Letters to the Editor
OhioPlayer
Published Letters: 31
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Glass chin in the general election
[Read the article: A supersize controversy]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Agree that there is no "one" formula to determine which way super-delegates should vote but with that said, I certainly think that assuming one candidate leads in overall popular vote and overall primary/caucus pledged delegates, then super-delegates, both elected and party leaders, should use this as a fundamental "starting point". To my way of thinking it is analogous to free markets where the total market "wisdom" is in and of itself superior to the understanding of individual market "experts/specialists". And certainly understand that there are instances where the market fails, but I do not consider this process reflective of such a failure, especially because the competition has been so open and rigorous.
Once beyond this "starting point" I think it really does come down to what Obama has been saying about "expanding" the electoral map. As most everyone reading these blogs readily understands, the EC determines the presidency and for FAR TOO LONG the Democrats have counted on winning coastal regions while adding one/two critical Midwest states, e.g. Ohio; while of course the Republicans have concentrated on the South and the West. And of course in 2000 Gore lost Florida - real issue was that he did not compete vigorously for OH - and Kerry lost Ohio in 2004.
Of course Obama would take big states Clinton has won thus far - CA, NY, MA, NJ; and Clinton supporters who think otherwise are delusional - AND he would place SOME states that have traditionally gone Republican in play, e.g. CO, VA, KS, perhaps even a southern state. Notice I used "SOME" because clearly some of the states he's won would not be in play but some of them certainly would be - IF he is the nominee. But the same can NOT be said of Clinton.
And this whole concept that Clinton has been vetted and can withstand the Republican onslaught is a Jedi mind trick. Roger Simon has a nice article on this subject on Politico. Further, this logic only accounts for the "down" side of the equation, not the "up" side, which is to say it does not account for motivated turnout and Independent and Republican votes garnered if Obama is the nominee, despite the Republican attack machine. Because my gut tells me that Obama, like Ali, may not only be a handsome and gifted orator but he may also have the courage and fortitude to "fight" his way to victory. And by extension, my "contrarian" gut tells me that anybody who has to tell me how "tough" he/she is, probably has a glass chin.
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Plain stupid
[Read the article: The tragic fall of Eliot Spitzer]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]As Forrest Gump says "Stupid is as stupid does." Or even better from "Bullet-Tooth Tony in Snatch "Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity."
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More Walsh bias
[Read the article: Was Obama's speech enough?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me ... I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother -- a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe." It was an intriguing leap, but I didn't buy it. I don't think Obama's elderly grandmother, who still lives in Hawaii and is reportedly too frail to travel, who was a product of her time and place and yet did her best to raise her half-black grandson, deserved to be compared to Wright, a public figure who's built his career around a particularly divisive analysis of American racial politics. It is easily the most tin-eared thing I've ever heard Obama say.
Perhaps Joan he was speaking to the complexity of folks, that is we often find in someone we love and cherish some not so pleasant statements and positions. Keith Olberman said it well tonight on his show concerning his grandfather's reaction to news interrupting Hawaii Five-O to announce King's assassination. Whether or not you believe his grandmother "deserved" comparison to Wright is not relevant; the point is that misunderstanding and animus exist amongst both black and white folks. To my way of thinking the fact that you find this comparison "tin-eared" reflects your latent bias in favor of white women.