Letters to the Editor
omooex
Published Letters: 964 Editor's Choice: 5
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Bad Democrats
[Read the article: Targeting bad Democrats]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Here, Here!
"The only real prospect for changing any of that is to attach a political price, some form of meaningful punishment, when they do things such as vote to abolish habeas corpus or to vest new warrantless eavesdropping powers in the President or to grant amnesty to telecoms. That needs to be done even if it means weakening the bad Democrat in question."
My only concern is the backlash effect. Say this works out, and the Democrat is weakened, only to be ousted by a Republican. Many Democrats will say 'we followed your advice, and look where it got us, a MUCH WORSE Republican administration. I don't know if I'm drawing too broad an analogy, but I would point to the backlash at the Green Party for "weakening" Gore in 2000. Gore was already weak because of many of his fishy stands on the issues and didn't even win his own state, but Gore's defeat is placed squarely on the shoulders of Ralph Nader. How Gore ran his campaign, what he stood for, etc.--no one even remembers.
I guess in a state campaign, there is a better possibility of a Democratic successor to the "bad" Democrat emerging, as with Lamont and Joe Lieberman....what do people think about the backlash effect...
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And another thing
[Read the article: Targeting bad Democrats]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Did the WSJ's graphics get cheesier since being absorbed into Murdock's empire?
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I think Rosnekavalier
[Read the article: Targeting bad Democrats]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]brings up a good point. In our back and forths about what democracy should and shouldn't be, we often forget that democracy has done just fine marginalizing groups for long periods (long, long, long periods). Southren voters for generations supported unanimously Jim Crowe supporting governments, and voted against governments, locally and nationally, that even hinted at moderate reform. The majority willed these things into being, and history shows us that more than stoke those fires, most Jim Crowe enabling Democrats were actually just cresting on the waves. Its an interesting point worth noting.
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WT
[Read the article: Targeting bad Democrats]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Its a crime to rip that seal off the mattress, you know.
I agree with you on some level, I suppose. But Michelle Obama's comment about "being proud of America" is a good example of what I'm trying to say. And I know she backed away from it, and that many people debate on how it should be interpreted. I think one of the main resentments people of color have is that they (or we, I guess) have been told how great this country's democracy is, despite the fact that only a few of its benefits have historically benefitted them. That "learning curve" argument, often makes me see red because it implies that for the US to have gotten to this exalted state of affairs it was neccessary for slavery, Jim Crowe, Bracero, internment, etc. to exist.
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What are people thinking about Spitzer today...
[Read the article: Targeting bad Democrats]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]In the advent of new info, it seems that Spitzer's use of shell accounts to route money to the prostitution ring is what set off the wire tap. I think its suspicious that only Spitzer's account activity was caught up this way, but he did leave himself open, certainly. I don't have a moral issue with prostitution, but I don't want my governor setting up shell accounts to pay prostitutes. I'd rather have a governor who either didn't do that, or was open about the fact that he likes call girls.
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h_lance, I agree
[Read the article: Targeting bad Democrats]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I tried to make some of these same points earlier, but you did it far more concisely and eloquently.
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Citizen X
[Read the article: Targeting bad Democrats]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I wrote something along these lines earlier, viz alternatives to the two party mishigaz. But do you really think its Nader and the Green Party's fault that the country didn't move leftward? I am always surprised at how Gore is forgotten in these discussions, as if his actions had no impact on his losing.
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The only thing relevant about the Spitzer case is the Shell Accounts...
[Read the article: Who cares if Eliot Spitzer hires prostitutes?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]As the NYT and others pointed out today, the wire tap was begun because of the odd activity in Spitzer's accounts. Whether or not this had anything to do with a purposeful targetting of Spitzer is anyone's guess and beside the point. The only relevant item here is that Spitzer, the governor of the state of NY, was occulting his finances for the purchase of illegal services. These services could have just as well have ended up being drugs, or little boys. So that's relevant. The fact that it he was funneling these funds to an escort service instead of a drug dealer, a mistress, or a third world revolution seems the irrelevant part.
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27,000 raised
[Read the article: Targeting bad Democrats]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]That's pretty freakin amazing. This internets thing really do work.
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Eric1976ce
[Read the article: Who cares if Eliot Spitzer hires prostitutes?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Where does this number come from? I haven't read any account of how much money was involved.
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Eric1979e
[Read the article: Who cares if Eliot Spitzer hires prostitutes?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I don't want to be rude, but your tone makes you sound like someone trying to plant info, so I don't want to enable that and just in case...there was a figure of 10,000 dollars attached to another issue with Spitzer concering campaign donations. I don't think there was any wrong-doing found there, but I could be mistaken. I haven't seen a figure attached to the account transfers...my understanding is that they're in the few thousands. There were no cashiers checks, as far as I can see. From what I read in the NYT today, the Emperor's Club asks for wire transfers into an account,...my point was only that Spitzer did breach the public trust by operating in such a secretive manner. Legally, everything he did SHOULD have aroused suspicion. But I also believe its quite possible he's being crucified.
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Correction...
[Read the article: Who cares if Eliot Spitzer hires prostitutes?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Too hot on the submit button. You are right about the ten thousand