Dear Editor,
Your headline on Nov. 4 was simply beautiful and a masterful
expression of a non-headline, and also of your inability to accept
the fact that your man didn’t win the White House and someone else
did.
Dear Editor,
Your headline on Nov. 4 was simply beautiful and a masterful expression of a non-headline, and also of your inability to accept the fact that your man didn’t win the White House and someone else did.
The “reactions mixed” comment in the headline deserves a collective “DUH” from all your readers, but I imagine it will only come from those voters who supported the president’s reelection. To me it goes without saying that when 51 percent of the electorate support one candidate and 49 percent support his opposition, reactions to the results would be mixed. What would you expect, instant and unanimous approval?
The Democrats are scratching their collective heads and trying to figure out where the election went wrong, because they viewed George W. as being so vulnerable. To an extent, I agree. His biggest failing, if you can call it that, is that he acts on principal and doesn’t waiver when thing go sour, as they seem to have done in Iraq. Of course if he had sought to reverse course after having done something that about 80 percent of Americans thought was proper at the time, then he would be wishy-washy and no one wants a wishy-washy president. Do they?
The Democratic Party, in trying to win this election was faced with two enormous obstacles. The first was not the vulnerability of the Republican candidate, but that of their own person, John Kerry. He came into the race with two strikes against him and was never able to overcome that despite a beautifully and skillfully orchestrated campaign. Except for the baggage he was packing around, Kerry was polished, articulate, likeable, personable, and almost convincing. When that man smiles, he lights up the whole room.
Had the Democratic Primary not been dominated by the big bucks people, they could have run a more believable candidate and taken advantage of the growing dissatisfaction with the Iraq war.
George Bush, on the other hand, is not a particularly inspiring speaker, he’s boring, and even though he has a fine sense of humor, I don’t think the man has ever committed himself to a smile of over 60 percent. The only things he has going for him is his no-nonsense approach to his business, his fundamental moral values, his believability, and the ability to project an image as someone to whom the middle-class voter can identify. He’s human. He’s a guy I can relate to.
The Democrats tell us they are the party of the working class, yet their philosophy is that of the New England elite. They don’t reflect the basic values of the hard working families, but they claim that this is their power base. They appeal to the fringes; the alternative lifestyle and of course to the impoverished who feel that a generous and benevolent government is their only salvation. The middle class distrusts government, want their children to be safe and want to keep their firearms.
If the Democrats could take over the claim of trying to keep government small, the budget balanced, and the economy under control, they would have a chance to recover the faith and trust they once enjoyed and would have a reasonable shot at the White House again.
Bob Winter, Gilroy
