I know we will always disagree but in my opinion, your child will benefit from having a good mom and a good home WAY more than from centrist politicians who do not care about his welfare, beyond his ability to provide a good talking point, a good sound bite, a good statistic. Al Gore and others like him are the best we can hope for, and we all owe it to your child to hold out for the best.

I can be the world's absolute best mother, but there are a lot of things I can do nothing about.

My child would benefit greatly from small, incremental changes in access to health care. Bush just vetoed that.

My child would benefit greatly from small, incremental changes in the laws governing subsidized housing. Gore isn't promising that.

My child would benefit greatly from small, incremental changes in how schools are funded. Everyone's talking about test scores and teacher qualifications. Not only does nobody listen when poor districts say they want a computer lab, we're told our kids don't need it.

My child would benefit greatly from small, incremental changes in how college educations are funded. Any takers?

My child would benefit greatly from small, incremental changes in regulations relating to home businesses and disability. I hear crickets chirping from the direction of every Democratic candidate. I doubt they're even aware of the regulations, much less aware of their impact on the disabled.

This is the crux of the problem for me: Nobody is addressing any of the issues that I need dealt with. Nobody I know who lives at my level cares about the environment, for example, because we can't afford to. Organic food? Please!

A lot of poor people even support the war, because it provides opportunities for their kids that aren't available during peacetime. A wartime military promotion can be as good in some areas as a degree, and while there's a risk of death and dismemberment, that's no worse than the risks they face every day back home. Given the conditions of their schools, that promotion is their best hope.

It will take something major to impact the wealthier liberals, so they can hold out for the big jackpot, but it really is the equivalent of a lottery win. Not only can I not afford lottery tickets, I know the odds of a win are so slim they might as well be nonexistent.

In the meantime, very small things can have a real impact on my life, for good or ill. As I know that I usually get both at once in equal measure, I'd rather they stay small. I don't want or need catastrophic change, because we can't absorb it. Our lives don't have that kind of flexibility. I've also seen liberal grandstanding fall flat in practice, so I'll cheerfully vote for centrist and compromising.

Whatever I might have been able to do for scraped knees and bruised pride ten years ago, there is very little I can do now to take down the barriers between my kid and the middle class. A few compromises in current public policy might help, though.

Kindly do not tell me that you know better than I do what's best for my child!

The Republican religionists alway pull this same ploy when their is a Republican candidate who disagrees with them. This is nothing new, it's just the usual blackmail.

Doubtful if you're still reading this thread but I did want to get back to you in regard to your wonderful post. Your toughness and pragmatic outlook, given your personal situation, is both admirable and refreshing. And if you meant to bring me up short for my bemused detatchment, you scored your point. i shouldn't have mentioned the professional women vs. housewife thing. such comparisons are outdated, overly simplistic and stink of chauvinism. Anyway, thanks for sharing your thoughts and story. Your reply was not taken lightly.

Finally, Karen M., I understand your thinking about people not getting how important this election is, but at Salon and in these forums, people do get that.

<...>I think we can all agree that Al Gore is who we need to run for president.

Wouldn't it be fun to watch the Clinton response to THAT?

Yes, that would be a lot of fun. And I would love to see him run, but I'm not going to count on it. And I do agree with you that people on these forums understand the importance of this election, but not that they necessarily agree on the best tactics to ensure a better (or at least less frightening) future. I can't tell you how many comments I've read from posters threatening to abstain or vote for a third party.

Shades of deja vu... I had enough of those online arguments in 2000 to last me a lifetime. Bottom line, even then, IMO, was SCOTUS. Not everyone could see that then, and the same thing is true now.

But I attribute that to how much skin a person has in the game, or at least, how much compassion they have for those with the most skin in the game. For example, the anonymous poster with health and financial issues. But for the grace of some luck, that could be me, and in some ways is (or at least was), and I don't take that for granted. I had some very difficult years in the past two decades. And I had to learn some patience. But reluctantly. If you don't have to, yet, that's great. The world would not be such a great place if everyone had an abundance of patience.

I've really enjoyed some of the back-and-forth in this thread... Thanks!

Dear Mr. Spud,

I was paraphrasing a large section of Robert Draper's new book, Dead Certain when I described the Bush campaign's characterization of John Kerry. I was not saying it was an accurate assessment of Kerry. I was saying that was how they thought they could depict him, smear him, and win the election. There are no concrete examples of his being rude to his staffers---at least not on the record as far as I know---but it is in Draper's account of why they thought he'd be easy to beat.

Dear Ms. Anonymous who is poor and in poor health,

I am really sorry you are not well, and I agree that that makes life alot harder for you. I was simply making the point that your financial straits are common. I do have a degree and can get a job, but I have never made much money by ANYONE'S standards and the same budget you describe is mine. I don't own a home, and I am in debt. I know exactly the kind of neighborhood you live in because I grew up in that kind of neighborhood. I lived in the worst neighborhood in Chicago throughout my childhood, and I got to know all of the people in the neighborhood really well, and I made alot of friends I will cherish forever. I know that the poorest of the poor are people like me, and I know their problems intimately, having watched them and lived with them for many years. My family were victims of violent crime and fortunately, it has made me compassionate about the lives of quiet desperation that untold millions live. I know we will always disagree but in my opinion, your child will benefit from having a good mom and a good home WAY more than from centrist politicians who do not care about his welfare, beyond his ability to provide a good talking point, a good sound bite, a good statistic. Al Gore and others like him are the best we can hope for, and we all owe it to your child to hold out for the best.

Finally, Karen M., I understand your thinking about people not getting how important this election is, but at Salon and in these forums, people do get that.

Chris Dodd's book is a compilation of his father's letters home from the Nuremburg trials, as he had been one of the officials there. Chris Dodd is no doubt an excellent man, but he comes into this race with a very low profile and little ground work to prepare for this monumental undertaking. If the book had been HIS views on the Nuremburg trials and an analysis of how that pertains to this government, I would be way more positive. I just don't think he has attempted to make enough of an impression on people to make them excited enough about his candidacy to think, "O.K., yeah, he might have what it takes to lead us out of this morass."

I think we can all agree that Al Gore is who we need to run for president.

Wouldn't it be fun to watch the Clinton response to THAT?