Mr. President : You STILL Want Me To Donate?

I like our new president. I voted for him. I want him to succeed, if his goals are the ones he pledged during his campaign. But the latest email from his media guru, David Plouffe, leaves me cold. Here is his discussion of opponents of the president's agenda who say they want him to fail.

It makes you wonder whether they see the same thing we do.

Advocates for the status quo are calling for President Obama to fail while millions of families struggle. They're playing the same old political games and offering the same failed policies at a time of crisis.

In the coming days, opponents will do everything they can to destroy the President's proposed budget, a bold plan to help fix our broken economy and healthcare system and finally make energy and education the priority we all know they must be.

The change we need won't come without a fight -- no meaningful change ever does. Just like in the campaign, Barack Obama can't win without you by his side. Town by town, block by block, this grassroots movement is organizing and uniting Americans behind the President's plan.

But to finish what we started, we need resources.

Will you join the fight? Help reach 10,000 donors before Monday, April 13th -- make a donation of $25 or more today to help President Obama turn this country around.

Donate $25 or more by April 13th

Excuse me? Did you just ask me to donate so my president can lobby Congress? Read on.

We know that Washington won't change overnight. It'll take time, commitment, and money, but this grassroots movement can make change a reality -- affordable health care, a clean energy economy, and quality education for all. We know we are asking a lot from you -- but the stakes couldn't be higher.

It's why we worked so hard to elect President Obama, and he's counting on us to follow through. Today, you can make a difference.

Jo Ann from Charlotte, NC, has joined thousands of other supporters this week to support this movement and reject the same old politics:

I am a sixty-two year old woman on disability. I followed the election closely and did what I could to get Obama elected. Since he was inaugurated, I have watched in awe to see how much has already been accomplished. I live in Charlotte, NC where the unemployment rates are double digits and going up. My youngest son was out of work for 8 months because the company he worked for went out of business. So many workers and families are losing jobs and homes. There's so much more to be done, but this budget has to be passed and the programs have to be put into practice before things start to recover. That's why I support President Obama and his plans.


Americans like Jo Ann deserve better than the kind of divisive politics we've seen year after year. They deserve a truthful debate about real issues and a budget that will turn this economy around so that they can turn their lives around.

We need to seize this crucial moment to help pass this budget and invest in the one thing that can make President Obama's promises of change a reality -- the movement you built.

Before the Monday deadline, help reach our goal of 10,000 donors to strengthen this movement. Make a donation of $25 or more today:

It's a finely crafted letter, designed to pull at the heartstrings of the loyal recipients, the people who helped Barack Obama get elected. We certainly don't want him to face unreasoning opposition to his progressive programs. Do we?

Maybe we do. Maybe the whole point of our so-called democracy is to elect a leader, then allow the opposition to get in his way as much as possible so as to ensure that
his programs are thoroughly discussed, examined and vetted. I know we're in a financial emergency and I know that FDR pushed through reams of legislation during the Depression in a frantic effort to staunch the economy's bleeding. But did he go back to his supporters and ask for more money to do it?

This feels all wrong to me. And I wrote back to Plouffe and said so. I told him that this is my president. I pay my taxes. His job is now to work with Congress to get the programs passed that he promised in his campaign. Asking voters for money to lobby Congress is inappropriate.

I support our president, but I won't support him blindly. I think he is making some mistakes, especially in not immediately rolling back Bush-era orders that undermine our Constitutional rights. I think he's a charismatic leader in an uncertain time, and that can easily lead to abuses of power.

I read the Bilderberger conspiracy theories and realize there is probably an element of truth there - global politics and business are inextricably entwined and it's one big club - why wouldn't they meet and set an agenda? President Obama probably couldn't have been elected without support from corporations. And don't call them Corporate America anymore - there is no such thing. Any corporation with clout is multi-national now.

I am still delighted that we were spared a McCain presidency. But I cannot entirely trust this president who promised so much but seems to be pulling back into a more centrist position. Blind worship is for sheep. I will support our president when I believe he is right and I will speak out when I believe he is wrong.

Allowing the DNC to solicit money from voters struggling in a recession is wrong.