Letters to the Editor
Published Letters: 92 Editor's Choice: 3
-
Fresh air
[Read the article: Poetry vs. fear]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Thanks Gary, a welcome breath of fresh air on Salon.
To back you up, every Clinton supporter I know (and I know dozens) will vote for Obama in the fall, many would vote for him now if they could vote again. Not one of them is angry at Obama. Not one of them would even consider voting for McCain and many are angry at the way Clinton has run her campaign.
One thing Obama is doing now to counteract "the Dumbshit Factor" is registering new voters and that may tip things toward Democrats.
Even if all of our dreams come true: Obama picks the right VP, wins decisively, puts together a cabinet of capable Democrats and Republicans, gets Congress moving in the right direction, and gets the entire country behind him a la FDR, it will be incredibly tough to dig out of the shit that George Bush and Dick Cheney have gotten us into. I think he's up to it but the pressure will be on as it would be on anyone who becomes the next President.
-
West Virginia is not the acid test
[Read the article: Can Barack Obama win West Virginia?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]We have pockets of uneducated and isolated people in this country who are scared of anyone who's different: blacks, jews, gays, anyone different in any way.
But, those pockets are a heck of a lot smaller than they were 50 years ago and hopefully just the fact that Obama is running will move things along some more.
-
@ ballspot
[Read the article: Can Barack Obama win West Virginia?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Coul you imagine someone saying the same things about Jewish people that the Hortons got away with saying about Obama and African Americans?
Great observation but I'm not sure the answer to that question is what you think.
If Russ Feingold became Obama's running mate (slim chance) the Hortons would lay into him too and the pundits would go wild with glee: a black and a jew on the same ticket, oh my God, we're in hog heaven. Let's see what the Hortons have to say about that.
The Hortons are just a very visible example of how isolation, lack of education, and fear can shape a viewpoint. And, of course, there are "Hortons" everywhere, not just in West Virginia.
The good news is they're a dying breed. The bad news is that when things get tough, ignorant folks like to find someone to blame and it certainly looks like the new group will be muslims.
I do like your point that we've decontextualized the hate speech and turned it into one more label for a demographic that, unfortunately for her, Hillary Clinton is popular with.
-
Again, poor framing
[Read the article: Some thoughts about West Virginia ]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"Now the question becomes whether and how he can win over her white working-class supporters."
Joan, why do you frame it like this? Why not frame it:
Now the question becomes whether and how she can deliver her white working-class supporters to hm.
Why is it Obama's responsibility to win over people who Hillary already has won over? If she's got them and is a true Democrat, she'll help them move to Obama once she drops out.
I'm quite sure that if their positions were reversed he'd be delivering his base to her.
And Joan, I expect you'll be doing the same thing with your posse of Clinton supporters here with a series of posts on why we all need to unite behind Obama to defeat McCain.
-
@weeping for brunnhilde
[Read the article: Will gay marriage doom the Democrats?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The only reason I read Joan Walsh is to read you.
You almost always say what I'm too tongue tied to say and then take it further than I ever could.
I appreciate you. Thank you.
-
Yes. And Obama is good for the Jews
[Read the article: Are the Jews good for Barack Obama?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I'm a Jew, I'm solidly for Obama and have been since the beginning. My 93 year old mother, who plants trees in Israel every year is solidly for Obama.
Calm things down, listen to Baker/Hamilton, stop saber rattling, and keep talking. It's a complex problem and I believe Obama has the right world view to move it along.
-
Amen
[Read the article: Obama/Kennedy vs. McCain/Goldwater]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The only non-parallel is that the fear of Kennedy's Catholicism is dwarfed by the fear of Obama's mixed race.
However, if he can get enough new and younger voters registered in every state, maybe he'll have the votes to counteract that. I surely hope so.
Isn't it a shame that fear and misinformation completely fogs the message of your piece which I think captures Obama's worldview and appeal perfectly.