Letters to the Editor
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way to go eric
You just stereotyped all Obama supporters into a club akin to the moonies or the hari krishnas. It sure doesn't descibe me, but I'm sure you'd close up your case and include me or any other independent Obama supporter in there too. This kind of marginalizing tact isn't working so wonderfully well either, when somebody such as Hillary mocks hopefulness in the midst of worrisome times with a war, a recession, and just a general disenchament with government, casting a dim gloom over the minds of many. It seems if you can't kill off a "movement" as you call it, you just lump together all of its group constituents and curtly categorize it a "cult." Neat and tidy, or perhaps better put, cheap and tidy.
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It sounds like Black political activism is worried
It sounds like so called 'black politics' in America as embodied by Tavis Smiley, who's done a wonderful job keeping them on course and on message, is worried that for the first time, black issues may take a second place to 'brown' issues. "Black Issues" as described in this column are rather vaporous, no? They're about 'race' and 'racism' in an abstract way, almost as a proxy for all their other issues like income differences, opportunity and such. Whereas 'brown issues' seem to be about concrete facts. It sounds as if black politics is a little worried that calls to racism and the race card as the show-stopper might not have the legs it once did. Certainly sometime in the next presidency's term, black Americans will be statistically a smaller proportion of all Americans than will be brown Americans so it's natural that they should be worried.
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Eric
Tell you what: When I notice Hillbots stop treating Obama supporters like dirt, then I will start being a lot more polite to them.
Not before.
Because right now, this narrative of "You are so mean" kind of leaves me the impression that a lot of Hillary's support is from the wussy population.
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So uh... poverty.
Joan, I have to say, this is beneath you. I'll grant that I am an Obama supporter and have been an avid follower of this electoral process. But THE CONFERENCE YOU WENT TO WAS ABOUT POVERTY!
ABOUT SOLVING POVERTY!
And yet you insisted on injecting meaningless tripe about how many Obama supporters there were and how there were a lack of Clinton supporters. In fact, this must have been pointed out on three distinct occasions in this piece. Despite the fact that this was intended as a nonpolitical event.
What about how we solve for poverty? What about how we rebuild New Orleans? Can we have one event where we talk substantively about real issues without simplistically dividing people into Obama and Clinton camps?
I'm sorry? The letters section loves the Obama vs. Clinton schtick? My mistake. Carry on.
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I worked for Obama in Texas...
I was shocked when a middle-aged female Hillary Poll Worker told me that the reason Hillary wasn't winning was because of "those people." THOSE PEOPLE. I asked her, "Do you mean African-Americans?" She nodded. I looked her in the eyes and told her that I didn't believe a REAL Democrat would talk that way and walked away from her.
I was literally shaking.
Luckily, throughout the day -- I met scores and scores of YOUNG Hispanics and Latinos who supported Barack Obama. They smiled broadly as I explained the "Texas Two Step" caucus system to them and we discussed how exciting Obama's campaign was.
The black-brown divide seems -- thank goodness -- to be somewhate generational.
As I have told many girlfriends going through heartbreak, sometimes time heals many hurts.
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The Black-Brown Divide
As a Black Democrat, I have to admit that burgeoning Brown power makes me a litte insecure. Obviously, Latinos will supplant us as *the* minority group among Dems, as the Latino population has outpaced, and will continue to outpace, the Black population. I have nothing against Hispanics, but obviously, no group likes to lose power. As Blacks, our power in the party has rested on the fact that we vote overwhelmingly Democrat; our power has been limited by the fact that our voter turnout is usually low and that we do not donate much money to political causes. Hopefully, we Blacks will try to retain influence, and help the Dems overall, by increasing our voter turnout and contributing more money to Dem causes.
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Point of white privilege?
"Point of personal privilege: I'd ask Ross to invite some white feminist civil rights supporters who've been battered by the Clinton-Obama split to any post-nomination constituency healing session; 'black-brown' is not the full spectrum of the infighting"
Walsh is arguing that Blacks and Latinos should invite "battered" white feminists so that they, the white feminists, can heal?
Wow. Just wow.
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@doloresflower
Why do you assume that women are uniquely or particularly afraid of random remarks on an Internet forum? Do you think that women are cowards, ot stultiloquent, or stupid? I don't. You may think those things of yourself -- doubtless you know best -- but don't project them onto women generally.
Your handle aside, you're not some delicate flower. You're an adult. Act like one.
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Hillary's time was 2004; she missed it
i hope she can find it in her to step down gracefully. she personifies the boomers (of whom i am one). i hope we too can bow out gracefully. we did some good things, but our time came and went and now it's rebecalouise's and her generation's. they will do a great job. with them, there's really NO black/brown/gender divide.
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"the black-brown divide seems somewhat generational"
I agree rebecca. The old need to endeavor to see with new eyes.
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Unity Ticket - The Only Solution
Since neither Obama nor Clinton can achieve the number of delegates required to win the nomination outright; and the Michigan and Florida debacle looms as an unresolvable nightmare; and the longer this conflict continues the more divided the Democrats will be and the better McCain's chances become. Therefore:
Hillary agrees to a single term and Obama runs as Vice President. The party is united and the Florida/Michigan issue becomes moot. If elected, she makes history and can institute her policies, yet shows her willingness to sacrifice her ambition (for two terms) for the good of her party and her country -- enhancing her popularity (and possibly even assuaging the anxiety of the Hillary-haters).
For Obama it's a good move for similar reputation-enhancing reasons -- he sacrifices his immediate presidential ambition for the good of party and country. In four years, he (presumably) becomes president while still relatively young (their relative ages make this the only workable sequence).
Any compromise requires sacrifice from both parties and this is the only deal that I can see working. Any other scenario will result in prolonged and increasingly bitter intra-party slashings, and will either require a dark-horse candidate like Gore or will split the party with disastrous electoral results.