An Open Letter to President Bush

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Dear President Bush,

            Congratulations on your reelection victory. I am proud to say that you had my vote and support. You have been a strong and decisive leader. However, there are a few things, all domestic policies, that I feel threaten to harm your second term, and I wish to offer you some advice.

            One of the greatest weaknesses of your administration, in my estimation, is the fact that you so seldom try to convince the American people that our side is right. Take, for example, the assault weapons ban. It was rightly allowed to expire. But you did not try to convince the American people that it was a bad policy; indeed, you openly supported it, saying that you would sign a renewal of it made it to your desk. Now, you knew perfectly well that it would never make it through Congress. But you also knew that the majority of Americans supported the ban. So you played both sides: you proclaimed support for it, while allowing it to expire.

            The fact that most Americans supported the ban had more to do with slick packaging than anything else. Most people just think “assault weapons = bad,” and have no idea that the definition of “assault weapons” had more to do with cosmetics than any danger they posed. If you had informed Americans of this, you could have convinced many of them that allowing the ban to expire was the right thing to do.

            Another topic on which you have made little effort to convince Americans of danger is that of the border situation. Each day, untold numbers of people illegally enter this country. Some of them undoubtedly come here to commit crimes. There are many credible reports of terrorists walking across the American border. You have done nothing to prevent this.

            I am not fool; I know exactly why you don’t want to address this problem. In last week’s election, you received around 45% of the Hispanic vote, and many pundits are predicting that Hispanics could become a reliable GOP voting bloc in the not to distant future. Therefore, you fear alienating them by increasing border security. While I can understand this reasoning, I believe it is wrongheaded.

            The overwhelming majority of Hispanics in our country are patriotic Americans. They hate terrorism just as much as everyone else, and want the government to take action to protect us. If you point out that the border situation is a grave threat to our national security, and must be fixed, most Hispanics will agree. You could also make immigration easier for honest people, while making it more difficult for criminals. No reasonable person opposes this.

            Like many conservatives, I am worried about the massive growth in government during your administration. Every federal department has expanded under you. Liberals may complain that you are cutting funding for “essential services,” but in reality, funding levels have never been higher. This growth in government has caused many conservatives, especially those of the libertarian persuasion, to distance themselves from you.

            One of the greatest disappointments in your first term is the prescription drug benefit that was added to Medicare. This was a naked political move to gain votes among senior citizens, particularly in Florida. The benefit may have gained you some allies in AARP, but what about young Americans, who probably will never see their Social Security. At least partial (and hopefully full) privatization is in everyone’s best interests. I hope that you will make that case to Americans in your second term.

            Finally, one of your greatest traits is your loyalty. I honestly admire that you stand by people through thick and thin. Sadly though, it can be taken too far. Take former CIA head George Tenet. He finally resigned, but it was over a year too late. Another, more unfortunate example is Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), a well known “moderate” (read: liberal). During the Republican primary, you traveled to Pennsylvania and campaigned for him against his opponent, a true conservative. Again, I understand why. Spectre could bring out the “moderate” vote, so it was believed, and those moderates, if they voted for him, might also vote for you, helping you carry Pennsylvania. Well, that plan obviously failed.

            One would think that Specter would be very grateful for your support, since you and him have a number of policy disagreements. If he is, he isn’t showing it. Instead, he has said that when he is tapped to lead the Senate Judiciary Committee, he will actively oppose confirming judges who, gasp, think abortion is not a constitutional right. You must stop him from chairing this committee, if you value conservative principals.

            Overall, I think you have been a good president. In the international realm, you have been great. Domestically, you have been fair. If you want to be a truly great president, you must address these domestic concerns I have outlined. I am certain that you will.

John Brown (www.johnnorrisbrown.com) is a senior in political science and history at the University of Tennessee @ Knoxville. Contact him at johnnyb325@aol.com. This column originally appeared in the November 16, 2004 edition of The Daily Beacon entitled "Columnist gives advice to Bush ", available here.