Letters to the Editor
TRenee
Published Letters: 318
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TinyBubbles
[Read the article: Women and Clinton: Damned if they vote, damned if they don't?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Currently, there is only one black Senator: Barack Obama.
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Always late to the party, LeCastor
[Read the article: Most Dems want Clinton to keep running, conditionally]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I work so I can't always respond to this things immediately.
Le Castor, I live in Chicago and watched Barack Obama come from nowhere to win his Senate position. How did he do this? By uniting voters across a very diverse state (liberal in Chicago and surrounding areas, conservative downstate). Historically, the city elects Democrats and downstate elects Republicans (though this has been changing in the past few years with all the scandals fueled by Republican misdeeds). If you don't believe me, consider that, before his death, Henry Hyde was one our representatives.
I am not sure how this makes sense. If you're talking about the state senate, Obama was elected from the 13th district, which, even after being redrawn is solidly Democratic Chicago, and has nothing to do with downstate Republicans. So, i'm really not sure what you're trying to claim Obama did here.
If you're talking about the US Senate, and you really do live in Chicago, then it is the height of bad faith for you to omit the fact that Obama was running against Jack Ryan for the US Senate seat, and Ryan had to drop out of the race, and then Obama ran against psycho Alan Keyes. Basically, Obama ran unopposed after Ryan dropped out.
I am, indeed talking about the US Senate race. Because I live in Chicago, I have a more nuanced perspective of that race than you. First, in the beginning of the race, Ryan was ahead of Obama. Gradually, as more of the dirty laundry sex clubs stuff came out, Obama gained an edge. I don't know exactly how much time elapsed before he dropped out (maybe two months before the vote?), but Ryan was in it for MOST of the race, and he was a popular candidate with Republicans. He was booted by his party for lying about sex clubs, not the voters. Keyes came in at the tail-end of the race and lost, not because he was a psycho, but because he was from not Illinois. For you to discount Obama's strides in creating a coalition across the state because Jack Ryan dropped out is faulty. He was not as weak a candidate as people like to portay him now. Many of his supporters conteded that matters between husband and wife should stay private and not be a campaign issue. It's not like Ryan committed some horrible atrocity; he went to sex clubs with his wife. It's also significant the the seat Obama won was a Republican one.
Additionally, Chicago is well known as a city where machine politics rule. When people talk about his Senate win here, rarely is the primary mentioned. Barack Obama came out against the machine, DALEY'S MAN, (Dan Hines) and beat him. Perhaps if you're not from Chicago, you don't understand the import of this. Nobody around here beats Daley.
Now you're talking the US Senate win. I don't know enough about that particular election, but if it is as you say it is, maybe he's really good at running against fellow Democrats in primaries? Because we have yet to see him win against any meaningful Republican opposition.
My point here is that Obama came out of nowhere to beat a highly favored machine candidate. It's irrelevant that the candidate was a Democrat.
One last observation: Le Castor, if you want to point out how weak Obama is and convince others that Clinton is the superior candidate, a better response would be to engage in a serious and substantive discussion of the candidates rather than just name-calling. Tearing down the opposing candidate is not the best way to defend your own; try actually writing about what Clinton has done in her time as legislator that you find outstanding.
Your sanctimonious soapbox speech is not very compelling.
Nor are your infantile observations. I still don't see you talking about why Hillary should be our choice.
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:(
[Read the article: Some Ohio counties still voting, but networks call the state for McCain]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I heard the same thing on MSNBC about Clinton winning large numbers of voters who considered race. I was shocked. And disappointed. Seems like race does still matter.
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jebldmm, Obama's not the one making it about race
[Read the article: Quote of the day]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]See for yourself:
"It's also interesting to note that in Ohio, 1-in-5 Democratic voters (20%) said race was an important factor in making their decision. In that group, 8-in-10 voted for Hillary Clinton."
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/03/04/730736.aspx
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L.W.M.
[Read the article: The "Rezko" game]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I wouldn't characterize Hyde Park (I attended Kenwood high school in Hyde Park) as a fancy rich person's neighborhood. It's not the ghetto or anything, but hardly filled with billionaires. (It's University of Chicago territory and is home to mostly middle class families, but also home to those not doing so well economically. And yes, really rich people live there, too, but I would say they're the exception.)
It does have a strong progressive political history, however (Jesse Jackson, Carol Mosley Braun and others besides Obama got their start there). It is also the most educated neighborhood in the city. I get where Obama's whole post-racial stuff comes from--Hyde Park is the most racially segregated neighborhood in Chicago. In fact, I had trouble with white people when I began studies at a small-town, liberal college 10 years ago--I wasn't used to white kids seeing me as a "black girl." I was used to being just me.
P.S. Does it drive anyone else crazy that spell check always wants to change Obama’s name to Osama?
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randron
[Read the article: The "Rezko" game]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Lucky for you I just bought a condo and looked in Hyde Park! Most condos in that neighborhood range in the $200,000-$300,000 price range. Houses can go up to $2 million. I don't know how much empty lots are but, usually, they are significantly less than lots with property on them.
I didn't end up in that neighborhood (I live on the Northwest Side in the barrio), but I didn't pay significantly less for my condo than the prices I listed above. I actually think Obama got robbed with the price he ended up paying!