Letters to the Editor
rphillips111
Published Letters: 222 Editor's Choice: 3
-
Mike, A Series of Miscalculations
[Read the article: How Hillary Clinton botched the black vote]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Hillary Clinton not only courted the black vote in 2007, she pandered to it, as did John Edwards. Neither of them used their campaigns to to criticize Barack Obama and his record and plans, in part because they wre so "sensitive" to the black community.
He was assistedby by the media and allowed by the Democratic candidates to create his image of "above politics", "post'racial", agent of amorphous "change" which all the disaffected could buy into. His early money came from wealthy whites and a lot of middle class professional blacks. So he won the Iowa caucuses, and the black establishment--sensing a serious black presence in the 2008 election--began to defect from Hillary to Obama.
Had Reverend Wright come out of the woodwork last fall--and his relationship with Obama was well known by the media and democratic leaders--Obama would not have won the Iowa caucus, nor most of that string of 11 primary victories--except in the southern states he won't carry this fall.
The media sat on the Wright story until it was too late, then helped limit the damage to Obama by claiming his Philadelphia speech aplogizing for and embracing Wright and the whole "civil rights" mythology including reparations was a wonderful document. Wright and Obama are not just friends, they have many common agendas, and the distance between them is from political convenience right now. That is all.
-
Hillary as VP
[Read the article: Obama Veepstakes]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It has been rare if ever an individual wanted to be Vice President, unless perhaps they thought the top of the ticket would die or be removed from office in short order.
This year may be different. Hillary Clinton, if we are to believe Stephanopoulous, actually would like the number two spot if she can't be the nominee. And if she wants it, Obama cannot deny Hillary the VP spot.
Barack Obama and particularly his fanatic supporters would have to hold their noses and almost paint smiles on their faces to acquiese to this demand. After all, his surrogates have trashed Clinton unmercifully the past several months and it will be hard to swallow all those hard wards.
But there is something else. Vice President Hillary Clinton will not stay in the kitchen and bake cookies for President Barack. She will be an independent and opinionated Vice President, and Obama and Mrs. Obama will have to deal with her on issues and policy. She will not have the clout Barack's cousin Cheney has in the Bush White House, but Hillary Clinton will be a restraining influence on the first marxist couple in the White House.
The energy required just to keep the spats between them out of the media will be enornous, even with the expected media co-operation due to media respect and admiration for "The First African-American President".
But, it will be worth it to Obama, because it will add a lot of strenght to the ticket at the ballot box. And it will prove that the first "post racial" the above the fray, new kind of Presidental wannabe who doen't engage in politics as usual is indeed an old style back room deal-making pol in the "best" Chicago tradition.
-
SAMBO NUNN THE VP ONE
[Read the article: Obama Veepstakes]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I think Sam Nunn is actually Obama's personal and poltical firsrt choice for VP. That's what I thought when Sam announced for Obama.
Not only is Sam and old Capitol rat with a lot of inside friends, so to speak, he has a fanatical devotion to mobilization of the population, especially the young, through compulsory national service. Marxist Obama loves the idea, too, only "voluntary" (Yeah, right).
He went to the US Senate to save the Draft. When he failed in that plan, he spent the rest of his career trying to bring it back. He almost succeeded after the Iranian embassy takeover in 1978, till Reagan promised there would be no new draft in the 1980 campaign and ruined Sam's most passionate hopes. Sam will appeal to a lot of military industrial complex types, again proving Obama is really and old style backroom politician in the best Chicago tradition.
Sam wanted badly to become Presidnet, so badly in fact, that he and fellow presidential wanna-bes Jay Rockefeller, Charles Robb, and Bill Bradley formed the Democratic Leadership Council in the 1979s to get corporation backing for democrats.
Now he knows he won't be President, and Obama knows he will be a "safe VP' and not a future threat.
But I still think the position is Hillary's if she really wants it.
-
Edwards for VP?
[Read the article: Obama Veepstakes]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]John Edwards was the best Candidate the Democrats had for President in 2004 or 2008, but he wasn't black and he wasn't a woman so Democrats didn't pick him.
Edwards will not be President now, ever. Least of all if he runs as Barack Obama's Vice President and Obama is elected. Obama will be President for eight years, barring a wakeup by the nation's voters. If the voters do wake up after four years, Edwards will be too tarnished as part of the first marxist presidency in our history to ever be considered again.
So I hope John Edwards will not agree to be on the ticket as Vice Presidential candidate, if by some chance he is asked. Just say no to Obama, John.