Democratic National Headquarters
Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
House Democratic Leader

Dear Friend,

How will George W.. Bush be remembered in the history books? As a "uniter, not a divider?" Please.

At a time when Americans need to come together and honestly confront the problems we face at home and abroad, the Gap ran a divisive campaign on "issues" like gay marriage that are driving people apart and distracting from the real work we need to do to get this country moving in the right direction again.

Here's how I think George W. Bush will be remembered: As one of the worst presidents in American history. As a man who pushed the most radical, short-sighted and mean-spirited agenda any of us have ever seen. If I were a betting woman, I'd wager you agree.

But rather than speculate, why don't you take the enclosed George W. Bush Disapproval Poll and use it to tell me how high (I doubt it) or how low President Bush ranks with you. It's your chance to tell me exactly what you think of the 43rd President. If you give George W.. Bush grades of A or B, then I have bad news: First, you are a Republican. Second, you are going to be on the losing side of history.

BUT...if you give George W. Bush C's D's or F's, then you are a true-blue Democrat and I urge you to join us in our fight to hold the line against President Bush's radical agenda and begin laying the groundwork for victory in the 2006 mid-term elections. Because if you disapprove of President Bush and the GOP-controlled Congress as much as you say you do, then you must get off the sidelines, roll up your sleeves, and help us choose new leadership in 2006 -Democratic leadership that will stand up to George W. Bush and the right-wing extremists and greedy corporate special interests that have their hooks into him.

My name is Nancy Pelosi. I am a Democratic congresswoman from California, and the House Democratic Leader. Committee DCCC and our movement to give America the new leadership -- Democratic leadership -- it desperately needs. I so hope you will become a member with a generous contribution of $25, $50, $100 or whatever you can afford to spend to take on George W. Bush and defeat his rightwing allies in the vitally important mid-term elections.

It is never too soon to begin preparing our strategy and picking top-notch candidates for the next election. So, all across America, the DCCC is generating momentum for a Democratic victory. As part of our efforts, we are reaching out to voters and telling them the truth about President Bush.

Why? Because America simply cannot afford to allow President Bush to act unopposed any longer. We must defeat his toady Congress and strip him of his power to ram his agenda down America's throat. His agenda, I'm sure you will agree, has been an unmitigated disaster.

Allow me to throw just a few numbers at you. ..

... 1,169,000 -- the number of American jobs that have been lost since George W. Bush became president ...
... 43.6 million -- the number of Americans without health insurance ...
... $1 trillion -- the amount President Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy, if made permanent as the President wants, would cost this country over the next ten years.
.,. $93,500 -- the amount of President Bush's tax cut for those making over $1 million per year. Yet because of the skyrocketing deficit caused by these reckless tax cuts for the wealthiest, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan stated that cuts in Social Security benefits would be necessary for our nation's seniors...
...485,000 P -- the number of kids George W. Bush eliminated from after-school programs ...
...Or $7,217,762,361,782.23 -- the national debt (your share is $24,512.70. So is your spouse's. Have children? They each owe that much. And their children do too. Remember when we had a surplus under President Clinton?)

But I don't think I have to convince you with numbers that George W. Bush has been a train wreck. I think you feel it, deep down in that Democratic soul of yours, every time he goes on television and suggests, "Trust me." The sad truth is that we can't trust the President. He hasn't been straight with us from the very beginning. For example. ..

His "Healthy Forests Initiative" is a blueprint for clear-cutting America's forests.
His "No Child Left Behind Act" leaves millions and millions of kids behind.
He said he cared about the struggles of American workers in a depressed economy. ..but he tried to rob eight million of them, including veterans, of their overtime pay.

But I haven't gotten to the biggest misrepresentation of them all - Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction. That reckless claim has cost American families the lives of more than 1,000 of their loved ones and saddled taxpayers with a growing financial burden. In my opinion, misleading this nation into war is unforgivable and is all the reason anyone should need to never trust President Bush again.

We need to mount a fierce resistance to the President's assault on our American values and begin doing the work necessary to cut his legs out from under him by defeating his Congress in the mid-term elections. Because if we give this man free reign the next four years, here's what he will do:

.Bankrupt the Social Security Trust Fund that millions of elderly Americans rely on to live with dignity after a lifetime of hard work.

.Wreck the economy with permanent tax cuts for the wealthy and crippling, astronomical debt. Incredibly, in one of their first major actions after the election, America's debt level -further mortgaging our futures.

.Put millions more Americans out of work and send their jobs overseas.

.Dismantle Medicare and give more handouts to private insurance and pharmaceutical companies.

.Reverse decades of environmental progress and spoil America's remaining natural treasures like the Arctic Natural Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.

.I'd like to think that President Bush would never again send our troops to die under false pretenses as he did in Iraq, but he just can't be trusted. The only way to ensure that he never again needlessly jeopardizes the lives of American soldiers is to elect a Democratic Congress that will take that power away from him.

America is a strong nation, full of proud, hard-working people who care about our collective future. It's going to take more than George W. Bush and his rogue gallery of radical right-wing Republicans to ruin this great country. But do you really want to give him another four years to try?

Believe me, politics is a full contact sport. And if we are to spare America four more years of Bush running wild and wreaking havoc, then people like you -who share our Democratic values -must get in the ring and land a few blows to the Republican political machine. It's up to us as Democrats to hold the line against George W. Bush until we defeat his Congress and send him into history as a speed bump on the road of American progress.

Can I count on you to help us do it?

We have recruited talented candidates and are laying the foundation for a Democratic victory in 2006. But President Bush's congressional lapdogs have raised hundreds of millions of dollars in special interest money and will stop at nothing to cling to power. So if we are to compete. we urgently need the support of people like you.

I hope you will accept this invitation to join the DCCC with a generous membership contribution of $25, $50, $100 or even more if you possibly can.
I look forward to hearing from you. Please respond today.

Sincerely,
Nancy Pelosi
House Democratic Leader

P.S. What grades has George W. Bush earned in his first term as president? Take a moment to fill out the enclosed George W. Bush Disapproval Poll and decide for yourself. If you give the President C's. D's or F's. I urge you to join the DCCC and help us see that President Bush gets the grounding he deserves. Thank you.

George W. Bush Disapproval Poll
What do you think of the job George W. Bush has done as President? Do you think he deserves another four years to push his radical right-wing agenda? Can he be trusted? Fill out the poll below to grade George W. Bush. Beneath each question, please circle the grade that you feel the President has earned. Then, if you have given him C's, D's or F's, take a moment to join the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and our movement to give America grade-A leadership in the White House and Congress.

JOBS
Since George W. Bush took office, more than 1 million American jobs have been lost. How would you grade President Bush's record on jobs?
A B C D F

TAX CUTS
Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy are mostly responsible for the record budget deficit that is approaching the level of fiscal crisis. Now he wants to make them permanent. How would you grade President Bush's tax cuts for millionaires?
A B C D F

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
President Bush supported a Republican bill that prohibits Medicare from negotiating lower prescription drug prices from the pharmaceutical companies. How would you grade President Bush on reducing the price of prescription drugs for seniors?
A B C D F

IRAQ
The weapons of mass destruction that President Bush used to justify his preemptive invasion of Iraq are nowhere to be found. Now the President is trying to deny ever saying that Iraq had these weapons. How would you grade President Bush's honesty with regard to the war in Iraq?
A B C D F

EDUCATION
The President's budget underfunds his own "No Child Left Behind Act" by $7 billion, denying 4.6 million children the better teachers, smaller classes and extra help the Act promises. How would you grade President Bush's record on education for our kids?
A B C D F

BONUS QUESTION
Do you want George W. Bush to be allowed to do as he pleases the next four years? If you don't, then it's time to step up and do something about it.
YES NO

The DCCC is taking on George W Bush and the radical Republicans controlling Congress, but we need your support to throw up roadblocks to his irresponsible, fanatical agenda until we win a Democratic victory in the 2006 mid-term elections. Please join us today.