Letters to the Editor
sesanders
Published Letters: 308 Editor's Choice: 18
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Ancientassyrian
[Read the article: How Hillary Clinton botched the black vote]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Obama has had the entire media, including Salon, singing his praises for months. It is only recently that Rev. Wright hit the big time that Hillary has been treated somewhat fairly by the press. Actually, the media had been sitting on the Wright story for months and only covered it after it appeared on Youtube. THey couldn't suppress it any longer.
Obama is not experienced enough and he has made his own awful mistakes, namely defending Wright before he attacked him. He only rebuked the Reverend when it became evident that Wright was going to bury him. Also, Obama has made elitist remarks which have offended working class people. Who is going to vote for a snob who looks down on them? No candidate can run a perfect campaign...things are going to happen, unpleasant things...and to shake one's finger at one candidate for mistakes invites opponents to attack back.
Speaking of Rovian tactics, I think the Obama campaign used them artfully when they managed to convince the black people that Bill Clinton is a racist. I find that simply ludicrous and vicious. I am not convinced that Obama has the experience, leadership, or the confidence of the American people as a whole to be president. His falling poll numbers are a good indication that Hillary is still a very viable candidate.
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Ancientassyrian
[Read the article: How Hillary Clinton botched the black vote]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Don't tell me that insider knowledge of the White House is not rare, unique education for a politician, or that numerous diplomatic missions around the world are not valid experience, or that holding a high-level political office for eight years is not helpful preparation for the presidency, or being a close confidant and advisor to a sitting president is not meaningful education for a candidate ...especially when the candidate is as savvy and sharp as Hillary.
As for Hillary's Iraq vote, I will not bother you to remind you about how many Democrats under tremendous pressure voted for the stupid war. I, too, was very angry for a long time, but I have become convinced that Hillary will effectively and carefully pull us out of that quagmire. Nor do I believe Obama's one little speech against the war when he was not even in national office carries much weight or deems him adequately prepared to be president, especially, when one considers that he has since said that he didn't know how he would have voted had he been in the Senate (this little detail is never alluded to by his supporters).
As for Bill Clinton race baiting, I think that has been a Rovian construction of the Obama campaign planted in the minds of people to contain Bill Clinton...smear him, destroy his effectiveness in campaigning for Hillary. It was destructive to the party because it was divisive. If nothing else has set me against Obama it has been this one vicious little campaign tactic.
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LordByron
[Read the article: How Hillary Clinton botched the black vote]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Hillary's comment that it took President Johnson to get the Civil Rights Bill passed was never intended to minimize MLK...it was an off-hand remark about the importance of the presidency to achieve needed change. I read her remark and was shocked that anybody could find any deprecation in it at all for King. It is incredible to me! I do not think that Bill Clinton EVER intended to belittle the black people or cast dispersions on Obama's ancestry. Here, too, it was an off-hand remark in answer to a question from a meddlesome reporter who took an answer, twisted it to create a controversy, and was picked up on by the Obama campaign to be used in a cynical way to discredit Bill Clinton and thereby diminish his effectiveness in campaigning for Hillary. Talk about a lack of principal if you want to, but the Clinton campaign could just as easily say throw that stone at the Obama campaign.
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Racial and cultural dynamics
[Read the article: What does Hillary want?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Hillary's math is just fine and she knows that Obama is a very iffy candidate for the Democrats in November. I think Limbaugh today hit the nail on the head with his assessment of Obama's chances (I dislike Limbaugh just as other liberals do, but he is correct this time). Obama's appeal to liberals, the young, and blacks is not enough to win. He needs middle American votes, white votes and though no one would ever admit that race is the reason they are not voting for him, it is still a very realistic reason--- just as the blacks will not admit that race is driving their block voting. When the fact that Wright and Michelle's lack of love for America is added into the mix, more conservative Democrats will not vote for him...they'll go to McCain as ridiculous as that is. I also think that many Jews think that Obama is anti-semitic because of Wright...plus the Reverend didn't help him at all with Catholics.
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Walter__map
[Read the article: What does Hillary want?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Your mind reading of Hillary is in error. There is no reason for Hillary to drop out now...there are other primaries to win and it is not harming Democratic chances in the fall by seeing this thing through. In fact, when she loses (if she does), more white working class voters and other skeptics will be convinced that Obama can win because of winning. They will give up. In other words, they may begin to see him as an actual winner because many of us think he is a loser.
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Walter__map
[Read the article: What does Hillary want?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Who is the Republican rat? Me or Limbaugh? If you think I am, I've got news for you. Limbaugh could hardly sucker me because I have been making the same points for months. I may be wrong but I have not been suckered by Limbaugh. Of course, I believe I am right or I wouldn't bother to offer my opinion!
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sigmund5
[Read the article: What does Hillary want?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Disdainful references to my delusions do not convince me at all that Obama is a winner for Democrats. Your personal attack says more about you than it does me. Many intelligent, liberal Democrats are not convinced that Obama is our best candidate or that he can win in November!