CNN is reporting that a supporter who had raised nearly a half million for Hillary Clinton's campaign and was the ambassador to Chile during the Clinton Administration has broken ranks.
CNN Story
So, I am watching CNN last night, and Ralph Nader makes an appearance defending his latest run at the presidency. He starts spouting off that we need a Jeffersonian revolution and have to get the people involved. My open letter to Ralph Nader follows.
Dear Ralph,
I first want to thank you for your historical reverence for the safety of the consumer. You have achieved many great things on behalf of consumers around the world. On behalf of Obama supporters, I honor your service, however, I cannot support your latest run for the presidency.
Ralph, just to let you in on a secret so carefully hidden from your view on the Internet and main stream media, the Obama support movement is a Jeffersonian revolution. Almost 1 million unique donors have contributed to this campaign. These aren't lobbyists. These are people like me who don't vote based on party lines. These are people who want their government back. You want to talk about public finance in political campaigns. Well, Ralph, here it is - the public is putting its money directly in the pocket of the candidate it finds appealing and most capable of generating the change you so desperately want. We are the change that both you and we have been waiting for. It seems that you have shown up for dinner, but dessert has already been served.
You tried to attack Hillary and Obama about their platforms saying Hillary is essentially a corporate surrogate and that Obama doesn't care about inner-city issues. For instance you said, "Above all, explain why you don't come down hard on the economic crimes against minorities in city ghettos: payday loans, predatory lending, rent-to-own rackets, landlord abuses, lead contamination, asbestos." Okay Ralph, what is going on here is an election. To take on those types of problems, you have to first get elected. Oh, and by the way, Ralph have you read any of the legislation that Obama has proposed or got passed. No, I didn't think you read any of those bills regarding lead contamination in toys.
Ralph, I am simply asking you to sit this one out. If things aren't moving in the correct direction in four years, by all means run again. If you cool your jets this time, you might actually be able to see some changes take place. Who knows, you might get a position in the administration where you could have direct impact on the issues you find invigorating. Please be a part of the solution rather than a contributer to further electoral sadness.
Sincerely,
Kenneth Blankenship
Disgruntled voter desperately seeking change
Timothy Noah has posted an article on Slate.com that speaks about the topic of experience. As Barack Obama has said numerous times, quantity of experience is not what America needs. It is about quality of experience and the ability to make sound judgements. If America were voting specifically on experience, Bill Richardson, Chris Dodd, or Joe Biden would be much more formidable candidates than the current front runners. You can find the slate article at the link below. My thoughts on the subject continue after the link.
http://www.slate.com/id/2182073/pagenum/all/
When I decided to support Obama, I did so specifically because he has not been tarnished by the problems that plague entrenched Washington officials. I read The Audacity of Hope in order to learn more about him before making my decision about which candidate to support in the election. I learned about the life experience that he and Michelle had gone through to this point. Although I am not nearly as accomplished as either of them, their story resembles my own. They both have lived in circumstances where everything was not handed to them on a silver plate. They both worked hard to get to their station in life. Both attended Ivy League institutions based on their merit, not their inherited social status.
It is my thinking that most Americans believe in the concept of working to get what you want in life. Most don't subscribe to a philosophy of entitlement. It is time to elect a president who achieves his goals through skill and effort as opposed to some transferral of accomplishment though birth or marriage of circumstance.
