To Whom It May Concern:
It's entirely likely you won't pay attention to this letter because I suspect I'm not important to you. But I think you should pay attention because I know I speak for a LOT of new Democratic voters.
I am a formerly independent voter who decided in 2005 to support the Democratic Party after witnessing the terrifying and horrendous abuses and mistakes our country has suffered at the hands of the Bush Administration.
I was initially thrilled at the slate of Democratic candidates going into the primaries. What a relief it was going to be to have a sensible Democrat leading our country!
After Obama's unexpected win in Iowa, the tone of the primaries has become ugly and, I believe, extremely toxic to the Democratic Party.
The reality is that the Democratic Party has a lot of new voters like me, thanks to the horrible performance of the Republican Party. But I should tell you, after evaluating and appreciating the qualities of all the Democratic candidates, I (along with many new Democrats) chose to put my support behind Barack Obama. I think he speaks to a vast, unappreciated group of disaffected voters in the center who are tired of being ignored and dismissed by the hyper-partisan bases of both the Democratic and Republican Parties.
What bothers me is that I am now being insulted by a FORMER PRESIDENT and FIRST LADY, whom I had previously admired, by their cheap campaign tactics and their strategy to take the excitement out of Obama's campaign theme by trying to force him to engage in the type of politicking his campaign tries to eschew. Understand: the new members of the Democratic Party are put off by the kind of campaigning that partisans consider standard practice.
And regardless of how the Clintons describe what they perceive as unfairness and imbalance in press coverage, the reality is they have a HUGE advantage over all the other Democratic candidates in that they enjoy the great prestige that goes with being a popular former President and First Lady.
What bothers me most is that I feel I'm getting the same message from the Clintons that Bush and the Republicans gave me (and other Independents and moderates): "You don't matter to us. We don't care about alienating you. Besides, all we have to do is sweet talk you afterwards and you'll be back on our side." It's insulting and demoralizing. And I think it's incredibly stupid.
So, the Democratic Party has a chance to grow its base and it looks like it will be squandered. Clinton could have won the primary without alienating the newcomers to the Democratic Party, because until a couple of weeks ago, I (and I believe most Obama newcomers to the Democratic Party) planned to vote for Hillary if she became the nominee for the general election. But I will probably change my mind on that. Not out of spite -- that would be childish. No, it's because I believe the Clinton style of politicking, though proven effective in the short term, is toxic to the Democratic Party. It appears that Senator Clinton and the Democratic Party don't get it.
I prefer to wait until one of the parties gets smart and decides to show some genuine respect for those of us in the vast center. Until then, the Democratic Party has to EARN my loyalty. So far, you're failing.
Sincerely,
Laura Jordan
Austin, Texas
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