Letters to the Editor
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Return of the Egghead
I haven't heard the term "egghead" widely used in decades, but have read of it being used twice recently by Clinton supporters. Why are Democrats saying disparaging things about smart people? Aren't we supposed to encourage education and intelligence? Is the perception that there aren't enough "eggheads" (college graduates?) to make a difference in the general election? This distrust of and disdain for educated voters is disturbing.
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Re - Return of the Egghead
I haven't heard the term "egghead" widely used in decades, but have read of it being used twice recently by Clinton supporters. Why are Democrats saying disparaging things about smart people? Aren't we supposed to encourage education and intelligence? Is the perception that there aren't enough "eggheads" (college graduates?) to make a difference in the general election? This distrust of and disdain for educated voters is disturbing.
Lots of Animals Learn, but Smarter Isn't Better: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/06/science/06dumb.htm
Supporter: You have the support of every thinking person
Adlai Stevenson: That's not enough, madam, we need a majority!
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Here's an idea...
I can't be the only one getting tired of reading all of the complaints about Salon's coverage of this or that, or non-coverage of that or this... and the election is still many months away.
There is now a way for you to create Salon's content. Get to it! Show us how it's supposed to be done.
http://open.salon.com/
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RE: Return of the Egghead
It is disappointing, to say the least, to see the Clintons borrow this particular leaf from the Rove/Repug playbook.
It is hilarious - in the most heartbreaking way- to see elitists slamming others elitists and the fact that it ever works just boggles the mind!!!
We need a leader- someone who is way smarter than average. Someone who is an egghead, someone who is an elitist and we need to stop being ashamed of that. Our democracy should be a meritocracy and not this passing on of the mantle between the Bushes and Clintons.
Incidentally, the Clintons are probably some of the most wonkish eggheads on the planet. (Yale Law! Rhodes Scholar!!!) That is something I admire about them! I wish they would use their powers for good though and stop appealing to the lowest common denominator. We’ve had that dumbing down of politics ever since I can remember (I’m lucky I can read at all- I went to public school in the Reagan eighties!!!)
That is not to say we all need to be drinking lattes- to each his own whether it is Bud or Microbrew. But enough is enough already. Look at what 7 years of a ‘c’ student leadership has wrought!
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By the way, Brazile's original comment was
BRAZILE: Well, Lou, I have worked on a lot of Democratic campaigns, and I respect Paul.
But, Paul, you're looking at the old coalition. A new Democratic coalition is younger. It is more urban, as well as suburban, and we don't have to just rely on white blue-collar voters and Hispanics. We need to look at the Democratic Party, expand the party, expand the base and not throw out the baby with the bathwater.
See http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0805/06/se.02.html
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The divisions are not that simple
Forgive me for being "Captain Obvious", but, aren't we looking at two halves of a whole here? Its not conservatives versus liberals, as in Republican versus Democrat, but, it is a division within the Democratic party itself. That is the fracture, as it were.
Barack Obama pulls blacks, ultra-libs, yups, younger and the well-educated; Hillary pulls the Reagan-Democrats, working-class, many whites, older and the more conservative element within the party. That, to me, looks a helluva lot like two sides of a whole that is our party. --AnaHadWolves
I am ultra-liberal, definitely middle-aged (but look much, much younger), educated, but without a degree, grew up working class, but now live among the middle-class (yet with some internalized working class values), oh, and white and female.
So, perhaps that fracture is actually on a much finer scale, i.e., within a lot of people who feel torn this time around, like the man who reportedly (on the news) flipped a coin in the voting booth in order to decide, or the woman I know who pressed the buttons back and forth for both Clinton and Obama before deciding (I still don't know for whom), or even in families where the differences are generational or by gender, if not also by race, though I think that one is less likely.
Like both Clinton and Obama, I am optimistic that the Democratic Party will rally around the candidate in the Fall-- and because of the longer primary season, with a much stronger ground game-- but it would surely be helpful if we could each concentrate on healing our own internal divisions, sooner rather than later.
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We have wasted so much....
The problem is that we're already at the point where too many people want to say, "A pox on both your houses!"
We have wasted so much.
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Yo Joan - on aiming low.
Judging by the last couple of pages of letters i'd say you hit your demographic on the mark.
The best part is that neither you nor they will "get it".
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MALE TRIUMPHALISM (PREMATURE)
Joan, while this was going on did you catch the gang rape that was on at MSNBC? I've been a daily viewer of that network since I came back from England in 2000 but can't watch any more. Yhe word has clearly gone out that the whole network is to trash Hillary. and from Matthews and Russert right through, they never miss a chance for a sneer or an unfounded conclusion. Even the women join in. Sad because I so admired Olbermann's attacks on Bush.
On an unrelated topic, I thought of a way to resolve the Democratic rivalry. The winning candidate could announce that her or his rival would be the first appointment to the Supreme Court. Both would do a terrific job and we'd all be more content than we look likely to be.
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@patriciacolorodo
"The winning candidate could announce that her or his rival would be the first..."
I am still amazed at the ability of people to delude themselves.....his or her? IT IS OVER, the sooner you accept it the better for you and the country