This is my first diary so please be kind. (And if I messed up on tags or anything, feel free to correct.)
I know that alot of younger people don't read newspapers anymore, but many older people (including me at 51) do, and that is a demographic that Obama really wants to reach.
I was excited to pick up my copy of the Houston Chronicle today because I had gotten a call from them last night telling me that my LTE was being published. Little did I know that there would be a PLETHORA of great letters, articles and editorials that serve to highlight the dysfunctional reality that is called the Republican Party.
First, let's start with the Letters to the Editor. This was the first round of letters to reflect McCain's speech from Thursday. There were 8 of them and here is the substance:
- One writer was happy that McCain talked about cleaning up Washington and posited the hope that the Republicans would suceed in this endeavor by getting rid of themselves.
- Next a throw-the-bums-out plea for limiting congressional terms.
- Next a great letter that I WISH I had written about McCain's bipartisan efforts entitled "Unbelievable Vow":
So John McCain, the onetime maverick who is in the party's good graces after deferring to the base's desires when chosing his running mate, now promises to break the partisan gridlock by pushing a platform written by the conservative wing and replacing all the moderates on the Supreme Court?
That's not bipartisanship we can believe in.
Kevin M, Houston
- Then we have a critique of McCain's speech calling it "Palin comparison" to the VP speech.
- One writer was missing Tim Russert because he was unbiased, fair and professional.
- A letter about Democracy Now, comparing the detainees in St. Paul to those in China before the Olympics.
- Another great letter comparing the crowds from the RNC to the DNC:
Look at a picture, any picture, from any angle, of the delegates ... In one, the Republican picture, you can search and search for a nonwhite face, and if you are lucky, perhaps you can find one. In the other, the Democratic picture, you see America...
Travis B., Houston
The writer goes on to say that we need a government that is truly representive of who we are.
- And last, but I hope not least, was my letter about the RNC exploiting 9-11 and using the victims as political fodder to instill fear in the voting public.
Sensing a theme here? Or in the words of Joe Biden from yesterday, "The silence is deafening," when it comes to any praise of McCain or of his speech.
But that's not all. Although they carried a diatribe from Jonah Goldberg about how we Dems just don't get it when it comes to Palin, it was nicely counterbalanced by Gloria Steinem's op-ed on why Palin is NOT the right woman for the job. But the best piece from the Editorial Page was a from the Chronicle Editorial Board entitled "Under a Cloud," outlining several local scandals, all involving Republicans (although their party affiliaton is conveniently left out in all but one case):
District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal - forced to resign for using official sources for campaign activities, and sending and receiving e-mails (which he later deleted in contempt of court) with sexist and racist content on his official e-mail account;
Sheriff Tommy Thomas - being investigated for questionable e-mail deletion policies (which started right after the above-mentioned DA got caught) and work by county contractors on his private property;
County Judge Ed Emmett - in charge of a task force to increase public scrutiny of county officials, but in the meantime, has accepted $150,000 in donations from county contractors this year; and
County Commissioner Jerry Eversole - under investigation by the DA's office for personal use of political contributions and the focus of a corruption probe by the FBI.
But wait, there's more!!!! Now let's move to the articles on Sarah Palin because there were three of them today specifically about her, one detailing the requests about banning books and the related loyalty test resignations, one questioning her lack of contact with the media and one pointing out her church's "Pray for Gays" policy on homosexuality. No soft, fluffy moose-hunter maverick stories on the Governor.
The only two items I saw in today's paper that were anti-Obama were the aforementioned Jonah Goldberg opinion piece and an article about McCain's campaign stop yesterday in which he lied about Obama's tax policies (an assertion which remained uncorrected by the Chronicle).
All in all, I would call this day a net+++ for Obama, or at least a net--- for McCain and company. As I said, it's a good day to be a Democrat in Houston, TX today.