Letters to the Editor
Mike LeP
Published Letters: 399 Editor's Choice: 6
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RE: Question
[Read the article: AP: Obama has clinched nomination]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]How seriously should we take these "I would never vote for Obama" democrats? It seriously scares me. I can't put myself in the shoes of a woman who has spent her life hitting the glass ceiling who sees the Obama campaign and the media as conspiring again HRC - so I can't gauge how long these feelings will last. Might this actually crush BHO in the fall? Would making HRC his running mate change that?
I'm honestly not that worried about it.
A lot of Hillary supporters say they'll vote for McCain or stay home, but I think that's partly heat of the moment and partly bluffing. When push comes to shove I expect the overwhelming majority of these voters to back Obama in the fall.
Some Hillary supporters won't back Obama, but are these reliable Democratics? Hillary has been touting her support among "white, working class" voters but this demographic hasn't supported the Democratic candidate for decades. A lot of these folks are DINOs who supported Hillary in the primary since they'd sooner vote for the white woman than the black guy, but I'm convinced they'd end up voting for McCain in the fall, anyway. Look at West Virginia. Thirty percent of WV Democrats voted for George W. Bush in 2004. These folks, like Democrats in Kentuckey, were going to support McCain in November.
The other Hillary supporters who won't back Obama are mostly white women who feel their candidate wasn't treated fairly or they're so committed to electing a woman to the White House that they can't back her opponent now that she's apparently lost. I'm not sure Obama's going to win them back, but I doubt they're going to vote McCain out of spite. Maybe some of them will stay home.
Whether that's a problem, who knows? Polls have Obama running competitive or ahead of McCain before he's even won the nomination, so that's a good sign. Far as Hillary as the VP, I really think the potential drawbacks (galvanizing the hate-Clinton vote on the right) far outweigh the potential benefit of wooing a handful of her most committed supporters.
I'll tell you this much: I'd rather nominate Obama and risk pissing off some Hillary supporters who can't or won't vote for him, than overturn Obama's delegate lead and alienate the single most reliable Democratic voting block (African Americans). I have more faith in Obama's ability to bridge that divide because the bottom line is, according to the rules he won - fair and square.
My two cents.
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@ jebldmm
[Read the article: Clinton says she's open to veep slot]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This may have started as a simple campaign (I was an Edwards supporter), but it has become a battle for the rights of women to be respected in American politics, and if Clinton is dismissed as yesterday's garbage, I will not vote Democratic for the Presidency this fall.
So either Hillary is awarded the party nomination or it's a sign of disrespect? Give me a break. Some of you folks are so caught up in identity politics that you have no sense of perspective at all. Had Obama lost I'd certainly be disappointed, but I wouldn't sit around crying about how it's a slap in the face to all black people.
Sheesh...
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Jim is right
[Read the article: Clinton says she's open to veep slot]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The VP needs to help Obama:
1. Geographically, by delivering a significant swing state. For example, Jim Webb in Virginia or even Ed Rendell in Pennsylvania.
2. Politically, by shoring up his perceived weak points - namely foreign policy and military issues.
3. Demographically, by helping him gain support among groups that have eluded him, namely working class whites and the elderly.
I don't see how Hillary helps Obama in any regard. All she does is solidify a base that would likely vote for him anyway.
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Respect?
[Read the article: Barack Obama's epic win]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Respect is a two-way street.
Although I'm a strong Obama supporter and not a Clinton fan (to put it lightly), I'd have been disappointed if Obama hadn't taken the time to sing her praises last night. That kind of graciousness and class is a big part of the reason I've been attracted to him as a candidate in the first place.
I'm disappointed that Clinton could not bring herself to return the favor. Instead, she undercut the legitimacy of his nomination by once again falsely claiming a lead in the popular vote and encouraging supporters to visit her website ... for what? To vent their spleens?
Calls for Clinton to leave the race were certainly premature and she had ever right to play out the few remaining contests. Even now with Obama the presumptive nominee, Clinton is well within her rights to work the supers behind the scenes. All that is fine. But her repeated moving of the goalposts, highly misleading claims of a popular vote lead, and refusal to congratulate her opponent for his apparent victory, says a lot about the kind of person she is.
The truth is out: Even after every single state and territory has voted, Clinton would sooner sabotage her party than concede defeat.
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@Bob in Pacifica
[Read the article: Barack Obama's epic win]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Yes, many of us have been in these kind of relationships. But the thing is, Clinton and her supporters can only pull off this blackmail if Obama and his supporters (I'm among them) truly believe there's something they can do to "make it better."
After months and months of Clinton supporters threatening to vote for McCain, I just don't care anymore. If these people are so aggrieved that their candidate lost the election fair and square that they're going to abandon the party, there's nothing Obama can do to win them back. Let them go.
Besides, Obama is leading McCain in national polls without their support.