Letters to the Editor
joemartin64
Published Letters: 86
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Where have you been?
[Read the article: Mid-debate update]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]How is HRC being too businesslike and Obama being disorganized against stereotype? A little closer to being stereotypes is what I think. Obama first, Edwards second and Clinton third tonight.
I am sincerely sorry for the shooting of the father of a star player on your daughter's high school basketball team. It should be a national story.
In addition, please tell us your views about the Clinton's craziness over the last several days.
How can you have been so passionate about the HRC pity party in New Hampshire and not have a single comment about - where do I start? - Gloria Steinem, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Charlie Rangel,Bobcat Johnson, and Richard Cohen? An all-star attack posse that has made Karl Rove and Lee Atwater look like the Little Sisters of the Poor?
Please fast forward in your imagination to a convention nominating HRC, and walk us through how the democratic base will be energized because she is our choice rather than Obama, how independents will flock to us in the general election because she is our choice rather than Obama, and how the republicans will be demoralized because Senator Clinton is our choice rather than Obama.
Give me a woman or man (black or white) who is the best candidate, and let the symbolism of breaking through barriers handle itself.
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Absent
[Read the article: The Democrats defeat the media]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Joan -
You have not even voted present about the 2 Clintons versus 1 Obama craziness since the New Hampshire primary.
Please for the sake of the Democratic Agenda tell me:
How at the Democratic Convention 1) we will be more energized because she is the nominee instead of Obama, 2) we can expect more independents to flock to our cause because she is the nominee instead of Obama, and 3) the Republicans will be demoralized because she is the nominee instead of Obama.
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Who is the least electable among the top candidates from both parties?
[Read the article: The 2008 presidential mash-up]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Isn't that another way to arrive at an answer?
Or,
Who holds out the best chance for a big margin win against any challenger?
As a lifelong Democrat I know two things:
The least electable Democratic candidate is Senator Clinton, and
Barack Obama has the biggest general margin upside (since Senator Clinton can't overcome the almost 50% of Americans who already will affirmatively vote against her.)
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Joan's been absent
[Read the article: Obama in the Women's Building!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Joan -
I have to ask again; you went silent when all the gender/race craziness was happening. My belief, as an unabashed Obama supporter, is that it all started with Gloria Steinem and got worse and worse all the way to Bob Johnson. I honestly think the Clintons bear much more responsibility than Obama does for it all.
Instead, with this snippet, I see a grudging attitude from you that maybe he might have done some things right talking to these moms. I can't take it if you don't own up to what has happened over the last ten days. It's your responsibility - if you want to frame it that it's Obama's fault about the intra-party acrimony, do it. I don't care, just take a position.
Obama, at the request of Illinois Planned Parenthood, voted present at certain times in Springfield. The Clintons (omitting the Planned Parenthood requests) have said this was not courageous. Joan, you haven't even been here to vote present on the biggest story of the primary. Honestly, I think this is because you fear hurting HRC's chances. Please take a stand.
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DurianJoe
[Read the article: Obama in the Women's Building!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]As a Irish Catholic guy from Illinois, I can't disagree more with your statement that Hillary's and Obama's support comes from their respective groups. African-Americans didn't flock to Obama until after he proved himself.
In the Illinois primary for Senate that Obama won, there were about ten candidates. I voted for Dan Hynes (a great guy) and even had his sign on my lawn. After Obama trounced everyone (Hynes finished second) I heard Obama speak in person just before his national moment at the convention.
During that talk two things happened. First, I said to myself that he, as an individual, needs to be President. After the fact it occurred to me that also this would achieve the ancillary benefit that he'd be the first African-American President. That was an afterthought. It has also been an afterthought among African-Americans. Until he proved himself over the course of the primary campaign, he did not have the support of "his group".
I think Obama from the start has run as an individual, and the Clintons have run as, well, about every identity they thought worked at any particular moment.
Before we get to the general election, the Democrats need to settle this.
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DurianJoe
[Read the article: Obama in the Women's Building!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I don't disagree but if we focus on the symbolic achievement of nominating a woman/african-american for president as and end in and of itself, we will ignore the practical concerns of what should be the real ends - a general election victory followed by the maximum possible success fixing what's wrong via change in both the Executive and Legislative branches. On those two points, I think Senator Clinton, as an individual, is weak beyond articulation compared to Senator Obama,again, as an individual.
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I am really confused
[Read the article: Obama in the Women's Building!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]DurianJoe -
I like Edwards a lot too, but not as much as Obama. On the Clinton v. Obama issues we were talking about you just said that the practical outcome of electing the best democrat is paramount; then followed it with how the symbolic achievement of breaking the gender barrier is more important to you than breaking the race barrier. How the hell is that a practical determination. Keep your eyes on the Democratic Convention. Which Candidate will energize our base more? Which Candidate will cause more independents to flock to our cause? Which candidate will demoralize the Republicans?