Dear Mr. President

Not that he'll ever read this, but open letters are hardly ever written for the person in the "To:" line.

Sir,

It's 2011 and your re-election campaign starts now. Deplorably, the system as it stands is slowly accelerating in this direction. We've already had a G.O.P. debate and there will be many more, but you have to think long-term. You got healthcare, and you got the tax deal passed. But you need to out-do the GOP and stake your own claim on the title of "conservative," since they aren't acting conservative.

You need to insist on cuts in defense, which every informed person knows to have a ridiculously bloated budget. You need to embrace long-term deficit reduction, and confront the GOP with the choice that confronts all responsible parties in government: given that we are paying out more than we take in, what will be cut, or where will extra revenue be raised? You need to make these choices obvious and apparent, so that a public with a short attention span can see that the President is working while the opposition is talking.

And you need to escape the bubble. Somehow.

-Will