To: Chris Matthews, John Reiss, Steve Capus, and Phil Griffin: I am writing about the following comment made by Chris Matthews on your network:
"Jeremiah Wright is popping up like a jack-in-the-box again tonight. I don't want to hear his explanations. I don't know if anybody wants them. There are NO explanations." Actually Mr. Matthews and the folks at MSNBC and NBC, the American people do want to hear them. And finally, last night, Bill Moyers from PBS conducted the interview with the Reverend Jeremiah Wright that should have been done a long time ago. Anyone who actually listens to the words of Rev. Wright and listens to the entirety of his sermons will know that he is not the racist, white-hating, evil-doer that the media has tried to portray. Fortunately, the American people are smarter than you give them credit for and they/we are aware that your brand of journalism has succumbed to tabloid journalism instead of reporting the truth. It is all about ratings and fear-mongering. The more sensationalistic you can "make" a story (and yes, YOU make it a sensationalistic fraud), the greater you think your ratings will be. However, the American people are tiring of this and are turning you off. I urge you to actually listen to the entire interview conducted by a true journalist, and then to listen to the entire sermons that you so gleefully "report" on with your 15 second sound-bites. If you need links, I can provide them. Until such time as the American people start to see unbiased, fair, and truthful reporting of the Democratic Party nomination, the majority of us will seek our information elsewhere. You owe the Rev. Wright, The Trinity United Church of Christ, and the American people a public apology. Oh, and don't forget Senator Obama in your apology. Sincerely,Kathleen Frischformer viewer
The Utter Fallacy of the Popular Vote Argument
by James McBride While a vigorous debate could be held over the merits of choosing delegates by means of a primary election vs. a caucus (and there are clearly some very valid arguments for each), this is nonetheless an irrelevant issue at present. The entire DNC, including members of Clinton’s team, helped to craft the present system and agreed to abide by it many months ago. Yet, we continue to hear Senator Clinton argue that the “popular” vote is what ultimately matters most. To illustrate the utter fallacy of this argument, consider Oklahoma and its slightly larger neighbor, Colorado. Oklahoma has 2.2 million registered voters, 61% Democratic or Independent, Colorado has 2.9 million registered voters, 65% Democratic or Independent. In Oklahoma’s primary, Clinton gained a net lead of 10 delegates and 98,350 votes over Obama by virtue of a 23.6% victory. In Colorado’s caucus, Obama gained a net lead of 15 delegates and 41,274 votes over Clinton by virtue of a 34.2% victory. Even though Obama's margin of victory was 45% larger than Clinton's, her popular vote total was 238% higher (314% if we adjust for voter registration). Note however, that the delegate totals scale correctly with respect to the winning percentages, i.e. he received about 45% more delegates. The point is painfully obvious if you recall anything whatsoever from high school algebra. Two oranges plus five apples doesn’t equal seven of either. The delegate count is the only meaningful measure, as it is a normalized representation of the voter intent in states with different polling procedures. Of the 17 caucuses held, Senator Clinton has only won the delegate count (by 1) in American Samoa. Four of the caucus states don't even report popular vote counts, and in the caucuses of Washington and Minnesota, states much larger than Colorado and Oklahoma, Obama comfortably won by more than a 2-1 margin. Therefore, simply counting the raw "popular" vote significantly under represents the actual number of voters supporting Senator Obama. Of course there will be opponents who disagree, since a caucus turnout is generally smaller than a primary. Here again, mathematics tells the true story. Professional statisticians routinely conduct national polls encompassing roughly a thousand individuals, and do so with error margins of plus or minus a few percent. The total vote in Colorado’s caucus was more than one hundred times this amount (118,952), making the probability of selecting the incorrect winner less than the likelihood of being struck by lightning. James McBride, Ph.D.
"There are people in every time and every land who want to stop history in its tracks. They fear the future, mistrust the present, and invoke the security of the comfortable past which, in fact, never existed."
- Robert F. Kennedy
" Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people. "
Eleanor Roosevelt
Let us be at least average minds; better yet, great minds.
Try always not to be small minds.
I support Barack Obama for president of the United States because he is an inspirational new leader who promises change to the way traditional politics have dominated our country. I believe he has the desire and ability to unite the US around the needs of a new global community.
But the real, honest, and important reasons that I support Barack Obama are much more personal than that. The truth is, he speaks to me, his words resonate inside of me, he stands for me and by me, he respects me as a person and my intelligence, and he brings out the best in me.
And the truly great part of this is that I also believe he does these things not only for me, but for millions of Americans, and even for people beyond the borders of our country.
He has already inspired millions of people to become involved in the future of our country, myself included. I have NEVER been involved in a political campaign, nor did I seriously follow political happenings. I have NEVER been moved by hearing a politician speak, with the exception of JFK, RFK, and MLK, until now. I was 9 yrs old when President Kennedy was assassinated and even at such a tender age I vividly remember feeling that we lost a great and inspirational leader. When Al Gore lost the race in 2000, I lost all interest and hope in politics, not so much because Gore lost (although I did support him), but because I witnessed how the election of OUR president was not in the hands of the American people. I guess you could say I lost the last vestiges of my political naiveté that year.
I believe that Barack Obama is the voice of reason and change that we urgently need now. But he is so much more than a voice. He is the first and only candidate that I believe truly has the best interests of the American people at the forefront of mind and in his heart. I have read both of his books and am greatly impressed by his self-knowledge, the depth of his personal introspection as to who he is at his core, and his ability to integrate the various ethnic, cultural, spiritual and intellectual experiences that comprise the totality of his whole being.
When I look at Barack, I see a reflection of myself. Some might find this interesting, considering that I am a 53 year old woman, the daughter of an Italian father, granddaughter of a Sicilian immigrant, daughter of an English/Irish mother, born and raised in a very rural CT town, living in the white suburbs of NJ. But for those of us to whom Barack touches, you will understand what I am saying. So does he, I believe.
“The fierce urgency of now”
People uniting alongside Barack Obama, taking part in grassroots organizations all across the country, coming out in record numbers to help organize in their communities, attend rallies, make phone calls, raise money, post millions of comments on the internet, CARING about the future of our country and the world and holding out HOPE (many for the first time in their lives, many after years of cynical dormancy), WE THE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THIS FIERCE URGENCY OF NOW, WE FEEL IT IN OUR HEARTS, OUR BONES, OUR SOULS.
These are the reasons why I support Barack Obama for the next president of the USA. We cannot afford to pass on this opportunity, not this time, not now, not again. NOW. For later, it may be too late.
Carpe Diem!! Seize the Day!! Our time is now!!
