Letters to the Editor
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Published Letters: 151 Editor's Choice: 4
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At last
[Read the article: Leahy: Clinton should quit]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Senior party leaders are finally showing some genuine leadership.
Senator Clinton now faces the choice of bowing out of the contest with grace, dignity, and far-sighted class or continuing to pursue the scorched earth tactics she has favored for the past month. She is a tremendously talented, energetic and idealistic leader who has much to contribute to the Democratic party and to the nation. Whether she gets the chance to make that contribution will depend squarely on the manner in which she leaves this race.
What she must strive for now is a paraphrase of Shakespeare's line: Nothing so became her campaign as the leaving of it.
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Common sense prevails
[Read the article: A big lead for Obama in new Gallup poll]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Just when it seemed as though the plain good sense and sound judgment of the American people was in danger of being swamped by the smear tactics of right-wing hysterics, we have this new evidence that yes, we do want to move forward, we do want a new dispensation and an end to the lies and gutter politics of the past 16 years. Bush, Clinton, Bush... another four years of this rondelay of partisan sickness is just too much.
At the risk of being labelled "unpatriotic," I am feeling so very proud of America right now.
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Of course Obama's right
[Read the article: Obama: Clinton "deserves to be able to run"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]There is nothing remotely arrogant or supercilious about Sen. Obama's rather obvious remark that Sen. Clinton should stay in the primary race for as long as she wants to. To read anything more into his words or tone reflects a crippling paranoia or just plain old desperation.
The most interesting numbers coming out of the race in recent days are the almost daily cascade of super delegates declaring their support for Obama. Since Super Tuesday, 65 have declared for him while only 9 have signed up for Clinton. This overwhelming indication of the views of the party leaders is significant and will continue to accrue to his favor as the weeks go by.
The dramatic corkscrew spiral of Sen. Clinton's candidacy is striking. One year ago she was the undisputed favorite for the nomination, with more money, more staffers, more big endorsements, more name recognition, double digit poll numbers, and more momentum. She seemed inevitable.
Blessed with these overwhelming advantages, the campaign she then proceeded to run was remarkable for its unspeakable short-sightedness, its tin ear to the desires of the voters, its disasterous financial management, its arrogant stumbles in local organizing, its vast clumsiness online.
The Clinton collapse has now assumed Homeric proportions; accounts of this historic diasater will fill shelves in the bookstores for years to come.
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Why isn't Hamilton a super delegate?
[Read the article: Lee Hamilton is backing Obama]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Lee Hamiliton is a distinguished, no-nonsense observer of the domestic and international scene and a stalwart senior member of the Democratic party. His endorsement of Sen. Obama is an important further step toward securing the nomination. I hope that Hamilton will campaign in his home state of Indiana, which will help Obama. Hamilton is plain, pragmatic, patriotic and a savvy interpreter of the political tea leaves. His opinion will carry much weight with Indiana voters and the super delegates still on the fence.
I encourage Sen. Clinton to continue to campaign for the nomination. Obama gains every day she fights on.
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Wyoming Gov endorses Obama
[Read the article: Lee Hamilton is backing Obama]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal endorsed Sen. Obama today just after the Lee Hamilton announcement. This one counts because Freudenthal is a super delegate.
Now I really want Sen. Clinton to stay in the race. Every day she continue to fight, Obama gains another super delegate.
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Clintons vs. The Truth
[Read the article: Richardson said Obama can't beat McCain?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I believe Richardson. He endorsed Obama and believes the senator can win in November. The unnamed sources from the Clinton camp are trolls with the single task of muddying the water in order to ensure an Obama defeat in the fall.
Sadly, I also believe that the Clintons are revealing themselves to be far more bigoted than the majority of the American public. They may believe that Obama is unelectable because he is black, whereas increasing numbers of ordinary open-minded voters are making an honest examination of Sen. Obama's policies and persona and deciding that they are willing to try him out.
I desperately want to return to the time before this campaign when I admired Bill Clinton and respected Hillary Clinton. It used to be that the name Clinton stood for hope and against deceit and bigotry, for the future and against the failed policies of the past. Now the current tawdry antics of this pair have soiled that happy memory forever.
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Real Deal
[Read the article: The Obama difference]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The difference that Shapiro did not touch on in this essay, but which I believe is essential to Sen. Obama's effectiveness, is that he does not come across as the construct of a team of advisors. He is not a confection of pollsters or the creature of media mavens with their fingers in the wind.
Obama's persona is of a man at ease with who he has become after a prolonged period of youthful trials. He is calm and forthright in the face of pressure of a highly personal nature (the unprincipled vicious attacks on his faith and core beliefs would have torn apart most other public figures, I think). He can laugh at himself (bowling and quitting smoking), speak directly about his beliefs without exaggeration or pandering, offer and accept genuine compliments, see issues from a variety of points of view, and present complicated historical or philosophical questions in clear language that invites rather than condemns. His wit is literary and often too dry for the modern bloviating media. Conflict does not phase him and confrontation does not cow him. He is a reader of history and a student of human nature.
These qualities of character and temperment are those we need in a leader. We have been abused for so long by the Bush presidency that we are behaving as if we do not deserve to be led by the very best our nation has to offer. On the contrary, I think that we deserve a president as smart, empathetic, disciplined and energetic as Barack Obama and I think now that we can get him.