The following was sent to the Obama campaign headquarters in Chicago this morning at 10 a.m. EST:
Dear Senator Obama:
I viewed with great interest your new ad, "Real Change," in which you declare that this year, "change has to be more than a slogan." On this critical point, at this critical time, I believe you and I have found common ground.
Earlier this year I wrote a book entitled Real Change: From the World that Fails to the World that Works. The premise of Real Change is that Americans - Democrats, Republicans and independents - are united in their desire for change. But you're absolutely correct - "change" can't just be a slogan. So Real Change outlines specific solutions for the energy, environment, immigration, education, retirement, economic and health care challenges we face.
I'm also General Chairman of an organization, American Solutions for Winning the Future, that was founded to rise above traditional, gridlocked partisanship to find the solutions that will bring about real change.
I'm writing you today to invite you to be a part of an exciting initiative to engage the American people in moving "real change" from a slogan to a reality.
On September 27, American Solutions will join with citizen activists and elected officials across the country to participate in our second annual Solutions Day.
Last year, on our inaugural Solutions Day, over 100,000 Americans participated in person and online in more than 35 workshops at six different locations across the country to find solutions in education, health care, energy and the environment. It was a truly bipartisan event. Democrats including Roy Romer and Elaine Kamarck led workshops along with Republicans such as Dick Armey and Mike Huckabee.
This year, the theme of Solutions Day 2008 will be "We Have the Power." This theme is a reflection of the belief we share in the power and potential of citizen activism. As a template for this citizen activism, American Solutions has produced a tripartisan document called The Platform of the American People, which can be viewed at AmericanSolutions.com/Platform.
I invite you to learn more about Solutions Day at SolutionsDay2008.com. And then I invite you to join us on September 27 to outline your vision of real change in energy, the economy, education and health care. Of course, I know how busy your schedule is these days. So if you're unable to join us in person, we would be excited if you could submit a video of your ideas for real change.
This is an increasingly divided, partisan time in our national life. Solutions Day this September 27 will be an opportunity to genuinely put aside party and politics and concentrate - if only for a day - on the challenges that face us as a nation. Your voice and your commitment to a more hopeful and more prosperous America would be an invaluable contribution.
Yours sincerely,
An Invitation to You
All of you are invited to be a part of Solutions Day on September 27, either as observers or participants. We're especially looking for citizen leaders who are willing to host an event at their home and invite friends and family to attend. The theme of Solutions Day this year is "We Have the Power" and will focus on providing citizens with the tools, knowledge, and training to win America's future. All of Solutions Day will be broadcast live on DISH Network #219, DirecTV #577, and on the Internet.
Go to SolutionsDay2008.com to find out how you can actively shape our nation's solutions in energy, the economy, education and health care.
One of the major issues we will tackle on Solutions Day will be how to create affordable, abundant, safe, and reliable sources of American energy. My book with Vince Haley, Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less: A Handbook for Slashing Gas Prices and Solving Our Energy Needs will be out next Monday, September 22. In the meantime, it is available for pre-order here.
Also, "We Have the Power," a new movie hosted by Callista and me, and produced by Citizens United, will premier on Solutions Day. "We Have the Power" will outline the energy solutions that will work to lower gas prices, expand alternative energy production, and protect our environment. It was a fun and exciting project to work on. I hope you'll tune in at SolutionsDay2008.com.
When Did It Become Wrong For Our Leaders to Pray For Our Troops?
If you missed the interview Charlie Gibson had with Governor Palin last Thursday, you missed a very revealing moment that demonstrated just how out of touch our media elites are with the American people and American history.
During the exchange, ABC played a truncated clip of Governor Palin in her church praying for our troops, praying that their mission is in accordance with God's plan.
After reciting just a small portion of her prayer, Mr. Gibson glibly asked Governor Palin, "Are we fighting a holy war?"
One wonders if Mr. Gibson would have asked the same question to President Bill Clinton, John F. Kennedy, Franklin Roosevelt, or any of the other Presidents who have offered similar prayers for the troops in times of war.
We have made a video asking this very question, which you can watch at Newt.org.
And of course, my book Rediscovering God in America and the movie Callista and I made of the same name offers viewers a walking tour of the monuments and historical sites of Washington, D.C. to show our country's heritage of faith.
Your friend,
Newt Gingrich
P.S. - Columnist Jed Babbin has some good advice for Republicans this election year: They can win if they listen to the people. And what are the people saying? "Drill here, drill now..." Read Babbin's column here.
P.P.S. - In the Washington Post last weekend former Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky offered a tremendous insight into why Russia invaded the nation of Georgia.
The situation in Georgia is the culmination of a failed post-Cold War policy toward Russia. Central to this failure has been ignoring the inherent connection between internal freedom and external aggression. As democracy was rolled back within Russia, the world abandoned an approach that had been so effective during the later stages of the Cold War, when relations with the Kremlin were linked to the expansion of freedom inside the Soviet Union.
Read the whole thing here.
