Opinions

AN OPEN LETTER TO:

Marc Racicot

Chairman, Republican National Committee

Dear Marc,

May I call you Marc, since your letter of March 1 had "Friend" marked through and "David" inserted?

Thank you for the 8 ½ x 11 signed glossy of George and Laura (suitable for framing). They look great, really all-American.

I am sorry that I will not be able to contribute $1,000, $500, $250, $100, $50, $35, or $25 to your campaign. In fact, I am surprised that you need my help, since I have read that the President has collected about $150 million dollars already, with a goal of $200 million.

Are you sure that you really need help from a retiree making less than, well, that’s nobody’s business, but I can assure you that it is well below six figures?

Marc, the reason that I do not feel like contributing to the President this year may be because I am just not compassionate enough. You see, I am having trouble equating "compassionate" with war, especially the one in Iraq, or the one on terror, for that matter.

Since I am a student of history, waving the bloody shirt as a political maneuver never appealed to me; however, it seems to be working pretty effectively right now. Even a lot of folks who I consider fairly intelligent are falling for it.

It also seems to be doing a pretty good job of keeping folks minds off the horrendous deficits "our" party is generating, as well as the job losses of the past few years, many of them caused by the export of millions of jobs. This is not helping the folks at the bottom of the heap but is, no doubt, helping some of your supporters make that $1,000 contribution without breaking a sweat.

I was surprised to discover that the free enterprise system that we Republicans espoused really meant no-bid contracts for your and Dick’s Texas friend, Halliburton.

I still call myself a Republican, Marc, although I am beginning to wonder why, given the performance of your boss and his cronies the past few years. In fact I am pretty upset with you people, since you have backed me into a corner and the other side doesn’t present much of an option.

I may stay home on election day. I may even be available that day to come out to Crawford and cut the President’s grass. That picture showed it getting pretty wooly. And the liriope looks pitiful.

You think maybe the President could use a yardman? I work pretty cheap, but, then, he could probably get one of "those" people cheaper….you know, the ones he is welcoming in from new "South Texas" that are keeping the below minimum wage intact.

Since you are getting in such a financial bind, you can save a little money by not sending me any more pictures or blue status cards. Give them to a Halliburton employee or an Enron executive…one of those who turned states’evidence and was able to keep the money and stay out of jail.

And when you see George and Laura, tell them I said "Hey".

Yours truly,

Dave