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Congratulations, Sen. Obama: An Open Letter to the President-Elect

by Matt Moon | November 5, 2008 at 12:54 AM

I'm writing this post from my hometown of Anchorage, AK, where the results should come in soon. As you will see, this letter is just as much a message to the Right as it is a congratulatory message to Barack Obama.

Dear Mr. President-Elect:

Congratulations on your victory tonight. As a conservative who voted for your opponent, Sen. John McCain, it is a disappointing night for me and those who share my philosophy of government. Yet, despite our disagreements on public policy, I am (and other fellow Americans should be) proud of your accomplishment.

As someone who cares deeply about the issues surrounding race and ethnicity in America, I sincerely hope that your Presidency can contribute to moving us towards a more color-blind society.

While it could be argued that no Republican could win this year, your campaign has still taught us several important things. First, your campaign has shown that no state should be taken for granted. With the grassroots organization that you built, which is a bottom-up phenomenon itself, you put folks everywhere, including my home state of Alaska. You should thank Senator Hillary Clinton for battling you to the bitter end in your primary fight: she made you a stronger candidate and it forced you to build a stronger grassroots team in all 50 states, contributing to your victory. You knew that you wouldn't win every state. But Howard Dean's long term 50 state strategy put you on the offense and McCain on the defense throughout the fall, and your team assisted many Democrats down ticket in red states that were going to stay red this year.

Second, your campaign has thankfully shown that public financing is dead. I think most fellow conservatives would agree that one of our most vehement disagreements with Sen. McCain was his support of public financing of campaign. While your explanation of not taking public money was disingenuous at best, it gives both parties a chance to compete for creative ways to raise money and gives the country a chance to call for more transparency in campaign finance.

Third, your campaign has shown that a centralized long term campaign organization is not mutually exclusive with decentralized short term action plans. Over the past decade, failed campaigns have shown that grassroots action by itself cannot succeed without direction. In this election, the GOP has shown that revolving too much around a "campaign command center" can cause inflexibility and limited mobility in a grassroots organization.

Tonight the pundits will talk about increased turnout, the youth vote, the pendulum swinging back to the Left, etc. But I want to mention some things about your election that you had no control over. You are the first Internet President. How will your administration use the growing Web 1.0 tools and Web 2.0 community for public policy purposes? You have a large netroots organization behind you. How will they play in a governing position vs. playing in a campaigning position? You come into the White House with a divided Democratic Party: the netroots far left vs. the grassroots center-left. Where will you govern from? Will you try to merge the netroots with the grassroots?

From your tax proposals to your health care plan to your foreign policy to your philosophy of government, expect a "loyal opposition" from a changed Republican Party. You will face a conservative movement that will fight you on the intellectual battleground or continue to be anti-intellectual. You will face a conservative movement that will come up with creative counter-solutions that the American people can be informed of, or a movement that will look back to old messages that don't work. You will face a conservative movement that will promote principles of freedom or promote a watered-down version of more government. One thing is for sure: you will face a conservative movement yearning for a new set of leaders.

I will do my utmost to fight against every one of your proposals that limits freedom, and fight for every one of your proposals that promote freedom, although I am pessimistic about your plans to do the latter. From my point of view, it's not government's job to make history; that's a job that should be left to the American people.

But for making history tonight, congratulations once again, Mr. President-Elect.

Sincerely,

MM

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Comments

Thank you Matt.

Submitted by Gundark927 on Wed, 11/05/2008 - 02:19.

(Comment Cross posted here.)

This is a fantastic message, and one that I hope can be brought forward to all my friends on the right.  I've been a democrat lurking on your site for months now, and I like what I hear from thenextright readers and posters. 

Of course I disagree with much, if not most, of what I read on this site.  But I admire how your posters are consistently intelligent and thoughtful, and less hysteric than many other sites I read (not the least of which are some of my own favorite lefty blogs!)

I promise, in the spirit of your post, and that of Kristin Soltis' to work with you, my Republican and conservative friends.  Some years from now, the balance will once again shift, and my party will be re-assessing where we are at.  But your comments on this page is hopeful, I think accurate, and patriotic.  It is fitting of our great nation that we can-- and should-- work together and keep one another honest and working in the best interests of our country.

Thank you, Matt, for your post.  God bless you and your family, and God Bless the United States of America.

Derek

Well played

Submitted by Ernesto on Wed, 11/05/2008 - 02:24.

Well played...

I'm a New York Democrat who is genuinely pleased with the turnout tonight. I had originally supported Joe Biden and I'm excited he made it to the Vice Presidency. However, I find myself identifying more with your sentiment here than any other expressed thus far.

Your idenitification of Obama as an internet candidate with this new dynamic activist potential behind him is spot on. It matters how he chooses to use that, and I pray that his rhetorical tendancies towards internet organizing, technology policy, and transparent government are crafted into concrete policy quickly.

Also, I agree wholeheartedly here:
"I will do my utmost to fight against every one of your proposals that limits freedom, and fight for every one of your proposals that promote freedom..."

As a democrat I'm with you on that. I harbor no illusions about the fact that Obama will need to restrain the idiot left wing tendancies of the Reid/Pelosi legislature. Here's to democrats and republicans praying he does.

Terrific post, Matt

Submitted by johnson springs on Wed, 11/05/2008 - 06:54.

Posed as questions, I think your discussion of which GOP will show up to challenge the Obama administration is excellent:

  • Will you will face a conservative movement that will fight you on the intellectual battleground or continue to be anti-intellectual?
  • Will you face a conservative movement that will come up with creative counter-solutions that the American people can be informed of, or a movement that will look back to old messages that don't work?
  •  Will you face a conservative movement that will promote principles of freedom or promote a watered-down version of more government?

I hope TNR can be a place where these questions are discussed, debated, and decided.

Thanks, again.

Nice note

Submitted by Angusx on Wed, 11/05/2008 - 07:10.

I am  european and while I condider myself right of centre over here, that does not translate on to a naturally centre right country like the US - therefore, I naturally find myself with Dems.

I like your site and I think your note above is thoughtful and gracious.

I respectfully suggest that what some partries have done in the GOP position is to veer hard right - the Conservatives in the UK did it and were out of power for a generation - and still are.

I urge you to reject Hannity, Limbaugh, Palin, Santorum et al - there are plenty of republicans with appeal to states that Obama won tonight.

While I think Obama is a world class performer - best I have seen - better than Blair or Clinton - he needs a vibrant opposition - the US needs a vibrant opposition.

I like your site - I love your country - thanks for the excellent coverage

Perhaps you Europeans need to understand some things...

Submitted by Big Ben 4 liberty on Wed, 11/05/2008 - 09:50.

about the US.  We are not like any of your countries nor do many of us wish to be so.  Therefore we don't wish to have a contest between "nationalist" fabian-style socialists (based on corporatism) versus their marxian counterparts on the tarditional left.  The vast majority of us on the American right actually believe in the principles of constitutionally limited government, free-market capitalism, individual responsibility, rejection of identity politics and groupthink mentality (such as exemplified by the Cult of Personality of Obama's many supporters).

We wish to preserve our culture from Third Worldism, multiculturalism and the anti-Western ideas of cultural relativism that has become the opiate (along with much of traditional Marxism) of your intellectual elites which unfortunately has infected many of ours as well.  We don't wish to destroy what has made our country great in order to appease our enemies (as you Europeans do with your of embrace Islamicism and its goal of Universal Sharia Law).  In the next 20 years or so as you become the Caliphate of Eurabia, what makes you think true Americans like myself wish to follow your lead?

Therfore, with all due respect (although I'll admit I have never been much good at diplomacy), thanks for your suggestions but no thank you.  In this country we have a two party system.  And if the GOP becomes Democrat-lite then it will inevitably lose.  Why would voters in this country vote for Democrat-lite politicians when they can vote for the real thing?  Why would Republicans really want to reject the real honest-to-God conservatives (sorry if that offends your hardcore secularist sensibilities) who have unified and grown our movement in favor of people who almost always lose elections (like John McCain) ? Thus we truly can not and (hopefully will not) "europeanize" ourselves.  But thanks for your contrubutions as I do enjoy hearing from foreign observers even if I don't agree with them.

What are you talking about?

Submitted by cr on Wed, 11/05/2008 - 10:45.

Who are you arguing with?

1. The only person in this post talking about Marxism and Socialism is you. And even in this election, no-one on the left was talking about Socialism except the far right. I think it was partially that cheap sloganism that help to undercut a conservative message. We do have Medicare/Medicade, Social Security, Public schools, public works programs the the highway system. So in part, we've embraced certain aspects of socialism; although, I've never heard anyone opting for outright socialism. It's more a matter of where you draw the line.

2. Just becuase people liked Obama they're automatically lemmings roped into a cult of personality? What do you call people on the right that constantly talk about Reagan?

3. I hate to tell you, but America has been multi-cultural for a while, and is only getting more so. The original poster is right, keep on with the anti-everyone-but-people-exactly-like-me rants we'll keep losing elections for fiscal conservative like me.

4. I think it's possible to be small gov't, fiscal responsible and not be a Diet Dem.

 

Talk to the issue and save the rants!

 

Thanks for your irrelevant reply

Submitted by Big Ben 4 liberty on Wed, 11/05/2008 - 18:07.

But I was reposniding to the man who says no to real coinseravtives but it offends the pseudo-conservative elites around the world.  And my post is about defending American values of limited government, defending ourselves against our enemies instead of apeasement.  If that offends you then belong in a Third World hellhole.  If foeriegn peoples want to become Americans then then I am all for it but they will have to assimilate to our American values of free-market capitalism, limited government and individual inyiative or we will balkanize and eventually become Yugoslavia circa 1992.

Time for a change

Submitted by cr on Wed, 11/05/2008 - 08:12.

If you ever have the chance, visit DC and go to the Lincoln Memorial . . . . at night. There's something different about being there at that time, after all (most) of the tourists are gone, and the goverment has closed up shop for the day.

Certainly Lincoln's was the hardest presidency, and certainly he is the best of presidents. It is one thing for a country to fight a forign enemy, but another thing entirely to fight itself. He did that, and he did it with a profound understanding and graciousness for those he disagreed with.

It's quite strange that two men from Illinois would would cap two distinct periods for African Americans. I hope that many of the old grudges can be laid to rest. Michelle Obama got quit a bit of criticism for her comment about being a proud american for the first time. But for many blacks, it is. One can only hope that now being black in America is defined more by the individual than by a long and prejudiced past.

For the Dems, I hope they steer toward a path that holds that goverment can open doors to opportunity, but that individuals must walk through that door themselves. Our lives truely start they day we take reposibility for our own circumstances.

And for Republicans, I can only hope that this ends the 'divide and conquer' political tactics started by Nixon and perfected by Rove. That has won elections, but it hasn't moved the country as a whole furthur down a path. I hope the Repblicans, like Lincoln, move toward solutions and a more kinder respect for dissent.

Welcome to a different kind of four years.

out of the ashes

Submitted by int on Wed, 11/05/2008 - 08:56.

Some people say that if they have to lose something, they want to lose it big. If you're a Republican who feels that way, then you must have a strange sense of satisfaction right now :)

Personally, I've been drinking the left's kool-aid for many years now. The 2000 result left me dissapointed, and the 2004 result left me devastated.

But at some point over the last 18 months, things started to look a bit odd. Something didn't seem right. I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was a change in dynamic - probably in part due to the impact of the mid-term elections. But in recent months I came to realise what the problem was; the media really is imbalanced, and not in a small way. Bias was almost unmissable in the climax of the campaign, with secondary news sites (e.g. late night and faux news) favoring Obama by a ratio of 7-to-1. Post-911, the left charged that Bush received a lot of free passes from the media, until Katrina. I think there was a lot of truth to that. And already I find myself wondering what Obama'a Katrina will be.

I wish I could say he wouldn't need a Katrina to have adequate checks-and-balances to keep him in line, but I am pessimistic that the right can regroup in a meaningful way in time for the mid-term.

Pessimistic. But hopeful. Oh, the audacity!

On to more pressing matters, if it isn't too soon: should ranking Republicans accept appointments to an Obama cabinet? He is surely obligated to make overtures, at least. And if even 2012 is out of reach (which it may very well be), would Republican involvement in an Obama White House make a 2016 run more viable?

I'm a Malaysian living in Australia, who has held an interest in American politics ever since Al Gore came to Malaysia and lectured us against the idea of government bailouts during our 1997 financial crisis (and yes, the irony has been trumpeted by our local pundits - to smug effect). I've been lurking on this site for a couple of weeks now, and I've been very impressed with the quality of the discourse and conversation here! I look forward to observing the re-birth of a movement, via RSS feed.

Very well said

Submitted by jro on Wed, 11/05/2008 - 13:06.

Thank you, Matt, for talking about things going forward.  So much of what is written and espoused has to do with what people said or did or thought or tried -- everything in the past.

We have such a tough road ahead of us -- all of us.  Thank you for keeping the conversation out in front -- not in the past, which fixes jack squat.

Well done, sir.

A question...

Submitted by MeganKent on Thu, 11/06/2008 - 00:45.

I'm still loving this site, where I get to read smart, sane conservative opinions. I like this letter a lot. However, when I hit this line...

I will do my utmost to fight against every one of your proporsals that limits freedom, and fight for every one of your proposals that promote freedom...

...I had a question: How does this sentiment fit (or does it fit) with social conservative concerns about limiting abortion, gay marriage, etc.? Are these social issues separate from other, more political conservative issues?

I too would like an answer to this.

Submitted by smckenzie23 on Thu, 11/06/2008 - 19:37.

It seems there is a split on the right between libratarian and social conservatives. While I can understand libratarianism, and I can understand the arguments against abortion, I can't for the life of me understand why someone can be so strongly against gay marriage other than pure bigotry.

Another thing I would like to say. This site is kinda blowing my mind.

I believe this is the only place I've seen rational thought coming out of the right, and not just talking points. I am a democrat, and I believe the netroots are changing the democratic party by leaps and bounds. If you guys succeed in transforming the right, both parties and America will be better for it. I hope to see the day when honest dialoge and and an informed electorate are the fabric of our democracy.

Three cheers for this site.