continue to be extended?  The GOP’s response to the State of the Union, and the not-so-subtle hostility that you received when addressing them at their own invitation, should be evidence enough that not only do they not wish to cooperate, on any level, but that they will also take great steps to slight you in any manner possible.

What you likely already realize, but bears repeating regardless, is that the Congressional Republicans unequivocallydo not represent the American people, just as the Teabagger movement does not represent the majority of the Republicans within the United States of America.  Healthcare reform, even if a public option must be temporarily forgotten, is too important to relinquish due to a subset of the population that is either completely corrupt or do not fully understand what they are protesting.  Even if the result is a Republican rancor like never before seen, this legislation must be pushed through.

The myriad other issues at hand must also be quickly addressed, possibly at the expense of your own political career, because I have no great faith that your successor will have the same strength of will or interest in carrying out necessary reforms that are not politically favorable.  You have the chance to be the modern generation’s FDR, and I hope you take that chance – even if you only have a single Term of Office, instead of three.  The nation’s infrastructure began crumbling long before the banks or the people did, and ensuring their survival is every bit as important as healthcare reform, alongside other longview policy decisions that will ultimately not produce a visible result for years into the future.

I believe that you realize the hostile political climate may very well mean you won’t be re-elected in 2012, but this does not seem to matter greatly to you, as some of your more recent comments have indicated.  It is for this reason that I, on behalf of Democrats, Republicans, and thinking persons throughout the country, beg you to make good on your intentions to be a great one-term President instead of simply a mediocre two-term one:  finish healthcare reform, and move on to the other issues – there is a long list, and it is only getting longer.

We are a year into your Presidency, and you have accomplished much – but you have three years and far to go.  Don’t let a wish for bipartisanship, or a fear of misperception, tarnish your good intentions and strong ideals, as the nation will ultimately suffer for those actions.  It’s important that you continue to make the well informed, careful decisions that you have been, but with a more apolitical eye towards popularity and likability in the future; history smiles on those who affect great change and produce significant contributions, not those who wish to be liked and popular.

The American people are behind you, even if the media often states otherwise, and we will likely continue to support you through the bitter end, barring some inconceivable political change of course.  As a young, intelligent, and possibly idealistic citizen of the United States, I’m proud to say that you’re my President and that you have given me hope for the future of our political system, even as Congress appears to be more and more broken by the day.

Here’s hoping you choose the path of FDR over that of Coolidge.

Sincerely,

Kyle Brady

Kyle can be found on his blog, via email, or on Twitter.

From Kyle Brady…

With all the recent talk of democracy, peace, and individuals’ freedoms in response to the “Yemen situation”, it’s sometimes difficult to take American politicians at face-value, or even seriously – there may have been an attempted terrorist attack within United States’ territory, but the political infighting, deceit, lies, and general democratic failure continue without abatement.  How can the values and ideals of democracy be promoted throughout the world as the solution to unwelcome regimes when it has proven itself so inept during the course of recent history?

Unbridled racism, childlike behavior within Congress, finger-pointing, a year-long debacle to better citizens’ health – these are only the issues that come quickest to mind when pondering the state of American politics within the last year, and there are many more on the list of embarrassments, difficulties, and outright failures.  At a time when Americans needed their government the most, in the midst of the Great Recession, billions were handed out to the very financial institutions that are at the heart of the economic collapse, only to have these funds repaid so that outrageous compensation can be given as rewards to the employees that failed to do their job.  Even more worrisome, Congress does not wish to spend exorbitant sums on the health and stability of the people they represent, but are willing to finance corporations, line their own pockets, and bicker over unintelligent legislative minutiae that is ultimately of no consequence. 

Does this sound like a government that works?  Would a nation that is struggling to stay on its feet look to the United States as a shining example of a beautiful democracy that is their single light in the darkness?  Even with a highly capable, charismatic, and intelligent President, it would seem that the principles on which a democratic republic were founded - intelligence, integrity, freedom, and rationality – can no longer be expected to apply.

In the case of almost all legislation since President Obama’s Inauguration, the House of Representatives has successfully proposed, debated, and voted on legislation many times over, while the Senate becomes mired in neverending debate in all but a few, rare cases – the simple reason for this is that the House has different procedural regulations than the Senate, wherein the Senate follows a higher level of decorum and allows endless speeches.  More importantly, these procedural differences are exacerbated by the most rancorous and vitriolic partisanship, not to mention systemic corruption, that the nation has seen since its birth.

Perhaps before America decides to preach the values of democracy or push for the ideals of peace, the United States should first address these issues at home.  Whether the answer lies in reforming some of the rules of Congress, the entire political system, or simply forcing out those representatives that refuse to abide by principles of intelligence and rationality, it would seem that America needs to quickly solve its own political and domestic problems, lest the entire system become a parody of democracy – only then can failed states and hopeful peoples look to the American example of democracy in action.

Kyle can be found on his blog, via email, or on Twitter.

The following is a list of ten wishes for American politics in the coming year (2010), in no particular sorting order. 

1.  Real Healthcare Reform w/ Public Option

The process of attempting to pass healthcare reform in America has taken a full year, and isn’t even complete yet – this needs to be completed in the early weeks of the new year, with a public option included.  Since this isn’t healthcare reform, but instead health insurance reform, any measures that do less than fully regulate the industry, provide cost containment, and include a government-sponsored alternative is unacceptably weak.

2.  Reinstatement of the Glass-Steagall Act

The Glass-Steagall Act separated investment institutions from savings banks in 1933 in order to better control the financial industry, and was repealed in 1999.  This deregulation of financial institutions paved the way for the Great Recession of late – the only way to curb the behaviors of highly corrupt and self-interested “fatcats” is through regulation, and a reinstatement of this wonderfully foresighted piece of legislation would be a suitable start.

3.  Reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine

In 1949, the FCC instituted a policy that governed media’s balance between opinion and facts, as well as biases; however, in 1987 it was repealed.  Since its demise, FOX “News” and Rush Limbaugh have taken advantage of their ability to present opinions and/or lies as fact to the general public, much to the detriment of the nation.  This degradation continues steadily with News Corp. exerting influence on their publications to present information only in certain lights, usually with a highly pro-business, anti-Obama, anti-people slant.  With a reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine, the behaviors of Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, and their ilk would not only be illegal but land them in a world of trouble with consequences for their abhorrent behavior.

4.  Less Partisanship, Grandstanding, and Generic Opposition

2009 was “The Year of ‘No’”, thanks to Congressional Republicans and the sheep-in-wolf’s-clothing known as Blue Dog Democrats – this default opposition to any progressive, liberal, or intelligent ideas resulted in gridlock and extreme partisanship where the two sides were so divided that compromise, at any level, was all but impossible.  Shouting during a President’s speech, vitriolic name-calling, and grandstanding for self-interested purposes were all seen throughout the year and must not continue in 2010.  It’s highly unlikely that such a corrupt and two-faced group of people, known as Congressional Republicans, can make such a turn around so quickly, but it would be welcomed with open arms.

5.  A Return to Intelligence

The election of President Obama was meant to return intelligence to its rightful place within politics and government, but it’s taken the better part of a year to achieve this goal.  Within the last few months of the year, the EPA has taken a stance, for the better, on climate change policy, the FCC is investigating the regulation of ISP’s, science is once again valued over generic halftruths – all wonderful in and of themselves.  But the larger picture of intelligence within government is taking significantly longer to reappear, and it’s hard to believe change is happening behind the scenes when Congressmen are shouting at each other on national television over minute points – this trickles down to the people, resulting in teabaggers, Sarah Palin, climate change deniers, and Creationists.

6.  Anti-Trust Prosecution

Promises have been made by the Obama Administration that Anti-Trust Law will be treated more respectfully than the previous Administration chose to, but the only results thus far have been initial investigations into Intel.  If anti-trust immunity for insurance providers were removed, they would be ripe for prosecution, but until that happens there are far more candidates than could be addressed before the end of President Obama’s first Term of Office.  Comcast, AT&T, and oil companies could be the start of a long list of companies and industries that come under fire for illegal actions in the realms of competition and collusion.

7.  Legitimate News Coverage

American news media has been in a slow decline for at least a decade, and the Great Recession has only hastened the process – more entertainment topics, irrelevant issues, and pseudo-politicians are now covered than actual news, let alone politics.  CNN, FOX “News”, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, NBC, and the rest of the networks, not to mention print publications, choose to exchange discussing real issues and their details for the latest celebrity gossip, 20-minute arguments over some embarrassing topic, and the highly questionable opinions of people formerly in the political arena.  This lack of news and political coverage has lead to a decline in American understanding of the nation’s issues, as well as the world at large, and contributed to the rise of partisanship and irrational screaming.  If some of the news outlets return, once again, to doing their jobs rather than seeking advertising money, the nation will be better off for it.

8.  Climate Change Legislation

Since the recent climate change conference in Copenhagen was such an unmitigated disaster, thanks in large part to both America’s inaction and China’s grandstanding, the United States needs to do its part before the world decides the greatest nation in the world is now irrelevant.  Rather than arguing over what has long been scientific fact, Congress must pass nationwide restrictions on emissions levels for all relevant gases, without loopholes, and forcefully emphasize the use of green, or at least partially green, energy over current favorites such as coal.  Nuclear power is not the perfect long-term solution, but if the federal government chooses to immediately reinvigorate the near-dead industry, it will serve as an effective and efficient intermediary until the nation can become a fully environmentally friendly energy economy.

9.  Collapse of the GOP By Their Own Hands

There are many in America that believe the GOP has been committing ritualistic suicide over the last year and a half, due to their abhorrent behavior, and the off-year election in a small, highly conservative, New York District proved exactly what many had predicted:  the teabagger sect of the Republican Party passes arbitrary judgment on those within the party, and often finds individuals to be “not conservative enough”.  The result in NY was that the conservative vote was split between a Republican candidate and a Conservative candidate, with the Democrat winning – this same behavior is likely to be seen in the midterm elections, essentially removing the GOP from power and allowing a more rational and viable conservative party to rise from the ashes.

10.  Handling Rogue Countries

North Korea and Iran have been problematic for years, but 2009 was one of the most politically challenging with these two rogue countries, as Iran had fake Presidential elections that resulted in government assassinations of protestors (among other provocative behaviors and incidents), and North Korea inched ever-closer to actually launching an attack on a nearby Asian nation.  Sanctions by both the UN and the United States for these two countries have failed, and a more drastic approach needs to be taken that does not involve American soldiers “on the ground”.  Whether this action is in the form of strategic drone strikes within these countries, a corralling of their neighbors into an anti-state coalition, or some other method, Iran and North Korea must be dealt with, effectively, before the end of 2010, lest the problems continue and become something entirely more dramatic and deadly than the last decade has seen.

Kyle can be found on his blog, via email, or on Twitter.