Dear Mr. President,
Please understand this, from someone who has (because my skin is white) been "privileged" to hear and see what the white conservatives think of you, yours and your allies: They hate you. They will do ANYTHING, pay ANYTHING, sacrifice ANYTHING to discredit you. Destroy you. Shame you. Crush you into dust and spit on the remains.
There has been an awful lot of criticism of you and your policies and nominations to key positions from progressives, the left, the liberals -- white and black and brown and yellow. There has been an awful lot of passionate defense of you and your policies and nominations from progressives, the left, the liberals -- white, black, brown, and yellow.
Those critiques and defenses can stand on their own merits (or not). I have launched my own salvos at you, and defended you from the salvos launched by others.
Here's what I think at this point: The GOP will not allow you to pass ANYTHING. If you proposed a bill that outlawed torturing kittens, and supported helping elderly grandmothers across the street, they would not vote for it.
No matter how much you bend, compromise, negotiate, meet them halfway, or whatever, they do not want you to have ANY policy accomplishments to talk about. None. Not patent law. Not trade deals. Not tort reform. Not deficit reduction. Not debt reduction. NOTHING. They do not even want you to have the "success" of cutting Social Security and Medicare. They WILL NOT VOTE FOR ANYTHING YOU PROPOSE. Because you are black. Because you are a Democrat. Because you represent a massive, incredible victory for progress simply by having been elected at all.
Therefore, I think you need to highlight that. I think you need to propose the boldest, most striking, most comprehensive set of policies and programs this nation has seen in decades.
Knowing that NOTHING you try is going to get past them, not the most piddling, miniscule, baby step forward. Not even steps BACKWARD. You could propose a re-enactment of Jim Crow and they would not vote for it.
So shoot for the moon... not because you'll actually get what you propose - you'll get nothing from them, because they hate you and everything you represent ... but so that you can trumpet their intransigence, shout their unwillingness to the skies, show anyone and everyone with a beating heart and an operative frontal cortex what is happening.
You are going to have to run against a Republican next year. You are going to have to fight against the Republican machine next year. You are going to have to win against a large group of crazy, racist, hateful, ignorant, brainwashed fools next year.
You need us to fight for you. We need you to win.
Recognize that you have NO chance of compromising with these people - none. So propose the boldest plans you can think of. Go for broke, but not because you think you'll get anything passed (you won't). Do it as a means of illustrating and demonstrating two things: 1) you really do want a jobs bill, a stimulus plan, an economic recovery package that includes more than Neo-Liberal, Reagan-lite budget slashing. This will bring our fire for you back to high heat. and 2) That you know full well who you are fighting and what they want (your failure), and are willing to demonstrate it in the light of day for all to see.
Never forget: they want you to fail at ANY cost. Start playing this game with that in mind.