Letters to the Editor
BryanS
Published Letters: 365 Editor's Choice: 1
-
@ AlwaysForHillary
[Read the article: Clinton's nondenial on Obama pastor]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]For the love of god, could you please stop SHOUTING AT US IN ALL CAPS?!?!?! And maybe LAY OFF THE EXCLAMATION POINTS!
This is only your third letter here. Start doing some deep breathing exercises, or your head's gonna explode way before November.
Now, all of that being said: Obama's my guy, and I've got no problem whatsoever with Hillary shopping around the Rev. Wright thing to the supers. Obviously, this is something that's going to come into play in November if/when Obama's the nominee. And because neither candidate can win without a superdelegate blessing, hundreds of high-ranking party members have to think long and hard about this and decide if it's something that they're ready and willing to fight. If either candidate becomes the nominee and receives only tepid support from the party, McCain's going to win November in a walk.
Also, I commend Hillary for handling this in private, not making a public spectacle of it. It's a nice change of pace from Bill shooting off his mouth in S.C. and Ferraro going off on her "poor privileged white woman" rant. It's the proper way to address this potentially problematic issue, because it doesn't lower the tone of the primary, which benefits no one except McCain. A pity that Hil couldn't have taken this tact a long time ago.
And yes, of course it's a carefully calculated move that lets her reap the benefits of the controversy without having to be the bad guy by promoting it, but sometimes the right thing and the politically expedient thing are the same thing. Sadly, that's about the only time you see Hillary do the right thing, but I'll take what I can get.
-
What does this prove?
[Read the article: Will Wright hurt Obama's chances?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This poll was conducted at a time when every 24-hour news network has been playing the Rev. Wright clips over and over and over for the last three days. This will not be the case a week from now, a month from now, or six months from now. Fox News will still trot it out and flog the dead horse, but let's face it, most Fox News viewers probably are not going to be voting Democratic anyway.
I actually think that this story could not have broken at a better time. The Pennsylvania primary is still four weeks away, and Obama holds a narrow but indisputable lead in the popular vote and delegate count. It's extremely unlikely that Hillary will catch him on either, and this is not the scandal that Hillary has been hoping for, in order to convince the superdelegates to overturn the will of the people.
And by the time November rolls around, the right wing might have tried to establish a pattern of anti-Americanism about Obama, but he won't play into their hands. You don't see him rushing out to stick flag pins on his lapels, or quitting his church, or insisting that his friends start calling him "Barry" again. They'll try to sling some mud, he'll rise above it. He won't legitimize their attacks by coming down to their level. But he won't ignore them either. He'll elevate the tone and start talking about Really Big Things, which makes his opponents look small and petty by comparison.
When it comes time to vote, people who aren't inclined to vote for the black guy anyway are going to use Rev. Wright as their excuse. People who are going to vote for Obama anyway will still be ecstatic to do so. And a bunch of other people in the middle will take a look at their financial, housing, employment, and health care situation and vote for the person who's convinced them that they're going to take care of them better.
The Rev. Wright hooplah could have pegged Obama as "the black candidate" and doomed his chances. But Obama's response might establish him as "the friendly black candidate," which might have some tremendous upsides. A black dude who doesn't scare Middle America. Imagine that.
-
Oh yeah
[Read the article: Will Wright hurt Obama's chances?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]And way to cite a Fox News poll as a legitimate source of anything.
This might be the first time I've ever seen Salon present information from Fox News with a straight face. Glenn Greenwald must be spinning in his grave. (I assume he keeled over from a massive coronary as soon as he realized what you did.)
Kind of lame, if you ask me. But I'm sure you have your reasons.
-
@ kopon9294
[Read the article: Michigan revote "dead"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Hi there. Congratulations on your very first post on Salon. Always nice to have another Clinton campaign troll spam our boards. I know I speak for a great many here when I say that we really appreciate that kind of commitment to our little online community.
And here's something that I'd like from you, or any other Clinton supporter out there: Could you please provide us with one single shred of evidence that Hillary Clinton fought to ensure that the Michigan and Florida delegates would be seated, prior to January 2008? I mean, gee whiz, it sure is great that she's got that ol' democracy religion now, but where was she before the primaries, when there was still a chance to do something about it that wouldn't be tainted with accusations of bias?
(And no, leaving her name on the Michigan ballot does not count. That's what we call "hedging your bets.")
-
helpeveryone: Legitimate poster, or Clinton operative who just signed up ten minutes ago?
[Read the article: Will Wright hurt Obama's chances?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I am so glad that Salon has that "read X's other letters" link at the bottom of every comment. It makes it so much easier to see which side has been flooding the boards with trolls. Seems a bit desperate, if you ask me.
-
Shouldn't this have been called...
[Read the article: Clinton camp goes on offense against Obama]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"Salon.com struggles to delay Hillary Clinton's inevitable defeat?"
This isn't news. This is a fucking press release.