Open letter: How you could have had my vote

[dand]

It's been two days since John Kerry conceded, and all I am seeing hearing and reading from the Democratic party is that you think you lost on 'moral Values". You seem to think this means nothing more than opposition to gay marriage, you seem to think that Bush voters waited in line for hours to stick it to the queers, to tell those faggots how much we hate them.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

This is a good read, especially for all the Rabid Bush Bashers, myself included.


http://fromasadamerican.blogspot.com/2004/11/how-you-could-have-had-my-vote.html

[blue sky at night]

1. so for one or two stupid little things

We decided to fuck the country even more.......because you didn't give me my pet peeve......so go fuck off, and I hope all your dreams come true under Fascism. GREAT AMERICANS!

[LittleDannySlowhorse]

22. You bet

Even though the pictures of Iraqi children killed and maimed in a war funded by her tax dollars makes her cry, she voted for Bush anyway. Not because she's a moron, mind you --- it's Janeane Garafalo's fault!

[phantom power]

2. I'm not impressed.

I thought Kerry made himself perfectly clear. And I don't think it's any mystery what Democrats stand for.

And, all that aside, it's hard for me to respect anybody sophomoric enough to be aware of how dangerous Bush is, and still vote for him just because they "know what he stands for."

[RoBear]

8. That comment about "know what he stands for"

is delusional. It's the height of assholery (or is it jackassery?). Deep thinkers, these guys. They DON'T know what * stands for, and anyway it wouldn't matter. What matters is what Rove stands for, that's what we're getting. Any other perception is erroneous.

[CitizenRob]

49. Deep thinking...

isn't what Americans are known for. We need to consider that next time we field a candidate who uses a semi-colon in every sentence that we just might lose.

A lot of John Kerry's sentences could have used a nice recursive algorithm to decode. Thankfully I'm a computer programmer and able to handle "nested" ideas.

[Danocrat]

3. I'm glad she's

draft age.

[teach1st]

4. To those who claim to not know what Kerry stood for...

Why not? Because you didn't want to hear what he stood for. You opted to take the word of the talking heads. We can't inform those who don't wish to be informed.

I knew perfectly what Kerry stood for.

[CitizenRob]

50. You know what...

honestly, I was paying attention, I watched all of the debates, read several things from the Kerry party... and yet, I cannot tell you one thing that Kerry was actually for. When I went canvassing in Nevada to try and get out the vote I had to stick to Bush bashing, because I had no idea what to say Kerry would do differently.

I was paying attention. Kerry just sucked as a communicator.

[Ninga]

5. That unsigned letter is not valid.

More of the unsubstantiated same..............

Generalized talking points right from Rove with out attributing one quote or one source.

What a joke!!

[Overseas]

38. It looks like an RNC Special to me, too. n/t

[Alleycat]

6. ABK

For months we heard that Kerry can't win on the "anybody but Bush" but it seems to me people voted on the "anybody but Kerry" stand? Make no sense to me. Even if it was the lesser of the two evils, Kerry in my book should have won there. No wonder this administration is given a pass for excuses, the American people have plenty of their own excuses.

[NC_Nurse]

7. I have to wonder why

she didn't think that the same things she criticized the Dems for were being done by the Repubs as well...
Weren't RW radio hosts spewing venom about Kerry?
Did anyone get a clear picture of a Bush plan for the Iraq war? or for anything for that matter?
Why is it better to vote for someone who has "clear beliefs" that are obviously WRONG than to take a chance on someone more complicated?

[ithacan]

17. my reaction exactly

if this letter is real, it shows that there's no way the dems could actually have gotten this person's vote. She's bought into the mainstream media reported Rove talking points, apparently without even knowing it.

It's good the Dems did not pander to this kind of person.

If she wants to vote for Bush despite his disastrous foreign and economic policies, she's hopeless.

[Webster Green]

9. It was (and is) very obvious what the chimp stands for.....

....anyone who voted for him is a fucking idiot. End of story

[Demit]

10. I'm posting someone's reply to that letter that I think sums it up...

Dear Sad American,

...I don't buy it. I dont think creating a blog just for the purpose of posting a letter and getting it linked from various right wing sites necessarily means that this is a fake letter. That's one way to get your thoughts out there. And there is no way to tell, so I'll just accept you at face value.

That said, what I don't buy is the "The Devil Made Me Do It!" tone of your open letter. Or rather, the Democrats made me do it! You made the decision yourself. Knowing what Bush and the Republicans stand for (which is something, as you said... you know clearly where Bush stands)you then proceeded to vote your affirmation of all that that is. Regardless of any excuses you may offer, that is exactly what you (and anyone else that voted for any candidate) did. And no one at all made you do it, either.

I suppose we will possibly be seeing new T-Shirts with the slogan "Don't Blame Me! I Really Wanted to Vote for the Other Guy!" now, but the fact remains that people (especially the "party of personal responsibility", haha) have to be accountable for their own choices and decisions.

You did it yourself. No excuses.

Skeptical Mom

[nc_alleycat]

11. Not much of it makes sense

Especially the "Bush bashing" part. That's just crazy and hypocritical. My goodness, the Repubs live off bashing. Has she ever listened to Rush? The issues were made as clear as they could have been; if she didn't get it, she just wasn't listening. The only part that I can sort of agree with is the feeling of being "written off" as a red state. I think that's because of the electoral system and I think that's why we need to take a long, hard look at our system. Otherwise, to "play the game", you have to pit one region against another. We should have done better in our state on the federal level. Our state Democrats rule the roost, but on the federal level we are quickly losing representation.

[newyawker99]

34. Hi nc_alleycat!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Hoping4Change]

44. Hi there alleycat

Welcome to DU. Absolutely purrrfect you're here. :hi:

[TheFarseer]

12. I think people like that

need to think for themselves and not let the talking heads tell them taht Kerry's positions don't make any sense or that the democrats are mean or that all we do is hate. It's bullshit spread around by the likes of Sean Hanitty and Rush. At the same time, Kerry gave them that opening. He was open to the flip-flopping charge and the charge of not meaning what he says, no question about it.

[Chimpanzee]

13. "3. You insulted my intelligence..."

No,you don't have any to insult, now shut the fuck up if you have no clue what you're talking about.

WAAAAAAAAAAAAA!! George Bush and the mainstream media didn't spoon feed me the truth. WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! People that are so intellectually and curiosity challenged that they can't do a minimal amount of research on their own deserve what they get.

[progressivedancer]

19. but

Chimpanzee, I know that we're all pissed at the misinformed and critical thinking impaired population of America, but they don't need our repremanding right now, they need our help.
I live in a big city and I can tell you that the sources of information here in Chicago are end-less. There is always an alternative source here and the assertiveness in trying to find other sources is a quality upheld in big cities, but for those who live in rural areas, these qualities are frowned upon. In addition, their only source of information are Fox news and their Church! The question is, HOW CAN WE PENETRATE THE STEEL WALLS OF RAMPANT IGNORANCE?

[The Spirit of JFK]

14. While there are one or two good points...

It seems like the standard GOP party line...flip flops, anti-gun, hating the rich.

If it IS an honest letter, then there are two things that strike me...he did NOT do his homework. For instance, that 87 billion? Please! All he had to do was go to Kerry's website.

But it also attests to how much better the GOP marketers are and how much the press was their willing accomplice. The GOP spin was more powerful than the issues. When the press gave airtime to the spin (swiftboat, flip-flop, 87 billion, Rathergate) it made the SPIN the issues and many Americans could not see through it. The Dems just didn't have anyone who could move it back to the issues and/or an equally good spin meister. Spin vs, reality almost always goes to spin when the reality issues are negative (bad economy, war, etc). People just don't want to hear it.

[Tesibria]

15. It's a great letter - it explains a lot ....

1. You didn't give me clear positions on the issues.
Although she asserts that she followed the news closely, she didn’t follow it closely enough if she doesn’t get the difference re: the resolution and the 87 mil. Vote.

It helps (??!) to know, however, that a simplistic, clear – however wrong – answer is preferred by to many. It helps us know what we’re up against. Although Bush and his neocons “scare” her, she’d rather have the “evil” she thinks she knows.

2. You didn't convince me that you would defend America against the threats of terrorism.
Her rant here – most clearly shows that she bought the Republican propaganda. She fails utterly to recognize that HER president was in control when 9/11 happened. She fails utterly to recognize the explosion in growth of terrorist groups as a result of the policies implemented by Bush and those neocons who scare her.

3. You insulted my intelligence by the constant mantra of Kerry's service in Vietnam.
This section makes no sense to me whatsoever. She’d rather have a president who failed to complete his obligation than a president who did. And – she doesn’t think that Kerry would wage an effective war per #2 above, but here says that she thinks he was advocating war.

4. Your constant references to the opinions of the rest of the world scared me, and I'm not talking about the "global test" comment. I don't care what Europeans think about me or my country. I learned in high school that living my life with one eye on the opinions of everyone else leads only to unnecessary turmoil and pointless pain. Why didn't you?
Another total nonsequitar. Bush wanted – and NEEDED – to care about what the rest of the world thought of us. He just lied about it. She’d rather have a President touting the coalition of the willing (small countries, pulling out) than to have an honest conversation about how our policies are negatively affecting our relationships with other countries.

5. You disturbed me with your demonization of the rich.
I missed that campaign theme. I’m one of the 2% (or whatever it is) that benefits – greatly - from Bush’s immoral tax program. My tax REFUND thanks to Bush’s immoral tax cuts was about the same as this writer’s salary. Yet - I never felt demonized by the Kerry campaign. And – since the government refuses to tax me, I “tax” myself and use the money he gave back to me to support programs that make our country a better place. Of course, some would say that this is great – this is one of the purposes of granting the tax cuts – so that citizens can determine what specific “causes” they can support. That sounds terrific. Unfortunately, anyone who buys that argument is ignorant of the current state of giving to charities and the like. Donations are down since Bush’s tax cuts were applied.

6. Here is something you could work on right about now: I could not stomach to listen to your incessant hatred of President Bush.
Yeah – and yet she bought the vitroal being spewed about Kerry – obviously. Every one of her statements above shows that she bought, hook line and sinker, the hateful lies spread by Bush and his compatriots.

7. Lastly, and I hope this doesn't hurt anyone feelings, because my objective is to make you think, not emote: … I actively sought out your perspective. I tuned in regularly, for months, to your biggest media project, your serious effort to get your message out: Air America Radio. …”

Ok – well, I personally enjoy AAR, but this explains a lot. THIS is how she researched the Kerry campaign platform???? I too am, I believe and hope, a Christian, and I too .. often feel on the defensive when I hear some people rant against the “snake handlers.” However – I KNOW exactly what they’re talking about because I grew up in that environment – and however “simplified for comedy” – the essence of what is said is true. Notably, she (again) utterly ignored the hate-filled lies gushing forth from the RightWing media. That media – who spouts “morals” even as they obtain yet another divorce, even as they cheat on their wives, even as they abuse drugs, …….

The “moral” of this message clearly is – “Tell me what I want to hear – however false, and however hypocritical. Tell me you love me, even as you f*ck me over. Tell me you agree with my values and my religion, even as you break its moral code. Just tell me what I want to hear. Even though I’m “afraid” of your policies; even though I really don’t like you – find my buttons and push them. Ignore reality. Ignore the truth. Tell me what I want to hear.”

With all due respect, I hope she grows up some day.

[bemildred]

18. It's bullshit, KoolAid for the bobbleheads.

Generated in some Public Relations snake den, no doubt.

[qazplm]

16. some of that is good, some not so much...

1. I think there is some truth there. I think it was a function of the fact that the Republicans are so much more on message and focused than we are most of the time, so the result is they appear to have a detailed message and we don't as much, also Kerry clearly had issues with plain speaking and the ability to simply distill things that say Clinton has. Still, it is puzzling that she could see that to kerry it was a principled stand to vote against the 87 million and yet it confused her. I mean you understood the stand, so how was it confusing?
And how did she not understand there is nothing mutually exclusive between it being the wrong war, place and time but also understanding that now that we have made the mess we have to clean it up? I think it is a function of speaking in simple terms, "we are there now, we cant go back in time, so we have two choices pull out and leave our mess, or clean it up"...that simple meme over and over again would have stood Kerry well I think.

2. I dont understand this one. Why is treating something like a crime somehow less than treating it like a war? I think the crux of this psychologically is that the former is treated as something you minimize while the latter is treated as something you wipe out and defeat, and people dont want to believe that terrorism can only be minimized, they want to believe it can be defeated. Don't really know how you counter this unless you advocate a different war. Perhaps the theme should have been "we should have 150K soldiers in Afghanistan looking for bin laden, not in Iraq"? At any rate, this is a rather unsophisticated argument that this "sad American" makes.

3. Well, the real question is, if you were turned off by the Kerry Served mantra why werent you moreso turned off by the SBVFT mantra? For someone who later says she is intimately familiar with PNAC, one would also think she was intimately familiar with the lie that was SBVFT. I don't think this is a valid criticism at all.

4. Another one I dont get. First she mischaracterizes it as being concerned about "opinions" when the real thrust was being concerned about having help! I think I will agree though that the argument about the "rest of the world" was probably high risk, low reward for Kerry and in hindsight this theme was probably way overplayed.

5. I think the thing with this is not that I agree with her characterization that democrats demonize the rich, but that it is possibly evidence that we arent enough getting across that we are empathizing with the poor and that we want to give the poor the tools to one day become the rich. I think we might do well as a party to start focusing on what we want to do for and with the poor and middle class, and talk much less about the rich.

6. This is the one of the main problems we have. We, as Democrats, have been labeled the "nice guys". The Republicans get the pleasure of having the "bad guys" label. That means that if they go over the top and are "mean" its almost expected and less criticized, but let us do it and we reap voter dissatisfaction. I dont know how we overcome this exactly. Perhaps it involves either shedding our nice guy label, or simply playing it to the hilt by trying to rise above it all. But both options have their risks, and nice too often translates into weak.

7. She's got a point here. She really does, and part of me doesnt wonder if 1-6 arent in many ways just her way of logically validating the fact that the emotion of 7 is what really got her to vote against us. We do a LOT on the left attack those on the right as stupid, we attack them for their religion, we attack their morality (and yes many on the right do the same to us I know) but it certainly affects the chances of us receiving the votes of those conservative democrats and almost democrats who lets face it WE NEED! Self Described Conservatives make up what over 30% of the country while self described liberals make up a little more than half that. There has got to be a way to somehow focus our attacks so that they arent so sweeping as to make people like this person feel they are caught up in the attack.

I think the argument she presents is, I think both parties are "devils" so to speak, but the devil I know is Bush, I know how he is going to work things, I know what he is going to do, and with you guys, it could be anything. So i am sticking to the devil I know.

I think we messed up this election by trying to outRove, Rove. Instead of dumbing it down and trying to outperform Bush, we should have been thick into clear, concise but specific policy. What will we do in Iraq, what will we do with the economy, specifics. That may have gone contrary to normal political wisdom in a presidential election, but I think it would have worked.

At any rate, it's not wise to take one or two elections and try to use that as a basis for wholesale change. We were very close to winning last time and this time, so no need to "trade the entire team", but we do need to tweak things a bit, and perhaps by listening to some of what she presents and tweaking things accordingly, we can pick up the few tens of thousands of votes we need next time around to be on the other side of the slim win.

[shrike]

20. Somebody's fucking with us

The AAR reference is a dead giveaway. Who but political junkies even know it exists? I'm a political junkie and I've never even listened to the damned thing. So when a 30-something Red Stater wants to find out more about Kerry, she turns to a fledgling news source that 90 percent of Americans have never even heard of? I don't think so.

This is just somebody doing psy-ops, trying to get us to shut up. Leave it alone.

[LittleDannySlowhorse]

21. Awwww, isn't that cute?

She voted for Bush because we liberals are NOT NICE. Boo fucking hoo.

I live in downtown Manhattan, and I am sick of people who don't live here telling me how horrible 9-11 was and how it was a "paradigm-shifting" event. I had the privilege of smelling burning flesh for three months, as did everyone else who lived here, and guess what? 87% of us voted for Kerry.

I have my issues with both our candidate and with the way the campaign was run, but that doesn't mean that I don't still hold anyone who voted for Bush in sheer contempt, particularly if they voted for him because they "know what he stands for". What the fuck does that have to do with competent governing? (Hint: nothing)

I am beyond caring about reaching out to these people and I don't believe it's my responsibility to initiate the healing with people who I simply don't respect. We've gotten none from them for four years, and I don't expect that to change. These are after all the people who manage to stay enraged even though they control the White House, the Senate and the Congress. THEY can "reach out" for a fucking change.

When Bush fucks up on a level so colossal that even this particular idiot is forced to admit that she knowingly cast a vote for an inferior candidate, I will be ready to extend a middle finger in sympathy and tell her "I TOLD YOU SO."

I hope she's reading this right now. I would say this to her face if I could, and I hope it would make her start crying. She deserves it.

[yorgatron]

23. here's another refutation

http://www.fromasadderamerican.blogspot.com/

[Blue_Tires]

28. nice

[Skittles]

24. this woman admits to voting for an incompetent piece of shit

that shoots her credibility full of holes right there

[minorl]

25. She represents the "vote or die" youth who came out en masse who would...

cinch the deal for us...ba-dum-tissh (rimshot).

[newyawker99]

35. Hi minorl!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

26. Sorry, she's uninformed

I don't care if she has a "responsible job." She's still uninformed, mostly from watching too much television and/or listening to radio pundits.

I WILL fault the Kerry campaign for getting bogged down in the Vietnam question and not educating the voters on issues such as terrorism. Also, just once, I would like a candidate to tell voters, "Turn off the TV and radio and go out and get some life experience among people who are different from you."

[eyepaddle]

27. Dear god,

I can't believe how much I hate that woman. Seriously, my brain is nearly broken from trying to contain the urge to shout profanity. I swear if this is how she approaches life I'd make her cry, and it wouldn't be quietly either--oh no, those would be out loud sobs.

"He voted for it, then against it, this just confuses me." Okay, first what about the Repukes who voted against the additional funding, first holding out for the infamous eighty seven billion, paid for by borrowing?

Go fuck yourself dumbass.

I can't go on any longer, unless I get REALLY salty.

[Blue_Tires]

29. that essay seemed like some

self-justifying, moralizing, hand-wringing tripe of buyer's remorse (if it is in fact real)

let me get this straight...the writer knew the war was wrong, doesn't trust bush or a 1-party rule, and has at least (some) traditionally liberal sentiments, and knowing all this, she STILL voted for you-know-who (doesn't say much for this person's sense of judgment)...so live with it...you're paying for this dance, so DANCE!!! I'd actually have more respect if the author actually had some real conviction in who she voted for, no matter who it was....dare I say, the author is dangerously close to being a "flip-flopper" for casting a vote against kerry more than one for bush, and expecting tepid pats on the back???

and just for the record, i believe this 'letter' is just a fake spew of RW talking points designed to draw more fencesitters to their side...the tell-tale giveaway is this point:

quote------------------------------------------------------------
5. You disturbed me with your demonization of the rich. Rich people were talked about in this campaign as though they were all evil cheaters who had wage slaves tied up in the basement to be flogged for minimum wage, and what they didn't earn from the wage slaves' labor, they stole from nursing home residents. I am not rich, but I work hard, am learning about investing money, am continuing to improve my prospects for earning more money in the future, and fully expect to end up at least well-off someday. If I do, it will be because of my efforts and work, not because of winning "life's lottery." I know two millionaires personally. Both are entrepreneurs who took big risks and worked their backsides off for years to get where they are. Given that Kerry is married to a billionaire, this seemed especially hypocritical.
quote------------------------------------------------------------

LOL...anytime someone barely making a living wage comes out in support of multi-millionaires like they're the 'new downtrodden underclass minority,' you KNOW shit is fake...If she lives alone with no other income, 30 grand before taxes is barely making it, unless she lives out in the sticks...if she lived someplace like Miami, Atlanta or Orlando, then she is one of the working poor, and is changing her tune. I hate to be the one to tell you, sweet cheeks, but 95% of the richest people that didn't simply inherit their $$$ DID do something incredibly unethical and exploitative to earn their immoral fortunes...Riches are rarely made without someone somewhere along the production line getting raped in the ass for it (see Nike).

Oh, and you "know two millionaires personally. Both are entrepreneurs who took big risks and worked their backsides off for years to get where they are." Let me guess...one is some kind of rich uncle/aunt that you're hoping will leave you a pittance in their wills, and the other is some family friend, and you're scheming to get married off to their do-nothing, spoiled, piece-of-shit freep son. Those two scenarios are the ONLY way your ass gets rich in the Bush administration, so at least you've covered your bases, and are comfortable in your delusion that in the next 10 years you'll be some country-club wife living in the lifeless suburbs, congratulating yourself that you've 'made it through hard work'
And of course, she sneaks in that 'Kerry is married to a billionaire so he's out of touch' smear...come the hell on! Why don't you research the Bush/Cheyney family finances one of these days and open your fucking eyes! hell..what do i care, anyways? just go back to your 30K/yr 9-to-5, keep your head up your ass and eyes closed, and tell yourself that everything is all right, someday you'll be rich, and your hero will keep you safe...

good intentions, but ill-informed..perfect proof that a little bit of knowledge is a DANGEROUS thing

[eyepaddle]

30. Well put,

This is exactly what I was trying to say, but didn't have the patience, or perhaps the eloquence.

[Gyre]

31. bullshit!

The election was stolen. We won, and the party this blogger tells us we should've pandered to more, were the ones who stole it. And, when they did that, they also stole from our countrymen the constitutional right to a representative democracy that countless Americans have died attempting to preserve. We just didn't expect, or provide for an enemy from within. A viper in our nest. Actually a pit.

Blogger, take your ballot and shove it up your treasonous, confused ass. We don't want it.

Gyre

[fortyfeetunder]

32. No critical thinking skills

Her logic is as porous as Swiss cheese.

But then she is typical of many young Murkans who have no sense of critical objective thinking. And many of them failed to see the depraved negative ads the RNC was sending out. After all, the RNC have mastered the use of negative campaigning and she bought into it hook line and sinker. Everything she said was straight out of a negative ad!

I got the biggest laugh when she said Bush had values. Really....

She should be sad. She ain't using her brain cells efficiently!

[mindfulNJ]

33. Complete and utter bullshit.

Classic Rove talking points.:eyes:

[struggle4progress]

36. Bingo. eom

[DemBones DemBones]

37. The saddest part of the entire letter is

"I am not rich, but I work hard, am learning about investing money, am continuing to improve my prospects for earning more money in the future, and fully expect to end up at least well-off someday. If I do, it will be because of my efforts and work, not because of winning "life's lottery." I know two millionaires personally. Both are entrepreneurs who took big risks and worked their backsides off for years to get where they are."


That's why so many oppose taxing the rich. That's why so many oppose estate taxes. They just don't get it that their chances of making over $200, 000 a year or of leaving an estate over $1 million are about the same as their chances of winning the lottery.

[bklyncowgirl]

39. Right Wing spin absorbed

I'm assuming that this is a real letter for the simple reason that it is not urging us to do something self destructive. Alot of it sounds like thing's we're saying ourselves.

What I find interesting is the way you can see the Republican talking points absorbed in this person's thinking. She has adopted the GOP world view in general and their attacks on Kerry in particular--she just doesn't know it. I've talked to people who have similar views so she's not all that unusual.

I think that this shows the power of the media and also the power of the slash and burn politics practiced by the Bush administration.

Even if there was election fraud (and I beleive that there was) the fact that we were unable to attract someone like this who should be a natural for our side is striking. I always beleived that the only way we could overcome the given that the Republicans would cheat would be to get such an overwhelming majority that vote rigging would be impossible. That clearly didn't happen, and this person's opinions offer some insight into why we failed to convince at least one voter.

Conservatives have set the agenda, set the marketplace of ideas and gotten people to buy into them.

[sandnsea]

40. "I'm a Republican"

"And I vote for my party over every fact sitting right in my face."

How informative, the same bullshit right wing excuses I've been listening to for months. Bottom line, their egos wouldn't let them admit they really and truly had elected such an idiot in 2000.

[robbedvoter]

41. "I hate W, but hate you more - and it's your fault"

Funny how the gist of this propaganda reminds me so of the Naderites attitude in 2000: "you are all the same - you need to earn my vote, dazzle me!" BS.
Yup. The party of personal responsivility indeedy

[Skinner]

42. I read half of this and then I gave up.

The only conclusion I could come up with is that this person blew it plain and simple. Based on her litany of beliefs, she should have voted Democratic, period. But her list of reasons for voting against Kerry are totally superficial. There is absolutely nothing we could have done to win this vote. Nothing. Somehow she convinced herself that her vote was up for grabs, and that she was undecided, when in fact she was determined to believe all the good stuff about Bush and all the worst stuff about Kerry.

I am all for reaching out and growing the coalition. But let's not waste our time jumping through hoops for attention-seeking morons who dangle their votes in front of our faces like tasty carrots even though they would never abandon Bush.

[MaineYooper]

43. ah, but the best part is at the end,

when she explains how she "actively sought out your perspective. I tuned in regularly, for months, to your biggest media project, your serious effort to get your message out: Air America Radio."

Now I enjoy AAR, but it's entertainment, and I would no more go there for the perspective of the democratic candidate then I would go to Rush Limbaugh or Bill O'Reilly for the perspective of the republican candidate.

As stated by many others above, her claims of Kerry/dems not convincing her really just demonstrate how well the repub obfuscation machine performed, and her own lack of effort in getting past it.

[MissMarple]

45. Yup,she's trying to rationalize her vote for George. It just doesn't wash.

If you feel the need to believe propaganda, well, we can't help you.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

48. That far?...I got to "I don't want Roe v. Wade overturned"

and knew it was a big pile of planted astroturf BS.

[agincourt]

46. This letter,

if it is genuine, and represents any voting block, shows a need for a mainstream alternative media. Maybe we need to show more hard evidence to show what goons neo-cons are or something. It's hard to believe anybody from this background would vote for bush. They have no idea what this administration is or what John Kerry is about. Michael Moore is actually a softie on the Bush Crime Cabal. I shake my head.

[da_chimperor]

47. She makes some good points, but she seemed to have what I would call

bad judgement. She apparantly voted for a person she hated because she didn't like the other candidate/party. It seems to me like she went for the greater of two evils. Doesn't make much sense to me.

[Strawman]

51. Message: my feelings trump people losing their lives unnecessarily

At least I know George Bush is for a war that I believe amounts to killing Iraqi babies for no reason. I wasn't sure if John Kerry was really that gung ho against it. And Jeanine Garafalo and Mike Malloy were mean one time to rich people and Christians on the radio. Tune into Michael Savage sometime kid. He thinks your "gay friends" should all die of AIDS. There's alot more hate coming from the right. What you hear on the left is largely anger about that hate.

What a load. Maybe she just needs to learn how to rationally make a decision, instead of blaming her decisions on others. Sounds like someone who knows better looking for excuses to vote the way she would get the least amount of shit for in her environment. As an ex-HS debate coach, her blog entry reads like a crappy ballot from some hack judge who just dropped my team for some bullshit reason.

[distantearlywarning]

52. She had some valid points, but...

I did find myself wondering how someone in a Southern state managed to expose herself to so much to the viewpoints of Democratic fanatics/Democratic talk radio, but somehow managed to completely avoid or not notice all of the hate and propaganda filled Republican talk radio. Or maybe she listened to Rush on one of his "nice days". Or something.

It sounds like she's trying to justify her vote to me. Whatever.

[liberalpragmatist]

53. She's clearly smart but she sucked up RW talking points

I do agree that Kerry could have been clearer and at times he needed to have "the vision thing" - he had one, but he didn't really enunciate it and kept trying to sell himself as a technocrat. As for the whole "law enforcement"-thing? I think Kerry needed to really pound that and demonstrate what he meant. I good pollster/linquist like Lakoff could've helped by finding better wording.

Even so, she clearly absorbed right-wing talking points. What about Kerry's Iraq Positionw as so incomprehensible? You may disagree with it, but it's intellectually defensible and actually in line with most people's thinking. Kerry believed Saddam Hussein was a potential threat who needed to be confronted, but that did not mean that we should rush to war without knowing all the facts. Doing so was a mistake, but now that we're there it would be a bigger mistake to withdraw because the whole place would collapse. It won't fit on a bumper-sticker, but it's not hard to understand.

And where did she get the idea that Kerry did not believe in any military action to fight terror? Kerry repeatedly pounced on Tora Bora and made clear that we had to go after Bin Laden. Was she listening? What Kerry meant was obvious - a purely military strategy would never work.

If anything, this teaches us we have to really up our media efforts. Clearly, RW-shrilling is still working.

[vixengrl]

54. "Hi, I'm someone fitting a demographic profile

you guys felt was in the bag. Some of my best friends are gay. Here is the condescending talking point bull that should explain to you pea-brained liberals why the rightwing hack actually writing this thinks you lost." Or that's how I'm reading it. But seriously, when I hear, "I would've but..." it's code for, "I wouldn't but I feel good devoting time and energy to why the other choice turned me off."