Letters to the Editor
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Respect and courtesy
Respect and courtesy have been in short supply all over the web and particularly at Salon. I have been called stupid, a dumb ass, a Republican, a dork, and a racist right here on these pages. Actually it has been worse here than anywhere else. After being told that I am full of shit and deluded by several posters, I pondered whether to quit reading Salon and whether to cease commenting. I think the aim of some of these people is to run off dissenting opinion because perhaps it is threatening to hear other ideas. Rather than listen, weigh, and respond, many have decided to blast off with both barrels in personal attacks. In the end, I decided to hang around because even Salon's editor has been abused and had her job threatened for stating ideas that displease many Salon readers. However, I am still furious at the personal nature of the attacks against me, Hillary, other people who share my opinion, or anyone who dares say anything remotely complimentary to Hillary or skeptical about Obama.
I have always felt that Democrats are exceptional people... tolerant, inclusive, fair, and insightful. My opinion has been sharply challenged for the last few months and I don't know whether I will be able to go back to Camelot, so to speak. Perhaps that is as it should be but my eyes have been opened.
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@emphasis...thank you for pointing the obvious fact
"Black voters will vote for him for the reasons many have stated. However, white voters are not bound by that imperative, he is not the first of them (white candidate) that rises to this potential, so they need more than platitudes, and a more thorough explanation of who he is."
Wow, no point in bringing facts to bear on this....niggers are irrational because they lack the catagorical imperative of rational white people who obviously see things clearly. One would think if you read any of the posts you might have thought about the problem of white ...oh never mind
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Do you wanna see something really nice?
Using only empathy, bravery, and human connection, this NBA coach who can’t even sing (and probably knows it) transforms anguish and mockery into unity and joy.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=q4880PJnO2E
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@sesanders
give me a freakin break. ya there are dorks who say crazy stuff....but when you say,
"I have always felt that Democrats are exceptional people... tolerant, inclusive, fair, and insightful. My opinion has been sharply challenged for the last few months and I don't know whether I will be able to go back to Camelot, so to speak. Perhaps that is as it should be but my eyes have been opened."
Fair? How about sounding like an autistic kid and saying "Farahkan" or Ayers during a debate after Obama gives her a pass on Serbia? How about trying to overtly trying to "connect" Jesse Jackson with Obama, which is offensive on SOOO many levels. So them "coloreds" that voted for Jesse are to be dismissed? (They aren't obviously the neighbors to his headquarters in Harlem.) It denigrates Jesse, who I assumed was an ally-which again shows a lack of class and political acumen. What signal did that send to other AA politicians-particularly AA when they see him willing to throw Jesse under the bus?? Not a good political move, but guided by emotion and craven self-interest. That is the betraying impulse!
The comment was meant to completely marginalize Obama rather than discuss the issues...which is massive leadership failure. As many people I was on the fence between Obama and Hilary, but her behavior and willingness to pander says much about her ability to lead.
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@ chimpygo
That was really poignant.
Thanks.
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@ sigmund5
Isn't it funny how the Clintons (Bill, in particular, I suppose) can betray (e.g.) Lani Guinier, Joycelen Elders (off the top of my head), a panoply of core liberal causes rendering the Democratic Party the hollow husk it is today, and yet, when someone dares to support their opponent they're the traitor?
Fuck you, Clintons.
God, they're such rank cowards I can't believe we're still talking about them.
(Sorry to be incendiary, I'm just venting to sigmund, whom I take to be a sympathetic ear, not looking for a fight with anyone.)
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@weeping...
LMAO...ya, kinda hard to understand this BS. I hate to be rude myself, it is against my nature, but I understand.
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@weeping...
Are you just naturally smart or have you taken some social science classes on defining racism? lol
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@ weeping
"I can't believe we're still talking about them."
Maybe we shouldn't be. It seems to me as if Democrats are being manipulated a little. The CNN exchange, Clinton's comments this morning, and the open warfare in Democratic circles led O'Reilly's broadcast tonight.
Republicans are seeing an opportunity to score here. It seems to me we shouldn't move the ball down the field for them.
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@weeping
Unfortunately the only "discussion" that occurs here is if you be an ahole and antagonize someone. The only person that can be held responsible for this is.... well you know.
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Thanks chimpygo
That was really nice.
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dolores flower
Once when I was traveling I met someone from New Zealand who told me that the census takers insisted on asking people their religion, and many young people didn't really have a religion, so someone had the bright idea of writing in "Jedi."
That was Australia. Not NZ.
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Can Democrats learn to talk about race
Not sure I'm as sympathetic as you or Joe Conason are to Hillary's comments on race. The constant reiteration of her appeal to "white working class Americans" as a rationale for why Democratic Party superdelegates should pick her over Obama, is a slap in the face to the party's most loyal constituency -- African-Americans -- and a repudiation of the colour-blind principles the party allegedly stand for. Here's what she's really appears to be saying to party leaders: There's no way that white people are going to vote for the black guy. Come November, you'll be sorry, so you've got to choose me.
The sad reality is that the Clintons have long had a history of playing the race card when it suited them, going back to Bill's first Presidential campaign in 1992, when he raced back to Little Rock, to sign the execution order of Ricky Ray Rector, a black man who was said to have the mental age of a 12 year old. All this to ensure that the GOP didn't play the Willie Horton card on him as they did to Dukakis.
If Hillary is genuinely serious about wanting to reunite the party and ensure that a Democrat gets elected in 2008, she's going to have to adopt a more highminded approach. At this rate, she'll lose policy leverage (yes, I agree that her health care policy is superior to Obama's) and future political viability. She's probably already sabotaged her chances of being on the ticket (if that was an objective). Because if Barack loses in 2008, many people will blame Hillary and the resultant lingering bitter feelings will likely torpedo her chances to secure the nomination in 2012.