Letters to the Editor
Ben Sen
Published Letters: 541 Editor's Choice: 98
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Support for Hillary At Last
[Read the article: Campaigning while female]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Finally, finally, finally, some shit has hit the fan that pisses off somebody from Hillary's own sex. Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for this?
I think Rebecca Traister says it very well. I was starting to lose hope that the "new generation" was going to take her seriously. The jury is still out on women of Hillary's own generation, however. Maybe Obama is handsome enough to win their vote. (?) Come out, come out, wherever you are...
Someone mentioned Dowd. I can't imagine what she's doing on this one--except possibly keeping her mouth shut, which would be decent given how snarky her comments have been so far--and we shouldn't forget Camille Paglia here on Salon.com. Her motto seems to be: "never give a competitive "tainted" woman an even break. They'll use it against you."
Yes, this is what it looks like when there's a serious female contender for the White House. Take a good look. That's what her face looks like. She's no puppy. You know how she talks and her fake laugh. You see what her hair color is--just like Gennifer Flowers. You even know she's tough and might not be baking any Christmas cookies this year.
Now tell me you're not going to vote for her under any circumstances if she is the Democratic nominee so the Republican's can win the election again. I want to get this damn thing over with.
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We Need A New Way of Thinking About Politics
[Read the article: Barack delivers, Hillary disappoints]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I don't think so Joe. You're saying that Penn is running the show, not Clinton herself, which isn't likely and his two bit errors make that big a difference. You really think anybody other than professional pundits and nut jobs pay attention to that stuff?
While she doesn't possess the charisma of her husband nobody does. Every indication we have, and there are plenty of them, is that she could well be a far better hands-on administrator than her husband.
They were after all the most investigated politicians probably in the history of the republic and the best they could do to them was a smear campaign based on his personal problems, which appeals to the low-brows. That's an issue of enormous consequence to the long term interests of the society. If the pundits don't grow up--how is the mob ever going to?
I don't think you want your work judged based on your personal life either--or are you a saint simply passing time as a writer until it's time for you to go to heaven?
What Iowa shows more than anything is that the youth vote is strong. That's who goes out into the cold to vote. America's cynicism toward politics is gathering momentum. Why not talk about that if you want to add perspective instead of simply fan the flames of candidate partisanship?
Your best case is regarding social security where you are absolutely right that she erred on the side of caution, rather than took the initiative.
The opportunity now presented could well change all that. If she doesn't come back by taking the high road--spelling out the reforms she wants to make across the board she basically isn't learning from experience and probably doesn't deserve the presidency.
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Back to Smokin' Virginia Slims
[Read the article: Stay classy, John Edwards ]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]What's not said here is that everybody knows and is afraid to admit that Hillary has more guts and has proven it probably more than anyone else in public life today.
And you know why. It's that thing that can't be admitted between her and her husband. The non-issue that makes the ladies in Pioria swoon and the kids point and say, "mommy's bad. She stayed with daddy after he was bad."
That's the baggage. Her history in public life isn't the problem. Nobody questions it. The greatest defection remains of her own kind, by and large, who have abandoned her to make the kids happy.
Rebecca sees the prejudice hard at work. Yes, this is what it looks like to have a woman run for president in the baby boomer generation. Maybe the girls should go back to smokin' Virginia Slims and makin' sure their husbands include them in their pension.
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It Wouldn't Have Been Her
[Read the article: Hillary Clinton's softer side]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I found Hillary's speaking in the tape both concise and heartfelt. I think the entire discussion about her "warmth" has been manufactured--mostly by the media. If she'd have done "warm and fuzzy" they'd have been on her like flies. It wouldn't have been her.
Are the males the only ones allowed to have a temper? The question: is she "firm" enough, i.e. tough enough for the Presidency is not asked because it doesn't lead down a critical alley. You know damn well she is.
I was glad to see Joan come to her defense. This could be the last shot for the boomer generation on the Dem. side--and if there is another woman of her caliber around I'm sorry if I can't see her.
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Electing A Half-Black Man
[Read the article: Obama's double magic]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I don't think I've ever seen Mr. Kamiya wax so well. The generational pull is hard at work in this election. He doesn't mention it.
I haven't seen any "mean age" figures but I've seen a lot of faces from the new generation beaming into the camera at Obamaville. That's the phenomenon. Their folks for the most part sat on their ass politically all their life and grumbled about what "went down," in their time.
As Brokaw said recently, "they were the generation with a "make love not war" bumperstiker on their VW bus who drove off into the sunset but were never seen again.
Have their children decided to participate? Is that what we are seeing? And now, what will the old folks do--appease the kids if Obama gets the nomination and actually return to the polls. That may be what it will take to elect a half-black man.