There are a number of letter writers who have basically stated that Rebecca Walker sounds "whiny" and "ungrateful." They point to her current success on a number of fronts and deduce, with no evidence to support it, that Walker's childhood couldn't have been that bad because look how she turned out.

Here's a clue for some of you: Many children thrive IN SPITE of their upbringing, not because of it. The fact that Rebecca was pregnant at 13 is nothing less than horrifying and points to neglect in the home. It's clear that Rebecca wasn't bereft in any material sense, but she was clearly neglected emotionally by her mother.

As a child, Rebecca (and every child) needed a consistent and loving parent in the home, and she didn't get that. Her mother then defended her poor parenting by positing the role as a form of enslavement. It's not. It's a responsibility and no one has the right to pass it along to others just because it's inconveneient. If that was her view, she should have allowed Judy and her ex to raise Rebecca.

The only question is whether many Americans will bite this time. People like Brown (and many in the GOP) have screwed large swaths of the electorate by focusing campaign coverage on silly non-issues and lies. Clearly, this approach has worked before and some Americans can be frighteningly, willfully gullible.

Perhaps now, though, as gas closes in on $5 per gallon, joblessness leaps to almost 6%, health care is elusive, and the mortgage industry is a complete disaster, these people will ask themselves some questions as they watch Brown's noxious ads.

1) "Am I supposed to care about whether Obama went to a muslim school at the age of 6?"

2) "I wonder who is funding the ads on television...big oil, military contractors who like running roughshod over any attempts at a budget? Perhaps these are the millionaires who are just sick at the idea that Bush tax cuts, that benefit the wealthiest, face extinction if Obama gets into office."

In fact, the DNC should start using #2 as a line of attack against any Right-wing smear. Just remind Americans of who benefits if McCain gets into office: the same special interests that have benefitted so much under Bush.

It's not irrelevant to communicate Obama's faith as long as it's truthful. Obama IS a Christian and he has NEVER been Muslim. His name is muslim. That's it. The Right-Wing however wants to take a plus, Obama's ease with dicussing his Christian faith and turn it into a negative. They want to turn off a whole swath of the electorate that is, as you state, bigoted, against Obama with lies.

It's unbelievably heartening when I hear die-hards savage their own in the GOP. God knows they deserve it but I never expected such honesty. I guess the real conservatives in the GOP just can't stomache the nausea-inspiring incompetence from the Bush administration and its supporters in the Congress either. Hey, I know the feeling well. It's been there for the better part of 7 years.

You wrote:

"Get therapy.

Are you serious?

You are playing the part of the immature, broken child who is bitter, vindictive, and judgmental, and pointing to your mother as the controlling violent evil bitch?

Get some therapy. Otherwise, there will be no one who can teach your children compassion and empathy. At this moment, you're clearly incapable of such things."

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Isn't it obvious that the LW has many *deservedly* angry and resentful feelings about her mother? An alchoholic parent will do that to you. Just because we get older, we don't lose our hurt over the abusive and neglectful parent that forced us to cope with their alchohol-fueled tantrums.

I guess you've figured out by now that I had a parent (father) like that and another (my mother) who was the classic enabler. I had almost nothing to do with my parents after age 18. I have a young child of my own now and yes, like the LW, a positive and healthy marriage of 13 years. It can be done.

Dear LW, cut your mother off and the rest of the family too. Tell your children that some members of the family have a problem. Do not ever leave your kids alone with any family member who has this problem. They won't like it but so what? You've made it this far despite your upbringing. Keep on going and don't look back. Good luck!

In response to your question: Yes! If Penn had worked for Obama, Hillary would most likely be the nominee. Let's examine the record, shall we?

1) Penn was loathed by numerous staff members and aides on the campaign.

2) He stabbed his boss in the back by advocating a trade deal the boss publicly decried.

3) Penn conducted AND interpreted his own polls, leading to an inevitable conflict of interest not to mention, bad advice for the boss.

4) Despite a man-million-dollar tab, Penn never generated more than one or two good ideas.

Any one of those 4 would undermine anr nominee. Put them together and you have a disaster in the making. The sad part is that Clinton didn't see it coming even as it ran her over.