Letters to the Editor
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@ sui_generis: What No Answer?
Sui:
I did not mean to imply anything, it was just a simple question. But if it is hard for you to answer the question, I understand.
Didn't he graduate like 20 years ago and he is still whining about havving to pay his student loans?
Geeezzz...I wish I got those types of extensions when I paid back my student loans.
Too bad you actually had to answer a question about your candidate, but you and his supporters are so quick to put down Senator Clinton.
Even the other joker in the previous post has the nerve to state Senator Clinton has less experience and schooling. Wow, you all will just say anything foolish to support him, which shows me we are in for a lot of issues if he is nominated. And I am sure there is a lot more we all don't know.
Oh well....good luck in life I hope it turns out to be what you expected.
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@ ncawley
Cast aspersions all you like. The truth will out, no matter how much mud you and the Clinton campaign sling at Senator Obama.
I've gotta wonder though -- wouldn't it feel better to win (or, in this case, lose) on the actual merits of your case though? Instead of with "the politics of personal destruction"?
Denial ain't just a river, eh? Good luck with that! ;)
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@ sui_generis: You Should Really Know Your Candidate..Michelle Obama was also on a Board Affiliated with Walmart
Lets be fair when you post.
MICHELLE OBAMA AND HER RELATIONSHIP WITH WALMART:
Maybe people who support Obama should not throw stones until they know the background of the Obama family.
Michelle Obama also sat on a board, which was related to Walmart. She had to give up her position on this board once her HUSBAND thought it was NOT POLITICALLY CORRECT. (She served as a salaried board member of TreeHouse Foods, Inc.,[14] a major Wal-Mart supplier.)
It might be a good idea for the Obama supporters to know both sides of the story, before throwing out details they know nothing about.
POINT IN CASE
Hillary Clinton worked on the Board at Walmart to stop gender and minority bias. She also introduced Walmart to environmental issues/green products.
LET ME KNOW WHAT MICHELLE OBAMA DID ON HER BOARD TO HELP PEOPLE. I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO KNOW THAT AND SINCE YOU ALL KNOW SO MUCH ABOUT YOUR CANDIDATE I AM SURE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO ANSWER IT RIGHT OFF.
IF I START GETTING NEGATIVE OR NO COMMENTS BACK, THEN I KNOW YOU ALL DO NOT KNOW THE DETAILS THAT SHOULD BE KNOWN ABOUT A CANDIDATE.
"DON'T VOTE BECAUSE OF THE HYPE. VOTE BECAUSE YOUR CANDIDATE HAS THE KNOW HOW AND THE POLICIES THAT AGREE WITH YOU."
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Basement political reporting
As a woman who was truly torn between Obama and Clinton, I can tell you without reservation that the MSNBC coverage of Hillary has not only infuriated me, but pushed me to support her. If only this election could have been about voting records and judgment. Sadly, it isn't for me. I have dreams of punching Chris Mathews in the head. Repeatedly. Even Keith Olbermann is making me cringe. As for Shuster, did he think he was reporting for MTV or VHI? I don't think he's a sexist, I think he's an idiot. Of course he wouldn't have made that "pimped out" remark about Obama. That would have been racist. Sexism is not only okay, it's hip and fun.
Every time I tune in to MSNBC, I feel as though I've walked into some guys basement on gameday. What's missing? The beer and the cheesehead hats.
Joan, I've seen you many times on MSNBC. You are one of a handful of women featured on MSNBC, with the exception of Kate Michelman, the "anybody but Hillary" voice of the women's movement. Speak up. Just say it. You might as well. They don't want you in the basement anyway.
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David Shuster, scapegoat?
The misinterpretation of Mrs. Clinton's letter is another example of the kind of coverage she receives. The pattern of behavior that leads to degrading language is a v. serious problem on MSNBC-NBC. I notice every instance of naming, from calling her "Hillary" and the men by their last names or full names to "she devil" etc.
Speech is powerful. I don't think Mr. Shuster is the worst of the lot but the gang of boys language overwhelms their professional stature when there is not editorial regulation except the buck. The media rush to D. Shuster's side is a version of the defensiveness I see in every media forum on what went wrong with Bush administration reporting.
As you know, the Shorenstein study showed that this kind of political show has women guests only 12% of the time in 2001. According to reports, the figure has not risen much above 15% now. I thought this would change after the 2006 elections, but it has not. Just listen to the language. The irrational calumnies toward Mrs. Clinton requires more discussion as well.
Thanks for your thougtful columns—I read you first.
—listener25
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Using Slang in every day parlance
It seems to me that this is an issue of language and how it becomes commonplace to use slang and not really appreciate the original meaning and then becomes transformed when everybody starts using them.
I had no idea what "fluffers" meant and now that I do I consider it inappropriate in good journalism. Pimping out has become so generally used that I see in newspaper articles on home design and hear it in TV ads. I don't see it as a slur per se anymore. Many words cross over into everyday language and lose their original insult status. I guess context is everything. When the term is applied to someone's daughter it reverts to its original meaning and then becomes a slur. It is a tricky thing and given MSNBC's anti-Clinton rhetoric I believe it was an insult not just the use of new lingo.
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Shuster, scapegoat
Now what can be said about the coverage of John Edwards, who was pilloried over his hair, and on MSNBC by more than one talking head? No covenient attack like sexism? Hillary is a politician, has used her sad marriage to build a power base, and anything said about her is said because she is a flawed human like the rest of us, not because she is female. Women just need to get over this convenient defense.