| Written by Maria Elena Salinas |
| Thursday, January 13 2005 |
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| Dear Mr. President:
Congratulations! You certainly have a lot to celebrate. You won re-election. You received more votes than any other president in the history of the United States. You even surpassed your goal of getting at least 40 percent of the Hispanic vote. And now you're being inaugurated into a second term in the most lavish and expensive inaugural ceremony ever, costing nearly $40 million. Some people are even willing to pay up to $10,000 just to be there and participate in the main events surrounding your swearing-in ceremony. That has got to be exhilarating.
Of course, it must be difficult to celebrate during a time of so much human suffering, with tens of thousands of people dead and millions left homeless as a result of the tsunami in southern Asia. It's a good thing that the United States increased its pledge of aid to $350 million, and that millions of Americans, including yourself and Mrs. Bush, have opened up their hearts and their pocketbooks to help those in need.
By the way, great move naming your father and former President Bill Clinton to head the private fund-
raising effort for the tsunami victims. Not only because they are two of the most respected and most powerful men in the country, with great fund-raising abilities, but because it shows an effort on your part to keep one of your many campaign promises.
It was during your speech shortly after John Kerry conceded defeat that you spoke out to all those who voted for your opponent. You said: "To make this nation stronger and better, I will need your support, and I will work to earn it. I will do all I can do to deserve your trust. A new term is a new opportunity to reach out to the whole nation. We have one country, one Constitution and one future that binds us."
Those are meaningful words, but working to gain the support of those who did not vote for you is going to take more than giving the most popular Democrat in the nation a high-profile role. The tsunami aid effort is without a doubt one that concerns all of us as Americans and human beings, but in the near future, working with those on the other side should mean more than inviting them to support the issues that are important to you and your party.
For example, you mentioned during your speech at the Republican Convention that in a new term you will change outdated labor laws to offer comp time and flex time as part of creating a family-friendly workplace. That's music to my ears, because I would love to spend more time with my daughters, but don't forget that there are many working families who depend on overtime pay to make ends meet, and it would also help if they got a much-needed increase in the minimum wage, not to mention affordable health care.
Many of the Latinos who helped your re-election effort trust that you will not back down on your proposal for immigration reform, even if it means confronting some in your own party. It must be a relief that you do not have to worry about being re-elected again. That must take a load off your shoulders, although you do still have a legacy to think about.
Circumstances beyond your control prevented you from being "a uniter, not a divider" during your first term, and this will certainly represent a challenge in your second. The latest poll I read before writing this letter showed that the country is still divided, with 49 percent saying they approve of the job you are doing and another 49 percent saying they don't.
Part of it is probably just frustration from being on the losing side. So much so that some are out there buying the new book "The Bush Survival Bible." But then again, don't forget that many Americans are still very concerned about the war. It doesn't help that not a day goes by without new reports of violence in Iraq, with both Americans and Iraqis losing their lives. Let's hope the upcoming election in Iraq will help stabilize that country and bring it closer to democracy so you can prove the skeptics wrong.
Best of luck, Mr. President, as you embark on four more years as leader of the free world. Politics aside, I'm sure the country wishes you well and hopes we can all move forward to a more prosperous future and a safer world. |
