Letters to the Editor
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@ KateTex: Glad To See You're Back! Also, DoloresFlower: Thanks
Kate --
I agree with you about Obama's resume -- too thin. I, too, would vote for him in a New York minute if I felt he had the experience necessary to govern. I'm also troubled that his Senate colleagues say that his accomplishments there really haven't been all that stellar, and that he, himself, has been "antsy" to move on, almost from the moment he was elected. I personally don't see the limited national experience AND his unwillingness to stay with it awhile to learn from it as very reassuring. But, everybody is entitled to their opinion. Keep posting!
DoloresFlower --
Always good to see your posts. Thanks for your kind words. You don't get angered very easily; frustrated at times, yes, as we all do. You have a way of sharing your opinions about Obama that don't insult those of us who support Clinton, which I appreciate. We can each point to our candidate's experience, background, public service and find both the good and the not-so-good in them without resorting to childish labels and name-calling. Hope you'll keep posting!
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You want truth?!?
We've heard what that Long Island Bigot Ferraro thinks is the truth. Here's the real truth:
If Obama were a white man named Smith, with the same charisma, record, history, character, and integrity, this primary season would indeed have been already over.
Because Hillary Clinton would have been CRUSHED on Feb. 5th.
That's your fucking truth.
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@ damnthatxanadu
You said, correctly: And if we can't be UPFRONT with saying yeah, Obama's black and that's got a lot to do with it, which is rather obvious to everyone, then they WILL swing the other way and vote Republican. Why? BECAUSE, EVEN THOUGH THEY MAY BE, THEY DON'T WANT TO BE LABELED RACIST for saying or thinking what is obvious. They're going to call, "Bullshit!" And, unfortunately, they'll be right! And if you think that isn't going to matter, then you and everyone else are seriously fooling yourself. And THAT will ruin us.
Please think this through! Not being straight on and upfront about this could seriously backfire.
I understand you perfectly. However, you are wasting your breath, my dear. Don't you see this? I have given it up and found something useful to do. I think that is a better idea. Let the silence take over. It is what they deserve. It will grow increasingly silent.
The struggle against what people want to see versus what is reality is utterly useless. That is why I have determined not to argue in these threads.
Much as I admire your passionate effort to make them see, I think it will do them more good to have nothing to push against. Right now they are too busy burning straw dogs to listen.
Allow me to offer a Stephen Mitchell translation from the Tao:
9.
"Fill your bowl to the brim
and it will spill.
Keep sharpening your sword
and it will blunt...
Care about other people's approval*
and you will be their prisoner.
Do your work, then step back.
The only path to serenity."
* For these purposes, I would substitute the word "understanding" for approval.
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@ Xrandadu Hutman: Broadcasting Political Convictions
I have NEVER had this happen and I can't recall any of my friends or relatives having this happen. It was the most surreal moment of the day...
On a related note: In the 1970s I owned this great Super Beetle (metal flake gold, all spiffy). This was when we were boycotting COORS for its anti-affirmative action and union-busting. I displayed a bumper sticker on the rear window, driver's side. Of course, the sticker was fluorescent yellow with big black letters:
BOYCOTT COORS
Anyway, as I was driving through one of the neighborhoods close to Boeing (where I worked at the time), I heard a huge "boom" as I drove by a group of houses, turned around, and my window was completely shattered. Turned out that somebody shot out my window as I drove by. We found the bullet when I went to get the window replaced. It took me awhile to get over that one, too -- I didn't put bumper stickers on my cars for YEARS afterward.
Ya live 'n learn...
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@KateTex
KateTex: "Ferraro hit on a home truth but did so in a very heavy handed way. Obama, a candidate with rather weak credentials for a presidential candidate,"
A solid senate record, an impressive state legislature record, community organizing, top-tier Harvard law scholarship, writing/thinking talent that resulted in two beststelling books, a well-defined and clearly communicated set of political principles, a proven speaking ability that inspires people from all walks of life, impressive organizational and managerial skills that pushed him from relative obscurity into frontrunner status, consistent judgment and skill throughout an arduous campaign, and an admirable cut of the jib -- these amount to "weak credentials"?
KateTex: "...an unexamined personal history (his two autobiographies don't count - not in any investigative sense)"
Exactly what "personal history" are you calling unexamined here? Should investigative reporters be calling up every woman who ever went on a date with Obama? Maybe do a panty raid on his house? Or are you talking about the small-time Rezko stuff, which has been thoroughly examined and turned up an unsavory connection but no evidence of, or reason to suspect, illegal activity on the part of Obama? What else do you want to know about Obama's past -- whether he was ever mean to a cat?
KateTex: "...and a very foggy theme of hope and change..."
Foggy? Obama has written and spoken about exactly what he wants to change, discussing the way politics are conducted, the way lobbying corrupts the process, the divisiveness of the party divides, and other issues. When discussing "hope," Obama talks about improving education, forging a smarter foreign policy that allows the U.S. to invest more in its own infrastructure and resources, taking the country in a more green direction, and so on. Read his website, look up his positions on Wikipedia, etc. How is he being foggy? Or are you only exposed to media coverage that sums him up in 20 seconds and leaves your understanding of him foggy?
KateTex: ...hit the jackpot when the Clintons got crucified in SC. That is precisely when his candidacy took off; the guy who had had lukewarm support among black voters suddenly began getting nearly the entirety of their votes."
How do you know Obama had lukewarm support among blacks? New Hampshire is hardly a trustworthy representation (nor Iowa). Obama was doing well far before SC, of course, surprising everybody when he emerged as the winner in Iowa. Many analysts did not see that one coming at all. Perhaps Obama's debate performance was the key, but his campaign's effectiveness was also a big factor.
KateTex: "He simultaneously became the 'feel good' candidate for a lot of whites, a seemingly painless solution to our nation's long history of racial difficulty."
How do you know this? I voted for Obama and I sure as heck didn't cast my ballot thinking to myself, "I feel so great to be voting for a black person!" No, what I said to myself was, "I like this candidate -- I like what he has to say, I like the way he presents himself, I like the things I've read about his experience and positions on the issues." I think that's why a lot of whites vote for him. When I think about Obama being black, I think, "That's a cool bonus....a black president would be cool and signify a step forward in the country's ugly racial history." Then I think, "a Hillary Clinton president would be a step forward for women, and that's also cool." Then smoke starts coming out of my ears and I resolve not to let it become about race or gender because those aren't exactly the biggest issues the country is facing right now.
KateTex: "How can anyone possibly posit that Obama's position at this point in the primaries doesn't have a great deal to do with race? It does."
If you say so! After all, Obama has no other positive qualities that could have gotten him this far! The guy can barely put together a sentence! And his resume is, like, empty! He hasn't been working in politics for the past decade at all! I don't know where this socially awkward, graceless shambles of a man came from! He's certainly not "presidential" what with his sudden outbursts and his wildly unpredictable and unprincipled statements!
KateTex: "If I believed Obama had the makings of a solid president, I'd vote for him in a second. The problem is, I don't, and I don't trust this rush to practically anoint him."
But you trust the rush to anoint Hillary Clinton.
KateTex: "What happens if he does become president - and screws up? What then?"
Oh noes! What if this happens? Worse yet, what if that happens? What if Obama holds his hand over his heart during the National Anthem and it obscures his flag pin and he fails to denounce it?
KateTex: "Will doubters and dissenters be tarred with the 'racist' brush, just as they've been tarred in the primaries (absolutely no pun intended)? The latter prospect is not a happy one."
I don't think people will be tarred with any "racist" brush unless they say something dumb involving race. Then they might just get some smelly, road-covering goo upon their person.