As part of the unhappy majority, I am dismayed to see
everyday how little the [Democratic Party] desires to reach
out to people like me. They are positive that we all just
want to be Republican-lite.

I have yet to give Kerry a dime as opposed to the $1,000 I
gave Dean before the primary. Kerry will get my energy, and
my money, when he acts like he cares.

Frances Roehm

Virginia Beach, Virginia

The country is in fact headed in the right direction. By all
measurable statistics, the economy is booming, and the U.S.
Economy is once again the envy of the western world!
Unfortunately, the Bush team has been doing a poor job of
promoting this, and the media have done an even worse job of
reporting it.

There’s simply no reason to vote Bush out of office. The
country has bounced back beautifully from a series of severe
shocks, and whether one agrees with the Bush administration
or not on many issues, the fact is that we’re doing very
well.

Conrad Velin

Monterey, California

Joshua Wolf Shenk wrote a nice nonsense piece for us to
enjoy. Nonsense because he claims to be addressing John
Kerry who is, unfortunately, deaf to public happiness or
rage, deaf to everyone and everything but a small group of
advisers trying to turn him into another Bill Clinton.

As an outraged member of that truly diverse and interesting
public, I am amazed that anyone with political smarts ever
thought that John Kerry should head the Democratic ticket in
2004. I am angry at Kerry for the stubborn stupid, campaign
he is running, but I am more angry at the kingmakers of the
Democratic Party who believe they have been annointed to
manipulate this very important election. They look almost
as smart as George Bush. I think its time to try to turn my
back on the Dems and vote for Ralph Nader.

Marjie Colson

Madison, Wisconsin

This is exactly what I would have liked to say to John
Kerry. Only you said it better. I read yesterday that he’s
started becoming more alive, more inspired in his rhetoric.
But the positive side, the plan, and the answer to people’s
anger is essential! He still has to learn to answer to the
people’s needs, see more clearly and speak more clearly.

We need peace in the Middle East and that whole region and
Kerry shouldn’t be so cautious about setting that down
clearly and repeatedly! And of course we need the economic
situation straightened out, an end to hypocricy and to the
rule of the corrupt big corporations.

Siv O’Neall Lyon,

France

I am no fan of Bush, quite the opposite, but anyone who is
sitting around constantly criticizing Bush and not lifting a
finger to help the average Iraqi towards a better future is
being grossly irresponsible. It’s like marching for “peace”
in 1940 while the Jews and Gypsies and homosexuals were
being burned in the ovens. History and humanity will never
forgive it. Yes, we need to criticize, but at the same
time we need to roll up our sleeves and help the Iraqi
people recover from 30 years of brutal tyranny and establish
a country based on freedom, democracy, human rights, the
rule of law and respect for minorities any way we can.

Chris Wentworth

Corte Madera, California

Written by Stanley Greenberg, a veteran Democratic
pollster. This says it all about this article. Funny how
when the Dems controlled the House with an iron hand for 40
years, no one complained about a polarized nation. The real
start of the divisiveness in politics began when the Dems
lost the House in 1994. They thought control of the house
was their God-given right.

The party’s selection of an Eest Coast liberal Senator as
their flag-bearer will only hasten their fall. Rather then
look to a centrist for insight into rebuilding the party ( a
Zell Miller type), the current party leadership seems
shackled to the mantra of the far left, America is bad,
types which will only lead to defeat.

D. Seaver,

Lees Summit, Missouri

Both sides prefer to speak to wedge issues where the
advantage lies on their side of the argument.
Unfortunately, serious issues are not reliable opinion
splitters for either side. There is a conspiracy of silence
on serious issues, because neither side can be sure how the
issue will break. So they go back to the old nostrum issues
that really make little difference overall, but market well
politically.

Funding for social programs (medicare, social security) and
foreign/military strategy (Wilsonian nation building, and
democracy for all as we see it) are issues both parties will
skirt in favor of winner issues like gay marriage, “Under
God”, “middle class tax cuts” (want to buy a bridge?) and
gun control.

This political imbroglio will straighten out when a third
party raises the more consequential issues. If that doesn’t
happen, the bad news may arrive from overseas, as foreign
investors lose confidence in the U.S. as an economic bedrock.
That will be quite unpleasant, even if we have an
“electable” president in office, I am afraid.

John J. McGraw

Bellevue, Washington