Letters to the Editor
-
Stop with the Rush BS
Independents in Texas voted for Clinton but are subsequently maligned here and in other blog comments as Rush Limbaugh's stooges.
I live in Texas and have had sincere conversations with Republicans favoring both Clinton and Obama. The die-hard Republicans I've talked to voted for Obama, the more independently-minded voted for Clinton.
The Rush myth is one, but certainly not the only, insult to democracy in this primary.
-
Play Ball ... Obama & Clinton
If Sean had any sense, he would know better than to write such dribble (I thought that I was reading a blog entry from a rabid Hillary supporter... perhaps I was! Phew, sorry- got that off my chest.
I am still puzzled how anybody can argue that the 'things' that happened in FL and MI (because they certainly were not elections) should be counted. Please, both candidates agreed that the vote wouldn't count, agreed not to campaign, and everyone but Clinton and D.K. took there name off the ballots in MI. The democratic party is a club with its own rule set to which everyone in that club has implicitly agreed (in this club we have a set of bylaws which decided governance and rules etc, and everything has been followed etc).
Same logic follows with respect to Sean's sense of sour sense/grapes. Obama and Clinton both played by the rules before them. What can I say, perhaps Sean would think it odd that in soccer one can't use one's hands. It might not make sense, but... play ball.! And that is what Obama and Hillary have both done. You didn't see Bill complain about these rules when they helped him in his run to the presidency. You didn't hear either candidate complain about these rules a year ago.
Sean's logic on how Hillary would far better in the general election is at best dubious. Obama has a great shot in VA, Hillary shouldn't even bother campaigning in the state. Hillary wouldn't have a chance of bringing Texas in the Fall. Looking at the states in play, both Obama and Hillary have different and reasonable recipes for winning.
-
Real Democracy
I strongly disagree that a "winner take all" system is democratic. Where does such a system leave the 49.99%?
The existing proportional system allows every vote to count (at least for something). And in the case of this Democratic campaign, thank goodness.
-
Sean & the System
Sean, did you find this shit in your septic system or did you shit it yourself?
-
@Ban Johnson - stop working the ref
Salon has had a number of pro-Obama pieces, both in the main section and in the War Room. On the rare occasions that they say something critical of Obama or favorable to Clinton Obamabots crawl out of the woodwork screaming "Salon is Pro-Clinton!!!!", thus dissuading the editors from putting up any articles that criticize Obama in any way, shape, or form. Obama is winning. You can stop working the ref and start focusing on doing whatever you can to dissuade the majority of Americans who plan on voting for McCain this year. A little healthy criticism would be good for Obama and may help us change the system so that we do not select a losing candidate in the next election.
-
Proportional representation makes sense...
...but caucuses do not, in my opinion. I favor proportional allotment of delegates in closed primaries. I don't think that Republicans or other non-Democratic voters should be able to vote in Democratic primaries--if they want to vote, let them switch their voter affiliation well before the primary election. The Florida and Michigan party leaders screwed this up, not the voters, and not the Clinton or Obama campaigns, and I don't think either campaign should be penalized. That said, a 50-50 split doesn't seem fair either, as it would certainly favor Obama. That seems clear, and again, as I've said on other websites, would you Obama supporters stop spouting off like foul-mouthed boors? This is gutter politics that your candidate rejects, I believe.
-
And if leaves were dollars I'd rake my yard and be rich
This is the biggest piece of garbage I've seen on salon since the last editorial by Joan. Did the original submission have the Hillary '08 logo on it, or did the author remember to remove it?
Other letter writers have done a more than capable job of exposing the faulty logic of the entire thing, so I won't bother. I just wanted to comment that this story is a waste of bandwidth.
I really do remember when Salon was a good place to come for news and analysis. Long, long ago... (not including GG, of course)
-
We know who Hillary is
It is very gratifying to read an article which articulates most of the points Hillary supporters have been making about about our party's flawed nominating process, particularly the emphasis that caucuses are not a very democratic way of selecting a nominee. Obama's very small lead is misleading about his popularity among Democrats. Many older Dem's do not like him at all...I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that he is a johnnie-come-lately player who has not earned the trust of older Democrats through long years of service. I am very aware that he has only been in Washington for about two years and has really done little to make me think he is so special he should bypass the need for more experience.
Another reason he has done so well has been his favorable treatment by the media. They have not delved into his qualifications, have spent most of their white space and air time belittling Hillary's tears, her exaggerated claim about Bosnia, and Bill Clinton's alleged race baiting which was always very suspect. The media is still nitpicking every little thing Hillary does and paying very little heed to Obama or McCain. I don't think it is because they like Obama because I believe the media is basically very conservative and is paving the way for McCain to win the presidency. The media started the race baiting accusations in an effort to divide Democrats and it has worked. Hillary and Obama supporters are at each other's throats for the most part with some declaring that if the other is nominated, they will vote for McCain.
My main objection to Obama has always been his lack of experience and the unknowns which go along with him; however, I would vote for him any day over any Republican. Unfortunately, many older Democrats are going to look at McCain as moderate and trustworthy and Obama as unsuitable for the Oval Office because of past associations with Rev. Wright or memories of Michelle's lack of gratitude toward America. The Democrats I know who will vote for McCain cite these as reasons. They also fear that he won't stand up to Iran.
Even with Hillary's flaws, I believe she would be a much better foil for McCain in experience and fighting spirit, plus she has the good will of a majority of Democrats...an important thing to have when the going gets rough!