MaryKay
03-31-2008, 05:39 PM
Thanks for all you who posted ideas for my letter on my blog yesterday. Here's a draft of what I sent.
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Dear Senator Leahy:
As someone who voted for Senator Obama in Florida, I believe I have a right to say what I am about to say. Now, I do give Senator Obama credit for bringing a lot of new voters to the party, however, THIS Obama campaign (and his democratic supporters) seem to have taken on a strange Orwellian dynamic as of late.
The media seems to applaud Obama and makes excuses for his shortcomings, while they demonize all the other candidates, especially Hillary Clinton. Your latest effort, Sir, to try to denounce your esteemed colleague Senator Clinton by asking her to quit the race is absurd. Senator, there are still voices to be heard. The constituents of PA and North Carolina are thrilled to have their votes actually mean something this time and you want to cut off their voices just so your candidate of choice can win right now?
Truth is, if either of these candidates won every single primary between now and the end, nobody would cross the finish line. I ask you, sir, if it were Senator Obama who was only 130 delegates behind, and he had won all the big states and he had several big contests coming up, would you ask Senator Obama to step down? Asking Senator Clinton to do so is like asking the Giants to not even play in the Superbowl because you just know the Patriots are going to win. I'm certain you wish that would have happened, too.
Truthfully, sir, I no longer support Senator Obama. Why? Simple. Civil rights candidates don't disenfranchise voters to win elections. He gamed the DNC sanctions and took his name off the ballot in Michigan so those votes could never be counted if needed in a close race. As Dana Carvey's Church Lady used to say, "How convenient!" I have it on good authority from a Florida party member that he wanted to do the same down here but Karen Thurman wouldn't let him. So someone at the DNC "gave him permission" to run ads in spite of the "no campaigning" rule, causing Senator Clinton's campaign to respond by claiming victory in January in Florida. Now the senator and his attorneys don't want to allow re-votes? Since when does the Democratic party stand for disenfranchising voters, sir? If Senator Obama is so sure he has the support of the party, why not let these primaries run their course? He has ample resources.
Sir, if we allow Senator Obama to win the nomination this way, the Republicans can fix every election from now to Kingdom come and we will lose all credibility to stop anyone from doing it. My grandfather was a union organizer in PA and he fought for union members' voting rights for people of all colors by putting his own life on the line. My grandfather would be turning over in his grave! In spite of a caveat in the DNC rules allowing us to do so, democrats don't disenfranchise voters to win elections. Period!
I also have serious concerns about the Senator's ability to make up his past. Senator Clinton mis-spoke about one trip to Bosnia, and that's a crime, but Senator Obama can embellish his entire family history and even parts of his voting record and none of you care? He can demolish his paper trail in the Illinois Legislature and he can keep flip-flopping on his connection to Tony Rezko? That's okay? Sir, that type of behavior belongs to another character on Saturday Night Live once played by Jon Lovitz! Enough said.
I teach diversity training for a living. Regardless of the senator's impressive speech, the Wright problem is still an issue for many Americans. The very fact that Senator Obama won't step away from that church and the very fact that he agrees to raise his children in that church tells me that Senator Obama has become desensitized to the church's hateful ranting. This goes directly against his argument that he has the "capacity to unite." In order to do so, you must first be able to acknowledge your own biases. Senator Obama just makes excuses.
Americans aren't stupid. Anyone who has researched that church knows that the hatred goes way beyond a few sermons as Senator Obama would have us believe. C'mon, they gave a lifetime achievement award to Louis Farrakhan! This may not matter much to progressives, but do you really think the Republicans who successfully "Swift-boated" John Kerry will leave this one alone in the General Election? We may all be sick of Swift boat tactics, but that doesn't mean others won't use them against us.
Sir, if Senator Obama truly had the capacity to unite, he would not be insinuating that every white Ohio voter who did not vote for him was an "Archie Bunker." True, there may be some who didn't vote for Senator Obama just because he is black, however, could there not be other reasons why people support Senator Clinton? Do you agree that she's that much of a "monster?" Maybe those voters like her health care plan better. Maybe they like all those generals and admirals who say that she's got the better exit strategy for Iraq. Maybe they like the fact that Bill balanced a budget, or maybe they just like her pantsuits! Some people still read, sir. Some people still vote on policy or political preference. To call people "racist" just because they don't want to vote for you is wrong, and shows the same narrow mindedness as those who are indeed racist. Plus, he (an you) are attempting to marginalize a woman candidate. Do you not see the irony here?
Seriously, I ask you, what would you do in the GE? Threaten to expose democrats as "racist" if they don't want to vote for Obama? Wow.. Wake me up, George Orwell!
Senator Obama has built his whole campaign on transparency, his judgement, and his ability to unite. One-by-one, these arguments are being torn down and sir, today I stopped by the local grocery store only to see that Obama and Wright are once again fodder for the supermarket tabloids. His candidacy is turning into nothing short of a joke, yet you all want Senator Clinton to quit?
Amazing. Utterly, positively Orwellian... and amazing...
Incidentally, my Republican brother in PA who plans to vote for Hillary in November if she gets the nomination put it the best. "The economy was pretty good under 'Ol Bill. And who would have thunk... Hillary is the centrist candidate!" Most people I personally know feel this way and nobody in Florida I know plans to vote for Senator Obama now. Not after this disenfranchisement fiasco. You can kiss Florida goodbye if he runs.
In conclusion -- If if we lose in November, sir, it will not be because Hillary Clinton stayed in the race and allowed democracy to play out, it will be because of democrats like you who pushed for an Orwellian nightmare called the Obama campaign just so we could show we're not a bunch of bigots over a legitimate chance to win the White House in November by nominating Senator Hillary Clinton. Although polarizing, her negatives are nothing in comparison to those of Senator Obama. I don't care what the polls say. Those pollsters are over sampling. I just dread hearing those 527 campaign ads with Wright's voice saying "God Damn America" playing over, and over, and over in my head...
***************************
Dear Senator Leahy:
As someone who voted for Senator Obama in Florida, I believe I have a right to say what I am about to say. Now, I do give Senator Obama credit for bringing a lot of new voters to the party, however, THIS Obama campaign (and his democratic supporters) seem to have taken on a strange Orwellian dynamic as of late.
The media seems to applaud Obama and makes excuses for his shortcomings, while they demonize all the other candidates, especially Hillary Clinton. Your latest effort, Sir, to try to denounce your esteemed colleague Senator Clinton by asking her to quit the race is absurd. Senator, there are still voices to be heard. The constituents of PA and North Carolina are thrilled to have their votes actually mean something this time and you want to cut off their voices just so your candidate of choice can win right now?
Truth is, if either of these candidates won every single primary between now and the end, nobody would cross the finish line. I ask you, sir, if it were Senator Obama who was only 130 delegates behind, and he had won all the big states and he had several big contests coming up, would you ask Senator Obama to step down? Asking Senator Clinton to do so is like asking the Giants to not even play in the Superbowl because you just know the Patriots are going to win. I'm certain you wish that would have happened, too.
Truthfully, sir, I no longer support Senator Obama. Why? Simple. Civil rights candidates don't disenfranchise voters to win elections. He gamed the DNC sanctions and took his name off the ballot in Michigan so those votes could never be counted if needed in a close race. As Dana Carvey's Church Lady used to say, "How convenient!" I have it on good authority from a Florida party member that he wanted to do the same down here but Karen Thurman wouldn't let him. So someone at the DNC "gave him permission" to run ads in spite of the "no campaigning" rule, causing Senator Clinton's campaign to respond by claiming victory in January in Florida. Now the senator and his attorneys don't want to allow re-votes? Since when does the Democratic party stand for disenfranchising voters, sir? If Senator Obama is so sure he has the support of the party, why not let these primaries run their course? He has ample resources.
Sir, if we allow Senator Obama to win the nomination this way, the Republicans can fix every election from now to Kingdom come and we will lose all credibility to stop anyone from doing it. My grandfather was a union organizer in PA and he fought for union members' voting rights for people of all colors by putting his own life on the line. My grandfather would be turning over in his grave! In spite of a caveat in the DNC rules allowing us to do so, democrats don't disenfranchise voters to win elections. Period!
I also have serious concerns about the Senator's ability to make up his past. Senator Clinton mis-spoke about one trip to Bosnia, and that's a crime, but Senator Obama can embellish his entire family history and even parts of his voting record and none of you care? He can demolish his paper trail in the Illinois Legislature and he can keep flip-flopping on his connection to Tony Rezko? That's okay? Sir, that type of behavior belongs to another character on Saturday Night Live once played by Jon Lovitz! Enough said.
I teach diversity training for a living. Regardless of the senator's impressive speech, the Wright problem is still an issue for many Americans. The very fact that Senator Obama won't step away from that church and the very fact that he agrees to raise his children in that church tells me that Senator Obama has become desensitized to the church's hateful ranting. This goes directly against his argument that he has the "capacity to unite." In order to do so, you must first be able to acknowledge your own biases. Senator Obama just makes excuses.
Americans aren't stupid. Anyone who has researched that church knows that the hatred goes way beyond a few sermons as Senator Obama would have us believe. C'mon, they gave a lifetime achievement award to Louis Farrakhan! This may not matter much to progressives, but do you really think the Republicans who successfully "Swift-boated" John Kerry will leave this one alone in the General Election? We may all be sick of Swift boat tactics, but that doesn't mean others won't use them against us.
Sir, if Senator Obama truly had the capacity to unite, he would not be insinuating that every white Ohio voter who did not vote for him was an "Archie Bunker." True, there may be some who didn't vote for Senator Obama just because he is black, however, could there not be other reasons why people support Senator Clinton? Do you agree that she's that much of a "monster?" Maybe those voters like her health care plan better. Maybe they like all those generals and admirals who say that she's got the better exit strategy for Iraq. Maybe they like the fact that Bill balanced a budget, or maybe they just like her pantsuits! Some people still read, sir. Some people still vote on policy or political preference. To call people "racist" just because they don't want to vote for you is wrong, and shows the same narrow mindedness as those who are indeed racist. Plus, he (an you) are attempting to marginalize a woman candidate. Do you not see the irony here?
Seriously, I ask you, what would you do in the GE? Threaten to expose democrats as "racist" if they don't want to vote for Obama? Wow.. Wake me up, George Orwell!
Senator Obama has built his whole campaign on transparency, his judgement, and his ability to unite. One-by-one, these arguments are being torn down and sir, today I stopped by the local grocery store only to see that Obama and Wright are once again fodder for the supermarket tabloids. His candidacy is turning into nothing short of a joke, yet you all want Senator Clinton to quit?
Amazing. Utterly, positively Orwellian... and amazing...
Incidentally, my Republican brother in PA who plans to vote for Hillary in November if she gets the nomination put it the best. "The economy was pretty good under 'Ol Bill. And who would have thunk... Hillary is the centrist candidate!" Most people I personally know feel this way and nobody in Florida I know plans to vote for Senator Obama now. Not after this disenfranchisement fiasco. You can kiss Florida goodbye if he runs.
In conclusion -- If if we lose in November, sir, it will not be because Hillary Clinton stayed in the race and allowed democracy to play out, it will be because of democrats like you who pushed for an Orwellian nightmare called the Obama campaign just so we could show we're not a bunch of bigots over a legitimate chance to win the White House in November by nominating Senator Hillary Clinton. Although polarizing, her negatives are nothing in comparison to those of Senator Obama. I don't care what the polls say. Those pollsters are over sampling. I just dread hearing those 527 campaign ads with Wright's voice saying "God Damn America" playing over, and over, and over in my head...