Why we lost? You'll find clues in Newsweek's Letters to the Editor.

[VolcanoJen]

Just read this in my print version of the new Newsweek; it's online as well.

This pretty much explains it all to me, and provides further proof that we really have to do a better job of fighting false perceptions perpetuated by the media.

Read at your own risk. (By the way, the "How He Did It" issue of Newsweek was a pretty extraordinary read.)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6540453/site/newsweek/

Thank you for a superb job of reporting and writing in your Nov. 15 "How He Did It" issue. The behind-the-scenes look was fascinating. I literally couldn't put the magazine down. I took it with me everywhere to read whenever I had a spare moment. Going into the campaign season, I had planned to vote for Kerry (anybody but Bush), but as time went on I waited in vain to learn what he would do about Iraq if he were elected. To paraphrase President Bush, complaining about the current administration is not a plan for the future. By the end of the long, ugly campaign, I reluctantly voted for George W. Bush. Better a known than an unknown. Another minor consideration was Teresa Heinz Kerry. I didn't want an elitist snob for a First Lady, and everything I read confirmed my opinion of her. Thank you again for your thorough coverage, not only in this issue but throughout the campaign.

Ann Shorey
Sutherlin, Ore.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

why the gratuitous insult at Teresa Heinz Kerry...

nt

[VolcanoJen]

5. Probably code to the "Real Republicans" that the writer...

... had no intention of voting "Anybody but Bush."

:eyes:

[TruthIsAll]

58. Jen. We lost because it was rigged. Simple. End of discussion.

No need to read any more into it.

Newsweek is FOS.

The excuses are Rove plants.

[gratuitous]

15. I didn't say a word about Mrs. Kerry!

But yes, this letter fairly drips with the "I was gonna vote fer Kerry" kind of nonsense that is a dead giveaway to bushbottery. The fact that she's from Sutherlin also mitigates against the writer's potential progressive sympathies.

[VolcanoJen]

17. ** giggle! **

That was cute, gratuitous!

And yeh, I agree about the dead giveaway to bushbottery. It's about as "coded" as Pig Latin.

[Darth_Kitten]

48. the Faux Kerry voters.....

:eyes:

I'm a progressive, but I voted for Bush because Kerry couldn't inspire me. Yeah, right, wasn't born yesterday. :)

[Quill Pen]

50. Isn't Sutherlin...

...a logging/mill town in the middle of Bumf*ck Oregon? They hate anything remotely related to environmental stewardship, I'd guess.

Know I must have had a greasy breakfast or lunch there at some point on the way down to Ashland.

[lumberjack_jeff]

55. Humble suggestion

I live in a little logging town on the edge of bumf*ck Washington, and feel compelled to comment.

The union movement got its start because loggers, coalminers and others in really dangerous professions needed political representation - their literal lives depended upon it.

You have inadvertently hit on my pet theory of why we lost. We've forgotten that our constituency has always been, and will always be people. Environmental stewardship is important, but to actively alienate everyone who relies upon natural resource industries (logging, fishing, farming, mining) for their livelihood was suicide.

Most of those people are sensitive to environmental concerns, but if the left has no answers to them besides "sorry, you can get other work" we won't win them to our cause.

I know that someone will reply that my commitment to environmental causes is skin deep, but I would remind them that even if that were true, it's still infinitely deeper than those that won.

[Quill Pen]

56. The people...

...IMO, are not the most vulnerable aspect of our world.

Once you cut down all the old-growth timber, it's gone for good. Once you overfish a unique species, it's gone and it's not coming back. When a region is overmined or strip-mined, it's permanently polluted. When the owls are gone, they're not coming back.

There are plenty of people. Too damn many, if you ask me. And even the ones who gripe that we're taking their logging and fishing jobs away from them seem to be breeding more and more of their own kind. Their choice. Humans aren't endangered. Even the most under-represented of people are still better represented by government than wild creatures and spaces.

Hanh? Where did I say these people could just get other work? (Come to think of it, where did I say anything anti-union?) I've never agreed that all logging should be stopped, or all fishing, or all hunting, or all resource exploration. But I think these practices should be limited. No old-growth timber. No trawling. No drilling in the ANWR. I don't care how much make-work could come from gutting wilderness, it's not worth it.

The same people who grumble about the spotted-owl-saving urbanites and latte-drinking Eurowhiners on the other side of the Sound are now plagued by (what used to be) 100-year floods once a year, and along with the rest of the population, increasing incidences of cancer and disease. These same voters need to see that environmental concerns are an integral part of their best interests.

Instead, they typically respond with hostility and freeper-style derision to anyone who suggests they leave some of the damn trees alone. I've been tooling around the Olympic Peninsula many times; I've seen the "Kentucky Fried Spotted Owls" bumper stickers; I've heard the bombast they save for us King County libs. They choose to believe that any environmentally-sound directive is a personal attack, just because it came from us. If Dino Rossi or Kirby Wilbur suggested we save the spotted owl, they'd nod like bobbleheads.

[Leilani]

27. Did you read the Newsweek issue the letters are addressing?

The issue started with the primaries & ran until concession speech.

There was lots of coverage of behind-the-scenes during a campaign.

It was not very flattering to Mrs. Kerry...don't know whether any of it is true or not, but the reader was reacting to the portrait drawn by the writers.

[VolcanoJen]

29. Absolutely. I'm looking at the "How He Did It" Newsweek issue now.

That issue is a must-read, especially considering the way most of us view the media skeptically. The issue confirms that queasy feeling in your stomach.

I've got the issue in front of me right now, and on page 53, there's a huge sidebar reading: "In Iowa, Kerry seemed more bemused with Teresa than worried about her. 'C'mon General,' he said, ushering her onstage."

On page 76, they reprint the semi-infamous photo of the first Edwards-Kerry family photo-op, in which Teresa tries to coax young Jack Edwards' thumb out of his mouth. It takes up 1/3 of the page, and the caption reads, "We Are Family: Teresa and Little Jack Edwards Stole the Photo Op."

As memory serves, the mainstream media actually praised the Edwards-as-Veep roll-out as one of the best in political history, photo-ops and all. Newsweek chose the Controlling Billionairess angle to represent their account of those summer days.

I'm still not sure I trust the letter writer's intentions, but if a voter was looking for fair-and-balanced coverage of Teresa Heinz Kerry during and after the election, I wouldn't recommend Newsweek.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

40. Teresa Heinz Kerry is

the new Hillary, what else?

And Sutherlin, Oregon is hardly a Democratic hotbed.

[okieinpain]

44. yeah, never mind that she was a repug first, they wanted her to run for

office when her first husband died. but oh well.

[Maddy McCall]

1. Hell, we're going to have to resurrect Theodore Bilbo or Huey P.

to ever again hold the presidency.

These people... :grr:


Hi, jen :hi:

[Sparkle]

2. She says Kerry is unknown and yet she thinks Teresa is an elitist snob.

Stupid bitch.

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

3. Teresa Heinz Kerry is incredibly generous

I live in PA and I can testify to the fact that Teresa is an incredibly generous, kind and hardworking woman. How ridiculous to call her an elitist snob.

[shrike]

4. If this woman got a bad haircut, she'd go to a different stylist

But she'll stick with a president she didn't support because a "known is better than an unknown."

I swear, certain Americans really have it coming.

[OneMoreDemocrat]

16. Excellent point............

.

[AP]

6. ABB/what are you for vs what you're against..fear...class. Pretty much

sums it up.

[BrklynLiberal]

7. It didn't explain anything to me

I saw nothing in that letter that explained why that person voted for Bush....She didn't want an elitist snob for a first lady?????????
But a Stepford wife who killed her HS boyfriend and sold pot in college is ok?? DUH???
What about the economy? The environment? Womens rights? Pre-emptive war with other countries? Progressive Taxes so the middle class is
not supporting the rich? Education for everyone? Employee health care and fair pay? Social security and Medicare?
This woman is a total moron!!!!!!!!! We truly are doomed!!!

ALSO..We didn't lose. It was stolen...again!!!!!!!!!!!

[Quill Pen]

51. A LTTE in my local paper a couple of months ago

...said basically the same thing. Not voting for Kerry because "he's got a rude, mouthy heiress for a wife." And this attitude comes from women as often as from men.

You wonder how misogyny can be stronger than survival instincts.

[VolcanoJen]

8. There are actually some thoughtful letters in the section.

However, Newsweek chose to print the brilliant Ms. Shorey's comments first, and they kind of spoiled the rest of the section to me.

Here's a letter that nails it:

For some time now I've had the Feb. 9, 2004, cover of NEWSWEEK taped to my refrigerator. The pictures on the cover include George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell and Donald Rumsfeld. The headline reads: WE WERE ALL WRONG. And below, the question: will anyone pay? We got our answer when John Kerry conceded the election: No. None of them will pay. Only we will. God help us.

Valerie Boles Wagoner
West Des Moines, Iowa

[aquart]

9. A hardcore bushbot's opinion?

And what, precisely, could the Democrats have done to appeal to her? Advocate concentration camps for Muslims? Promise jail terms for unmarried sex?

Reluctantly voted for Bush, my ass.

[fnottr]

10. Although, this is encouraging

Off the same site...

I am a white, Christian male from the South, and I voted based on my moral values, not my economic interests. These values include respect, tolerance and charity. Respect for all people, even those who disagree with me or hate me, for we are all images of the divine. Tolerance of each person's choices, whether religious, political or personal, for we are all sinners. Charity for those less comfortable than I, for we are all subject to the frailties of the physical world. I am a white Christian male from the South, and I voted for John Kerry.
David S. Curcio
Houston, Texas

If only we could reach out through the churches, there might be a lot more people like this.

[VolcanoJen]

13. And then there's this one:

Maybe someone needs to explain to Michelle that she's French, and likely won't be embraced by the drooling, knuckle-dragging religious zealots once she signs that "Hello! My Name Is:" badge at the next Bush Boosters Meet-Up?

}(

It's amazing that only dumb people voted for Bush. Smart people knew better, but alas, outside New York and California, there aren't any smart people, only drooling, knuckle-dragging religious zealots. Maybe next time some of the dumb people will be enlightened enough to elect a liberal agenda supported by gay activists, antiwar activists, anti-religionists, feminists, celebrities, street poets, George Soros, Michael Moore and "young people."

Michelle Elan-Tremblant
Los Angeles, Calif.

[Darth_Kitten]

49. And she has TWO last names.....gee, that's pretty hoity toity......

:evilgrin: I bet she's a closet francophone feminist celebrity street poet. Just a hunch. :) And she's resentful of happy people who care about her more than she obviously cares about herself.

I dunno. :eyes:

[BrklynLiberal]

14. Excellent idea

"If only we could reach out through the churches, there might be a lot more people like this."

We do need to mobilize the Christian left. It was very mobilized and vociferous during the anti-war movement in the 60's. Remember the Berrigan brothers and others like that?
Sojourners does a great job. We need more like that.

[ibegurpard]

11. Democratic "strategists" need to stop paying attention to comments

like this and polls that indicate these sentiments. These people are not being honest with THEMSELVES. Therefore, their answers cannot be taken seriously as a way to judge true public sentiment.

[Brewman_Jax]

12. Standard SOP

for RW neo-cons. She never intended to vote for Kerry. All of the neo-con dittohead code phrases are there. "Better a known than an unknown." and "I didn't want an elitist snob for a First Lady, and everything I read confirmed my opinion of her." to name a few.

The coverage was there. Bush* is a confirmed deserter and liar, but that doesn't matter if you're a right wing neo-con dittohead flag-waving zombie. :eyes:

[sandnsea]

18. Sutherlin rotflmao

She never had any intention of voting for anybody but Bush, believe me. She believed what she wanted to believe. These people want to hate liberals and will find any reason to do that. Until we get that one simple truth in our heads, we'll never win again.

[VolcanoJen]

19. Another encouraging letter; Moral Leadership and Christianity

Is this Rev. Shirilau's homepage? There are some very interesting essay on the War on Terrorism there:

http://www.shirilau.com/

From Newsweek's Letters to the Editor:

As a bishop and leader of a denomination, I generally shy away from blaming the church for various problems. But the presidential election showed that the Christian church is failing as a teacher of the Gospel. Until Election Day we could blame George W. Bush for the atrocities in Iraq. But now we, the people of the world's supposed leader in democracy and freedom, have guilt on our hands for ratifying the least moral president we have had in years. The church's failure is shown by the fact that so many supporters of Bush cite moral values as their reason for electing him. What God do these people worship? Do they really think a country stained with the blood of 100,000 dead is a moral improvement over one stained blue dress? That sort of thinking must break God's heart. But yes, ultimately it is the church that is to blame. Rome obsesses ad nauseam about abortion. The mainline Protestants let Third World conservatives hold them back from real progress in equality out of fear of breaking up their communions. The evangelicals are more concerned about Old Testament rules than Jesus' message of love. Meanwhile, a president who attacks a country based on false assumptions, loses the respect of most of the world and strives to write discrimination into our Constitution is touted for his moral values. If Bush wants to be our moral leader, he should truly point us toward God's love and away from the culture of fear and hate that until now he has promoted.

The Most Rev. Mark S. Shirilau
Archbishop and Primate, Communion of Ecumenical Churches
Irvine, Calif.

[merh]

28. This letter is written by a bushbot that purports to be a liberal

Thank you, NEWSWEEK, for your set of post-election articles. As a dyed-in-the-wool liberal, I want to share some advice for the Democratic Party: Hillary Clinton in 2008? Forget it! It is eminently clear that this country, excepting the Blue cities on your voting map, is solidly right of center and will bristle at a Clinton candidacy. The message is clear that the Democrats are out of step with the country's views on gay marriage and religion. A presidential nomination for Senator Clinton would polarize matters further and all but guarantee another four years of Republican control of the White House. I accept Bush's victory and hope that he can unite us. Issues such as Iraq will slowly fade to insignificance; school prayer, abortion and gay marriage weigh more heavily on a predominantly conservative electorate's mind.
Michael E. Miller
Fairfield, Ohio

[VolcanoJen]

30. "Issues such as Iraq will slowly fade to insignificance."

As if they haven't already. :eyes:

Great. I live a scant few miles from Michael E. Miller in Fairfield, Ohio.

[merh]

31. What is so sad is that the editors print this crap and don't see

them for the bold face lies that they are. Sorry you live so close to a bushbot. I try not to think about the ones near me :scared:

[Pupper78]

20. I'm from Sutherlin, Oregon!

I'm not surprised to be reading a politically simplistic letter from my hometown! It's Buhhhsh countra' up there in Southern Oregon. Another region of rural working class Americans voting against their own interests. Sad, really.

[ConservativeDemocrat]

21. But Oregon went solidly Democratic...

And if you get a chance to meet Secretary of State Bill Bradbury, he'll tell you that the most committed Democrats were in the rural counties. So not everyone is fooled.

I think the real reason we lost the country is that there were just too many people like the mother of one of my (7-year-old) son's friends. Her 40 year old husband is about to be shipped off to Afghanistan, and she is a bundle of fear, but she says to my wife "well I'm glad we have Bush in office, because at least he'll support him."

Of course he won't. But you can forgive her the misimpression, given the antics of some on the far left, who continue to confuse the actions of our idiot Commander in Chief with the troops themselves.

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

[VolcanoJen]

23. That's exactly what I find so heartbreaking.

One of my dearest friends, politically unaware and that's actually fine with me, has a brother serving in the Guard in the Balkans.

She told me, more than a few times, "You should be glad I don't vote, because if I did, it would be for Bush. He supports the troops." These were the only times in our long friendship that I wanted to wring her neck. To save the friendship, I completely avoided political discussion with her. I feel weirdly guilty about that now, considering how hard I tried to convince complete strangers to vote for Kerry.

[gratuitous]

24. "I trust Bush; he supports the troops"

As Al Borland used to say on "Home Improvement": Based on what? This was usually right after Tim was trying to inveigle Al into some dubious proposition and said, "Trust me."

[ConservativeDemocrat]

37. Based on what? Based on SYMBOLISM

You have to hand it to the lying f**k, the man is absolutely brilliant at empty symbolic gestures, while he utterly screws over the people with his policies.

Plus, Democrats have a symbolic weakness. The fringers on our side stridently attack our own troops, never giving them the benefit of the doubt in their rhetoric (even though most go way out of their way to help them when they get home).

That's why I get so annoyed at the behavior of some of the regulars in the D.U. It takes an enormous amount of effort to move people toward seeing our point of view, and that can all be ruined incredibly quickly by just a few inflammatory words - saying one of our soldiers "deserved it" when he got killed, for example.

I've always disagreed with Skinner about this. I'd like the D.U. not to simply be a mirror image of the FreeRepublic - a place where savvy partisans on the opposite side can carefully select threads to show centerists, saying: "See? See what A-holes they are?" But he wants to reach out to the (at least rhetorically) Anti-American left, so it largely is.

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

[Lydia Leftcoast]

41. Alas, for years, Oregon has been going

"solidly Democratic" solely on the basis of Portland, Eugene, Corvallis, Ashland, and the north coast.

The rest of the state is full of libertarian-leaning Republicans of the most ornery sort.

It's something you don't realize until you live there.

[Pupper78]

42. Agreed.

Without Eugene or Portland, the state would look more like Idaho politically.

I'm probably not off the mark when I say my family might be the only Democrats in Sutherlin (pop. 7,000 -- 56 miles south of Eugene).

[newyawker99]

39. Hi Pupper78!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Pupper78]

43. thanks!

[Name removed]

57. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Stephanie]

22. She's lying. She never planned to vote for Kerry.

That "elistist snob" remark is the giveway. She's nothing but a liar.

[Mountainman]

33. She's a lot like the trolls that come here.

I was ............................. but, ................................


You fill in the rest.

[depakid]

52. Agreed- another right wing liar

I know the type all too well- and that's EXACTLY what you'd expect one to say.

[leesa]

25. Doubtful she ever intended to vote for Kerry. Sounds like a

Republican with their obsession with first ladies. We need to show Laura for the shopping air head she is. Talk about an elitist! I agree Kerry was dead wrong about Iraq. He should have stood up and said it was wrong, illegal and lets bring them home ASAP. I doubt that is what this Repub wanted to hear though.

[Fifth of Five]

59. Elite is RW code for educated.

If you are educated and have an opinion, you are an elitist - you think just because you're educated, you know more than people who lack education.

If you are uneducated and have an opinion, you are "down-to-earth, with a good head on your shoulders." I hear all the time that common sense trumps education, but some issues are too complex to make decisions based on common sense.

[Stinky The Clown]

26. Ann is a liar, Ann is a bitch, Ann is stupid, Ann is ..... whatever .....

Ann is a victim of perception.

Forget the realities. They don't matter to Ann (and the millions just like her). Look inside **our** mindset, our performance, our candidate.

Ann (assuming her letter is true at face value) was an eminently persuadable voter. But **we** failed. Ann didn't fail.

We.didn't.close.the.sale.

And ***that*** is what we need to do. By a sufficiently large plurality that even *with* the election fraud, we have a winner. Make it so the fraud would have to be so huge, so widespread, so fucking obvious as to be laughable.

Next time, Ann, next time we'll get our story out better.

(And NO - I am not a proponent of either the move left or move right group.)

(Now flame away if you wish)

[Mountainman]

32. If we lose because we are true to ourselves than so be it.

Vote for the one who screwed up the war and against the one who has an intellegent wife. When I don't think we need to change to attract that kind of voter.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

34. I call bullshit

I'm sorry but anyone who was in the ABB camp that far out was NOT going to just say "oh what the hell? Might as well vote for bush anyway!" on election day.

The THK insult thrown in at the end is a dead giveaway, too.

Puh-leaze. This writer sounds JUST like all the bush apologists I know (used to know).

[Eloriel]

35. Jen, Jen -- not you too?

We DIDN'T lose.

Imagine -- just for a minute -- that I'm 100% right (which I am, but I know you and too many others doubt it, so Ill play your silly game). Imagine that Bush lost in a small landslide in reality, but electronic machines and political machines all around the country subverted the results so that it appeared he won.

And so the Republicans go pell mell off in the direction of ramming a "moral values" issue down the "losers'" throats (even tho it really means the war and a bunch of other stuff to that small 22% who chose that as a reason for voting as they did). Meanwhile the Dems go into a death spiral, doubting themselves, pointing fingers, and finally assuming they have to move even further to the right which only helps to further entrench the power and grip of the traitorous Repugs.

Wouldn't all that be JUST the ideal scenario for the Repugs?

Jeez. Anyone who paid any attention whatsoever to my posts since well before the primaries know that John Kerry was about the LEAST attractive candidate to me -- in fact, it took me a very long time to even get to the point of thinking I could actually vote for him. But as awful as he was/is, the American people still chose KERRY over Bush. They chose the ABB candidate, with some of them actually voting FOR Kerry.

It doesn't help our party to be asking the wrong question (i.e., "Why did we lose?") when we most likely didn't lose.

If you doubt me, take a good long walk down these threads:

VOTE FRAUD LINKS - A DU Compendium - Thread #3
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=201x4927

VOTE FRAUD Links Compendium - Thread #2
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=201x3223

VOTE FRAUD Links - a DU Compendium
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=201&topic_id=1984#

[VolcanoJen]

36. No, not me, too.

I'm with you on vote fraud. As an Ohio Voter, I'd be insane not to trust my own eyes in this case. I've been reading your threads, and all the voter rights threads, like a hawk. We've got to keep the issue front and center.

I was just illustrating why another, absolutely crucial front in our fight is the mainstream media, and their slanting, posturing, corporate-ass-kissing, and warmongering. I did not intend to imply that Bush actually won, but I did intend to imply that Newsweek certainly thinks so, and here's why, and so-forth.

Let's not forget that this is a war of many flanks. We have to stay armed with facts, and we can't miss a beat, or turn our backs for a moment.

ON EDIT: I've yet to contribute to the more popular Vote Fraud discussions on DU, but I've been pretty vocal in the Ohio forum, and locally, where it matters more, honestly, outside the realm of DU. I'm disappointed that you interpreted this post as evidence that I don't believe you, or my own eyes, or everything that I know to be true in terms of vote fraud. I'm not sure what you mean by "silly game," but I live in Ohio, and I get it, and I saw it with my own eyes, and it truly bothers me that you profess to know where I stand on this issue, because you sure got it wrong.

[Kukesa]

45. I'm calling you from somewhere deep in Ohio . . . n/t

[Zomby Woof]

53. it's rigged , and permanently

You have the answer right in front of you. As a Chomsky reader since the 80's, I have tried denying it, but the reality is unescapable: the media aids those in power and is little more than a propganda arm for the government and its corporate sponsors. Like entropy, this process is irreversible. Even with real grassroots activism, the casino rigs the results. I know it pisses the true believers off, sounds 'defeatist', and all sorts of negative shit, but it will only drive you crazy and to fits of depression to think it can be fought against or restored to health by the usual means - i.e. the ones the BBVers, grassroots activists, and other 'real progressives' champion. The old ways are dead and meaningless. It's like using a water pistol to stave off a charging rhino.

That is why I quit all this silliness like thinking we have a democracy or that macro-activism makes a damn bit of difference.

I think a lot of people here will be quite embittered, if not already, when they are 80, and look back at all these years they wasted thinking their battle against "fraud" or the Wars of Bush, or any of it, made a difference. It didn't, and it won't.

All we can do now is make a difference on the micro-level, and hope to see some results move up the food chain.

But it is sheer futility to scream and rage against this machine called The United States of Corpo-merica. They won, we lost - because they have more money and power, no ethics, are amoral, and predatory. But power and money are the 2 greatest drugs in the sordid history of this species, and those with the most toys win.

:hug: Good to see you around, JenJen.

[TruthIsAll]

61. Woof, count me as one who mostly agrees, but....

We have to let the truth percolate to critical mass.

The only questions are: How long will it take and at what cost?

When we reach CM, we win.

[drscm]

38. Yup! Personally I prefer an elitist cokehead and alcoholic for pResident!

[roguevalley]

46. I've been to Sutherlin. I never hated it until now.

[Darth_Kitten]

47. LOL this Ann character sure is pretty dumb.

Hmm, I thought name calling wasn't allowed in Letters to the Editor? (they usually are edited out, aren't they?) I guess they make an exception for jealous morons like Ann Shorey. :)

[CBHagman]

54. All I know is that Ann Shorey is pretty pathetic.

It's the tired old "vote for the devil you know" mind-set. And if she didn't want elitists, why the devil did she vote for them? Does she think Dick Cheney and Laura Bush know anything about losing health insurance, living on Ramen noodles, or going bankrupt because a child has a chronic illness? Sheesh. SHEESH.

[Killarney]

60. She's a liar.

There is no way in hell someone was ABB and then voted for Bush. Defies all logic.

She was for Bush the whole time.

[pookieblue]

62. I really like this letter-

Sounds like something I would have written...
As a proud Kerry voter, I watched the media's postmortem election coverage with deep consternation. I am most concerned about their handling of the "morality" issue. My morals don't seem to count in the view of pollsters. Let me tell you a bit about Blue State morality. I voted for Kerry, strictly on moral grounds, because I believe the Bush administration is fundamentally immoral. Starting a pre-emptive war that results in the death of thousands of soldiers, women and children is immoral and not, in my mind, supportive of Bush's so-called culture of life. Nor is executing retarded people or polluting our children's air and water or handing a huge debt to generations to come. What is morality? Morality is feeding the hungry, caring for the sick and waging peace. Morality is tolerance and love for those who might differ from us. Didn't Jesus tell us to turn the other cheek? Didn't he tell those of us without sin to cast the first stone? In the years to come, when huge debt is wreaking havoc on our economy, we are wheezing through polluted air and few of us can afford health care, I wonder if all those who voted for Bush will look at their suffering children and say to them, "Take heart, honey, at least gays can't marry!"
Eliza VanCort
Ithaca, N.Y.

[robbedvoter]

63. Pssst! We won. Pass it on. Freeper letter ("lifetime Dem, but....)

[rman]

64. no-one seems to argue that Kerry would worse then Bush

it's about Kerry supposedly being "unknown", "french-like", "unreliable" (but dunno why) or something about his wife.
and then, in spite of proclaiming "anyone but Bush" they vote for Bush.
yeah right.