Letter to the Editor NYTimes: President Obama has re-written the Democratic Party Platform

In his speech last night and during his presidency, President Obama has re-written and re-characterized the platform of the Democratic Party. He has also abandoned his role as the leader of the Party and created his own, parallel organization. Two of the most glaring platform changes are with energy and schools. The president's advocacy of nuclear and safe-coal are in direct opposition to the spirit and the letter of the Party platform. Nuclear energy is the most expensive and problematical source of energy available. Wall Street will not finance it; it must be financed on the back of consumers. It is 20th century technology in the 21st century. The cost of solar is dropping like a rock as the technology is advancing logarithmically. New models for creating decentralized solar energy, including home and business based production as in the Gainesville model, offer creative options. Also wind offers many innovative and clean, safe energy prospects; energy efficiency and energy conservation are the vernacular of those informed on current energy alternatives. Hydro-electric and geothermal are other available options. Before his election President Obama offered a rebuilding of the economy based partly on the solar and wind energy industries; how does his current advocacy of nuclear and clean-coal, an oxymoron if ever there was one, as outlined in his State of the Union address square with his original energy based economic recovery plan? One can only assume that he has sold out to the opposition on energy and abandoned the fundamental values of his party base. He does this at his political peril. The Democratic Party base at the time of November, 2009 election advocated public schools; it did not advocate or condone charter schools. Now it condones charter schools, without vouchers. The First Ammendment is precious to the Democratic Party base and most of those members see charter schools as a circumventing of the Ammendment. When you see the base abandoning Mr. Obama this will be one of the reasons. And his advocating of "clean coal" is another irritating and offensive straw on the camel's back. President Obama has drawn the wagons around his office and is working behind his fortress walls with the same team that put him in office. He apparently has not noticed that the election is over and it is time to include the Democratic Party and a wider circle of opinions and ideas in his mix of advisors and thinkers. Somebody must tell the emporer about his clothes; he is in dishabille.