An Open Letter to Senator Obama

Dear Senator Obama,

Now is the time! There is no better time than the present to select Senator Evan Bayh as your vice presidential candidate. He's the man for the job. You and I both know it. You need to hit this one out of the park. A single, a double, a triple will not do. The polls are suggesting that you have lost some ground and, while we both know the margin of error on these polls can swing pretty much in either candidates direction, it's time to seize the day!

The Senator represents all of the qualities you need in a vice presidential candidate. He's been a governor and senator. His family is the equivalent to the Kennedy's in Indiana. He graduated with honors in business, economics and public policy from Indiana University, has a J.D. from the University of Virginia. His margins of victory for both governor and senator (he was governor for two consecutive terms before becoming senator) gave him the highest percentage re-election vote in state history. Not to mention winning his seat as senator of Indiana in 1998 with 64% of the vote, the largest victory margin ever by a Democrat in a U.S. Senate race in Indiana.

It's actually quite unbelievable. He's presidential -- he's very much like former President Bill Clinton in that he's not too far to the left. He's a moderate and his track record speaks for itself. As governor, he didn't raise taxes, he executed the largest single tax cut for the state and the largest budget surplus in state history. He's got the military chops, especially given his role on the Senate Committee for Armed Services. Frankly, it's a no brainer.

One of the most compelling reasons to choose him is because he won't allow House Majority Speaker Nancy Pelosi to run circles around him. I hate to say this, but the House Speaker is your greatest liability right now. The rumblings around the Hill that she's telling Congressional leaders to walk the walk and talk the talk to their constituents on offshore drilling and rising gasoline prices while suggesting she will not budge on a compromise plan cannot be good for you or the Democratic Party. Perception may only be perception, and the spin machine is just that, but right now perception is all that matters and the House Speaker is hurting your campaign. Has she forgotten what she said when she was sworn in as speaker? "I accept this gavel in the spirit of partnership, not partisanship, and I look forward to working with you (Minority Leader John Boehner) and the Republicans in Congress for the good of the American people." Frankly, when she appears on Sunday morning talk shows with the names of people she would recommend as VP, it's hard to consider those candidates seriously. Not because she lacks the leadership, the credentials, the know-how or the contacts, but because she appears to have lost touch with her core constituency. Do you honestly believe Americans are thinking about the "use it or lose it" provision on 68 million acres that oil companies have had access to? They could care less. Do you honestly believe that Americans know or care about the difference between swapping light sweet crude for heavier, harder to refine crude in the strategic petroleum reserve?

Senator Obama, time is of the essence. At the end of the day people just want to be connected to someone who will give them the cold, hard, honest facts, even when they don't like it. There are people walking around saying that oil is down 20% because the president said he would lift the moratorium on offshore drilling. That's nonsense. Do you know why oil is down 20%? It's down because we, the American people, cut back. We're driving less. Demanding less. Cost-cutting. Pinching. Strategizing. We deserve the credit. Not Washington DC, the President, Congress or OPEC.

I've written one too many blogs about the need for the president to call Congress back into session to sign an energy bill into law. I'm over it! You know why? Congress has asked the energy executives to appear on the Hill day after day to give explanations for why oil is where it is and why they're making so much money. Has anything been resolved? Are we any smarter? No. Are they doing what every single corporation is supposed to do, make money for their shareholders? Absolutely. Should they get oversized tax breaks as opposed to other corporations? No. Should the tax breaks have some correlation to the tax receipts they give to the government? Yes. Is a windfall profit tax ever going to happen? No.

I'm all about the law of averages. Frankly, a major league baseball player is pretty happy with a batting average north of .300. Wouldn't you be the same? How many proposals or promises have past presidential candidates made and failed to deliver? Some by their own volition and some because of the circumstances they inherited. Isn't it in your best interest to think like a batter going up to the plate? Which pitches are worth taking? Where and when will you settle for a single or a double? How many times will you stastically hit a homerun?

I think the American people are tired of the blame game. We're a lot smarter than people give us credit for. Everyone of us knows we overspent, overindulged, overdid it and that we are now paying the price for our excesses. My grandparents saved quarters in jars and put every extra dollar toward their retirement and their kids education. We have lived in a world of extreme excess and now we have to learn how to turn back the clock. The savings rate in this country is a disgrace; the swelling budget deficit an embarrassment. We have one choice and one choice only: to look deep into our souls and ask ourselves what do we want this country to be for our children. Will we spend our way out of this depressed economy or will we save our way out? You have a choice. You can select a running mate and lay out a game plan that will lead you to victory. Let's face it. You're already in the World Series. Who do you want to be?  Joe Torre or Lou Piniella? Or, better yet, Davey Johnson going for the gold?

Alexis

P.S. On the night of June 3rd, you walked on to the stage in St. Paul, Minnesota, declared victory and became the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee. The song in the background as you walked up to the podium was "It's a Beautiful Day," by U2. Today, as I ran on the treadmill, I listened to the lyrics on my iPod and they reminded me once again of what you said that evening.

Remember...............the words.......

The heart is a bloom
Shoots up through the stony ground
There's no room
No space to rent in this town

You're out of luck
And the reason that you had to care
The traffic is stuck
And you're not moving anywhere

You thought you'd found a friend
To take you out of this place
Someone you could lend a hand
In return for grace

It's a beautiful day
Sky falls, you feel like
It's a beautiful day
Don't let it get away