Letters to the Editor
TRenee
Published Letters: 314
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KateTex
[Read the article: Breaking the Democratic deadlock]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]There are TONS of nice and rational Obama supporters. Admittedly Clinton supporters have gotten me super angry from time to time (most definitely you have gotten me upset at some of the stuff you've posted), but, girlfriend, I'm starting to think you have the blinders on and only read that which will upset you. I'm starting to get over my anger at Clinton supporters. It really helps the stress levels. You should take Sugarman's advice and learn to scroll past the people who offend you most.
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jebldmm, KateTex
[Read the article: How Hillary Clinton botched the black vote]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]And other Clinton apologists. Black people are a lot more sophisticated than you are giving them credit for. I know many black people who supported Clinton after the fairy tale remarks, after LBJ vs. MLK. In my small sample, people began to question their Clinton support after Geraldine Ferraro's comments and the Reverend Wright fiasco.
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libertyson
[Read the article: How Hillary Clinton botched the black vote]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Tell 'em like it is.
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Black mothers and Hillary Clinton
[Read the article: How Hillary Clinton botched the black vote]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Last December, I asked both my mom and my grandmother who they were voting for. Politics is usually the last thing I talk about with my family (I’m the junkie, not them), but I was curious to know how the felt the race (no pun intended) was shaking out.
My 54-year-old mom, of course, said Hillary Clinton “because she’s a female.” I turned to my 73-year-old granny expecting much of the same. But she shocked me by saying: “I already voted absentee (she lives in Mississippi, but spends several months in Chicago every year at my mom’s house) and I voted for your man, Barack.” (Now, how’d she know I was supporting Barack? Must’ve been that big Obama. Change. ’08 button I was wearing. The bumper sticker could’ve tipped her off, too.) Two things made me super proud at that moment: One, my grandmother voted absentee and it was only December, and, two, she was voting for Barack Obama before any black person (besides me, of course) indicated they were not behind “Big Billy’s” wife, Hillary.
I asked both my mom and my grandmother the reasons for their subsequent positions. My mom’s reply was that that she liked Bill Clinton and was sure his wife would do a good job of running the country, because, well, a woman always does it better. When I, the policy wonk, tried to detail what I had seen as Hillary’s legislative faults during her terms as a senator, my mom got visibly upset. “Stop picking on that poor woman,” she said to me. “You’re being too hard on her.”
I turned to my granny. I was curious why she was supporting a relatively unknown politician, I mean, she’s not like posters on Salon…she was more concerned with her vegetable patch than politics. It turns out, she had seen him speak on TV and was impressed with his position on changing politics in D.C. “You know people died for our right to vote,” she said, “we shouldn’t ever forget that. But in all my years of voting, these damn politicians ain’t done nothing for me, ain’t done nothing for my family, ain’t done nothing for my neighbor. All they do is lie. Way I see it, it’s time to clean the garbage out and your man is promising to do it.” My granny never spoke wiser words.
I stopped by again some weeks later, following Bill’s comment about Jesse Jackson and Hillary’s about LBJ/MLK. My mom was still supporting Hillary. It didn’t seem as if anything could shake her resolve. “Don’t you read the news, ma?” I cried. “The Clinton’s are race-baiting!” I was getting emotional.
“Please,” she said with an eye-roll. “I don’t care about that. And what the hell does race-baiting mean?”
The next time I saw her, Ferraro’s comments had been stewing for a few days. “I sure hope Hillary says something about that and puts that woman in her place,” she said with a worried look her eyes. But Hillary didn’t. I talked to my mom on the phone in the following week and, boy, was she ANGRY. I started talking up Obama. Maybe I could gain some traction here.
A month ago, it was my granny’s 74th birthday, so I traveled to the South Side again to wish her a happy b-day. Stories about Reverend Wright were swirling around and I asked my mom what she thought of her girl Hillary now.
Mind you, my mom does not pay attention to the blogosphere (she has a weird technology phobia), does not read alternative liberal media (“What the hell is HuffPo?”) and barely reads the newspaper (if she does, it’s mostly for the recipes and coupons).
“Hillary is NOT my girl,” was her reply. “Have you heard how they treating that poor reverend.” Then she went on a tirade about how racist Hillary was, with my granny “mmmhmming” in the background. As I listened, my mouth became a round O; I thought I’d never see the day. My mom even regretted her vote for Hillary, while Obama had become her new champion. Hillary definitely lost my mother’s vote (and all her working-class white, black and Filipino nurse co-workers votes, as well). I wonder how many other black mothers found themselves feeling abandoned by Clinton’s campaign.
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Yeah, delores
[Read the article: How Hillary Clinton botched the black vote]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Don't listen to the haters; you rock.
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deloresflower
[Read the article: How Hillary Clinton botched the black vote]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The thought that Shawn could've been talking about me never even crossed my mind. But, boy, that would be RICH! ShawnWM calling me a troll?! That's kinda funny. To dispel any of those notions, it all comes straight from the heart.