Letters to the Editor
ceytron
Published Letters: 69 Editor's Choice: 12
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Stunned
[Read the article: Before victory, Maggie Williams hire showed Clinton in for keeps]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I am stunned! As someone who knows a fair amount about statistics (though not so much about political polling) I cannot fathom how Clinton turned a 10% deficit into a 2% victory in two days!
I have to come to the conclusion it was in large part due tothe "hurt feelings" comment at the debate and the crying the day after in the coffee shop. Good for her, that was a huge political risk to take and it worked brilliantly.
That being said, I do think it's a one trick pony. If Obama regains his momentum (which may be difficult to do, I'll admit) she will not be able to cry and be sad again and make people feel sorry for her. People will move away from feeling sorry for her to being a little put off by the whining. And if she does do it, Obama will have no choice but to hammer on her for being unpresidential!
That being said, though her crying moment may have saved her race for the nomination, I guarantee that it will come back to haunt her in the general.
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The more I think about it
[Read the article: Clinton rocks the vote in the Granite State]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The more I think about the role Hillary's crying episode had on the impacting this race the more it leaves an unpleasant taste in my mouth.
Were we played or was it just incredible fortune that she let her emotions get the better of her at that critical moment?
One this is sure, man or woman, I don't want a presidential candidate who uses pity and cries about not being liked to get votes.
It may have saved the day for Clinton in the short term, but this tactic will not win elections over time. If Obama regains his momentum, he cannot afford to let such an act go unanswered again.
I think, over the next few days, when American's consider just how much they were played, this may yet have negative consequences.
I still prefer Obama's confident and sincere messages of hope, unity, and a better future over Clinton's fear mongering, negative tactics, and ploys for sympathy. I just hope that the rest of America feels the same way.
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Polls
[Read the article: Clinton rocks the vote in the Granite State]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I would remind those lording it over the pundits that they weren't pulling their predictions out of thin air.
Almost every post-Iowa poll showed Obama trouncing Clinton by up to 10 points. Obviously, whoever was devising the samples for these polls made a serious miscalculation. Either that, or Clinton did something truly fantastic to turn the tables around in two days.
Polling is not an unscientific process, it follows rigorous standards that have proven to be reliable (within accepted margins of error) time and time again. How Clinton gained 12 points on her opponent in two days is going to be a politica feat analyzed for a very long time.
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Democrats take a stand!
[Read the article: The Clinton-Obama contest gets rougher]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Rovian tactics of smear, subterfuge, and scandal are no less poisonous to this country when they are being committed by a Democrat.
There have been a lot of smears in this campaign, but the bulk of them have been directed at Obama by the Clinton team. The Clintons are working hard to bait Obama into a debate about race. They are trying to transform him from a candidate who is black to a "black" candidate in the mould of Jackson or Sharpton.
Karl Rove would be proud at this attempt to subvert Obama's strength (his ability to transcend race and politics) into a weakness.
As Democrats, we were outraged when Bush used these tactics to corrupt the noble and heroic deeds of Kerry in Vietnam. How can any Democrat now sit by and let a good, honorable, and dedicated man like Obama be given the same treatment!
There are a lot of Democrats who reject Obama's big tent approach. Many feel that it's time to give as good as we got, to play the same game George Bush played when it's our turn. This is a giant mistake. Why would we think that the sneaky and duplicitous tactics of the Bush regime would serve the Democrats or America any better? Eight years after embracing the politics of Karl Rove, the Republicans stand poised to suffer a humiliating defeat! Eight years from now, why would the outcome be any different for Democrats if we adopt the same strategies?
The upcoming primaries are our chance to send a message to the political establishment that we viciously reject the political manipulations of the past 8 years. Right now, only a vote for Obama or Edwards sends that message.
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Two weeks
[Read the article: Obama campaign: Clinton should renounce remarks]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Have we forgotten the incredible positive energy Obama's Iowa win generated? Hell, even Republican candidates like Romney were starting to fall all over themselves about the man his powerful message.
Now, after almost two weeks of being drawn into the muck with the Clintons, Obama's strengths are being overshadowed by these petty distractions.
I disagree with many of the posters on Salon; Obama is not to blame for the thinly veiled racist words continually thrown by Hillary, Bill, and their supporters. And anyone who tries to paint both campaigns with the same brush are simply not looking at the facts. Hell, even John Edwards, a man who stands to benefit greatly by this squabbling, has condemned the Clinton machine and defended Obama.