Presidential election

Make up your own minds

For the last year, I have heard nonstop about people’s political leanings, rants against the candidates and a plethora of other nonsense that I will not begin to recite. When will the Obama-bashing stop? Everyone has lit into him simply because of his former pastor’s views, but what about Obama himself?

Who cares about the Rev. Wright? Wright isn’t running for president. Why can’t we care about the issues of the man who is trying to be our leader?

Same goes for the Clinton campaign. Everyone wants to point out all of these negative traits that Sen. Clinton has.

Why can’t we be strong and make our own decisions not based on what the media says, or what friends and family say, but based upon how we feel about the candidates themselves?

Shay Simmons
Leavenworth

Time to listen to Obama

I enjoy reading letters about the ongoing presidential campaign. This is truly the most exciting campaign I have witnessed during my 56 years of voting. I’m in real agreement with M.E. Cromwell (5/15, Letters) about being a firm Barack Obama supporter and, like her, I will remain so to the end.

However, I have a hard time getting my mind around the idea that God is shaking her head with disgust and bewilderment about the words by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, which have been played over and over again as a political ploy. Surely as the creator of the universe, I think that God has seen and heard much worse things than those few words that were cherry-picked out of 30 or so years of sermons which he has given.

Let’s listen to what Barack Obama is saying. That is what counts

Norma Barsky
Merriam

Experience overrated

I’m tired of people attacking Obama or Clinton because of their lack of political experience. If experience were a prerequisite, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower would never have been elected president. Many experienced presidents were abysmal failures, Republican and Democrat alike.

John McCain might have many years of experience, but the chinks in his political armor are showing him to be the same flawed politician that George Bush has been the past eight years.

I want someone to bring the country out of the depths of disaster. It’s time a Democrat had the opportunity to do what Bush and Republicans couldn’t do these eight years.

Bruce Johnston
Lawrence

Comments

[Interface]

"The Republicans are counting on people like you to vote for them regardless of the pathetic candidates they put forth. That is what makes you "the base"."

Fair point.

As for Obama's vs. McCain's economic policies, it seems pretty clear to me that both are capitalists, more alike than different. Certainly neither is even remotely socialist.

It's telling that the uber-capitalist, Warren Buffet, is backing Obama.

[Engineer]

jack
When a Republican is the only one on the ticket with a chance to win who believes in a capitalistic economy how could I vote for any one else?
As to "eng1" the question was directed to Jim who, I assume, is completely familiar with the "context". Obama was talking about his idea of our need to conserve and one of the items he listed was the "eat less" one I quoted. To me it seems a pretty plain, simple statement. I an sure there will be "nuances" explained and explanations offered, but "we can't expect to eat all we want' is what was said.

[jack]

I may vote for Barr, or Ron Paul if he launches an indy. I feel like, living in Kansas, I can afford a "protest vote". We all know who's gonna carry the Great State Of Kansas before the first vote is cast. So a vote for anyone else is no more than a way of saying that the major party candidates suck.

eng1: I would need to know both the complete question and complete answer before I could form an opinion of what was meant by a part of a sentence. As I am sure you are aware, many things appear totally different when read or heard in context.

eng2: The Republicans are counting on people like you to vote for them regardless of the pathetic candidates they put forth. That is what makes you "the base".

Bill: I'm with you about the phony conservatives of the "neo-con" movement. They aren't conservatives at all. They are just credit card politicians.

[Engineer]

Jim
The letter writer says " but what about Obama himself"? What indeed. Just what did he mean and what was he proposing when he said "we can't expect to eat all we want"?

[Engineer]

Bill
While I would prefer Bob Barr, voting for him would be pretty much exercising a death wish. It would, in effect, be supporting the Demo candidate. Actually, it would be rather like the kid who took his ball and went home because he didn't like the side on which he was picked.

[Bill]

I'll be voting for Bob Barr come November. I'm disgusted with the current examples of the Republican party -- they've strayed so far from conservatism it's not even funny.

John "Maverick" McCain's now voting against benefits for veterans, and George "I managed to duck out of Vietnam" Bush touts "giving up golf" as his "sacrifice" for our troops who've died in Iraq due to his bungling (and he didn't even give it up when he said he did).

Let's send a message to the Republican party that it needs to return to its conservative roots and vote for Barr!

http://www.bobbarr2008.com

[Jim]

Over at National Review, they've filed this headline and story under "Obama":

"Black Statement Conflicts with Record"

The story is about McCain's campaign chair, the disgusting lobbyist Charlie Black. It has nothing to do with Obama.

Tells us all we need to know about the folks at NR.

[jack]

What a choice. The "most liberal senator" and the "straight talker" who changes his position every time the lobbyests running his campaign pul on his leash.

Thanx Reps! Thanx Dems!

You both suck pond water out of the bottom of a canoe!

[Sammy]

Shay - I agree. I could care less about Obama's reverend. I'm all for discussing his stance on the issues, which is why I decided a long time ago not to vote for him.

Obama obviously has the charisma to connect with and energize a crowd. Too bad his policies don't align with mine.

Consider his stance on education (http://www.barackobama.com/issues/education/). That's a perfect platform for running for a local school board. I don't believe these actions should be in the realm of the federal government.

[Rogue]

Three letters for Osama Yomama Obama. Don't you just love the balance in the old "Hammer and Sickle"?

If anyone could be any more in the tank for Osama than the lame stream press it would have to be his wife and daughters. It is absolutley hilarious.

I mean poor old Hillary the Press dropped her like a bad habit, and turned on her with snarling fangs on any time she dared to criticize him.

I mean she beats him like a rented mule in Ohio, by ten points, and the head lines the next day were "Osama Obama gets more Super Delegates"!

NBC is so far in the tank for him Russert called the primaries over two weeks ago!

The lame stream has shown their backsides in covering this one and we all can see it.