Letters to the Editor
BryanS
Published Letters: 365 Editor's Choice: 1
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@ juneausmog
[Read the article: Big weekend news]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Obama ran on 'judgement' which he argued HRC did not have because of the Iraq War vote. And yet his 20-year relationship with a repeat-offending church of mixing politics, reverse-racism and christianity is a non-issue and does not reflect Obama's judgement according to many of your conclusions.
On one hand, we have Hillary's unapologetic vote for an illegal, unjustified war based on false intelligence that has claimed the lives of thousands of American soldiers and hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians.
On the other, we have Obama's decision to attend a church where controversial things were said during the course of a social ministry that relentlessly supported the poor and hungry and sick who were abandoned by a government that was too busy bombing the shit out of little brown people to take care of them.
And you have the nerve to equate the two. Unbelievable.
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You go, girl!
[Read the article: Clinton projected to win Puerto Rico]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]How many electoral votes does Puerto Rico have again?
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The unpopular vote
[Read the article: Puerto Rico goes to the polls]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]At the moment, according to an estimate by Real Clear Politics, if you include the caucuses that particular Web site tallies, and exclude Florida and Michigan, Clinton trails Obama by 571,180 votes. The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jonathan Last recently calculated the margin Clinton needs in Puerto Rico to take over in that estimate (which, at the time Last made his calculation, was closer by 20,000 votes). Last said that if 2,000,000 Puerto Ricans turned out to vote and Clinton won by 28 percent, she'd take the lead.
So, wait. Some caucuses held in actual states don't count toward the popular vote, but Puerto Rico's votes do?
My head hurts...
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@ Elephantman
[Read the article: Big weekend news]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Well first of all, Joan DID mention Obama's own commentary that he was quitting in part to protect fellow church members from public glare.
Oh really? Could you please show me where exactly she said that? Because I've read that piece of dreck three times now, and I can't find it.
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Alternatives to bashing your head against a wall
[Read the article: Committee reaches decision on Florida]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Some of the recent postings reminded me of the approach I've taken to calming my own anxieties about bitter Hillary Democrats jumping to the dark side and voting for McCain. Over the past several months, I've volunteered for voter registration and canvassing. In Oregon, it was especially important work, because we had a closed primary and a mail-in vote, which meant that, if you wanted to vote in the Democratic primary, you needed to be registered as a Democrat and have your current address on file, because ballots would not be forwarded from previous addresses.
I'm proud to say that I personally registered more than 50 Republicans and Independents as Democrats. A few of them expressed support for Hillary, which was fine. (Under campaign law, I'm not allowed to advocate for or against a particular candidate.) The vast majority were crossing over because they see something special in Obama. Not only is a registered Democrat more likely to vote Democratic in November, they're more likely to remain registered Democrats going forward, which strengthens the party for future elections.
Once someone is registered to vote, they go on a list for a follow up with a canvassing visit or phone call from Democratic volunteers. And with an unprecedented 50-state get-out-the-vote campaign, the Obama campaign is poised to drive record numbers of voters to the polls in November.
So rather than waste your time and energy arguing with unreasonable fools who'd throw their money and vote away in a fit of pique because they didn't get what they wanted, please volunteer an hour or two of your time to voter registration efforts. Trust me, there are a lot of people out there who are a lot easier to convince than some of the people who post on these messageboards.
This is especially important if you don't fit into the clichéd mold of an Obama voter -- women in the 35-65 age range and men between 45-65 are probably the most effective messengers for this election, but every warm body is needed. Those of you who have older, more conservative relatives have an automatic in for trying to change hearts and minds. They might be able to hang up on a campaign caller, but they'll probably be a little more reluctant to slam the door in your face.
This election is ours to win or lose in November. With a little bit of effort from all of us, we can make history, no matter what the haters and nay-sayers do.
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*edit
[Read the article: Committee reaches decision on Florida]
[Read more letters about this article: Here](Under campaign law, I'm not allowed to advocate for or against a particular candidate while I'm conducting voter registration.)
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@ Zandru
[Read the article: Clinton projected to win Puerto Rico]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Wait for it: the onslaught of "what's the stupid b!!!! doing, still running!?!" and "what a dumb c!!! - she's just trying to sabotage Barak Obama!" responses.
Ah yes, the hypothetical slur-hurling Obama supporter. Very popular in the imaginations of pro-Clinton posters, but rarely seen on these boards. The vast majority of us who support Obama around these parts refrain from using that kind of language. There are exceptions, as there always are -- how many Hillary supporters would endorse some of ShawnWM's frequently deleted posts? -- but I'm proud to say that I've never dropped the b- or c-bombs on this or any other forum. Momma raised me better.
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Still waiting, Elephantman
[Read the article: Big weekend news]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]You just responded to doloresflower's comment, which appeared directly underneath my response to your comment, so I'm sure you've seen it. Just to refresh your memory, here it is again:
Well first of all, Joan DID mention Obama's own commentary that he was quitting in part to protect fellow church members from public glare.
Oh really? Could you please show me where exactly she said that? Because I've read that piece of dreck three times now, and I can't find it.
I'd really appreciate it if you could either find where Joan addressed Obama's stated desire to insulate his former congregation from the media, or simply admit that you were wrong.