Holly Springs --------------------------------------------------------- Change in Washington seems to always be on people's minds whether it's an election year or not. If you believe the polls, American citizens feel that Washington has turned its back on the average Joe, so much so that they give Congress a lower approval rating than they give George Bush. That should bother U.S. senators and representatives enough that they get off of their bums and do their jobs by passing legislation aimed at improving the lives of the American people. Some of our elected officials have done just that while others have not. By pulling up voting records, you can easily see who best represents the people and who doesn't. So I looked up the voting records of Sens. Clinton and Obama over the past two years, and here's what I found. Obama has missed 40% of the Senate votes over the past two years including an SCHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program) vote, and legislation aimed at cutting predatory student loan lending which should make a higher education more affordable. Obama's health plan mandates health insurance for all American children while leaving adults to fend for themselves. Well, if he's so eager to provide health insurance for children, why did he miss that SCHIP vote? If a child's parent winds up with a chronic disease without benefit of insurance coverage, how will that impact the child? Hillary Clinton is the only candidate left in the race with a plan to make sure that every American has health insurance coverage mandating that the insurance industry cover pre-existing conditions and mental health issues. Clinton is also the only candidate to pledge research dollars to the fight against breast cancer, and she has fought to make sure that our returning soldiers with traumatic brain injuries get the treatment they need.Since Obama hasn't voted for us, why should we vote for him? If we're serious about change, Clinton is our candidate. Kim Murphy
Asheville --------------------------------------------------------- On Tuesday North Carolina voters have an opportunity to deliver a message to opportunistic and destructive race hustlers among us in this country. They can be found in churches, on university campuses, and almost anywhere a few dollars can be made and some attention can be sparked.As a supporter of Barack Obama I was saddened by the outlandish behavior of his former pastor. It's obvious that the Rev. Jeremiah Wright seeks to promote himself and his posh lifestyle and doesn't mind harming Obama's candidacy.I am waiting for the day when candidates do not feel an obligation to bring their religions and their pastors, priests, or rabbis onto the political stage. It's a strange tradition.We've seen how "men of God" can contaminate the proceedings in countless ways. Although few are so deliberately repulsive as Wright, you'd have to have a strong stomach to sit through a sermon by Pat Robertson and some others as well.Obama is a good and decent man who sincerely wants to bring America together and move forward.Do not allow the Clintons to use this whipped-up issue as a means of taking us backward. Do not allow envious, self-possessed race hustlers to derail his objectives and keep the tired discord alive.Vote for a positive and constructive future for your country on Tuesday.Debrah Correll
Chapel Hill ------------------------------------------------------- Just listening to the media coverage of presidential hopeful Barack Obama's former pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright reinforces why religion and politics should not be mixed and why our country has so many problems now. For the past 8 years, the United States has fallen to shambles thanks to the wonderful government in place right now, and instead of the nation trying to find the best candidate to help us rise to the level of living that Americans are used to, everyone's too busy talking about one person's opinion that was made years ago and has absolutely nothing to do with the presidential candidates.Rev. Wright is just one man but we as a nation are many. Let's talk about the issues at hand and not what he says. Our constitution gives him the very right to say what he wants. President Bush said some things in the past too and look at where it got us -- Iraq!! Need I say more?Stephen Lynn
Cedar Grove --------------------------------------------------------- I am a white, female, 87-year-old senior citizen. Following the Pennsylvania Democratic primary, CNN TV's The Situation Room evening news report referred to the senior citizen voters in western Pennsylvania as those of the Bigotry Generation. I take issue with painting a whole generation with one swipe of the brush.I see Barack Obama as a man uniquely qualified to fulfill a desperate need for reconciliation in our country that my generation has loved, fought, and died for. Obama is highly qualified, educated, intelligent and eloquent. He has a keen mind and a calm, thoughtful, and confident demeanor. His multi-racial life experience exceeds in important measure the experience his opponent claims to have gained in her 8 years in the Clinton White House.I am a life-long Republican, but Barack Obama has earned my respect and support He has stayed above the caustic and bitter tone of his opponents campaign. He is the right leader at the right time to restore dignity and unity to the United States of America. Let not the so called Bigotry Generation deny him his hard-earned opportunity to deliver hope and change.June Peacock
Raleigh --------------------------------------------------------- I was amused by the recent letter comparing the selection of a CEO, with the contest for the Democratic nomination. The previous CEO (read Bush) lacked experience . . . except that George W. Bush was governor of Texas, which many people feel (or felt) was a better credential than being a senator, for someone seeking the presidency. Plus he had the experience of seeing the presidency up close. Although it's becoming clear that having the unfinished business of someone else's presidency on your plate is not a good idea. Let's face it, there is no resume that guarantees a good president. Judgment is important but what's the proper test? The kind of church he attends? Or her readiness to go to war?Hillary Clinton is a fighter. So is George Bush. She's tough. So is he. Some say its time for a Democratic fighter to take the helm. But won't the result be more of the same? Us versus them. Good versus bad. Division. Polarization. Inaction.In Barack Obama you have a leader with the temperament to bring people together, and get things done for the common good. Isn't that the type of CEO this floundering corporation desperately needs? Scott Mitchell
Durham --------------------------------------------------------- I lived in Washington during the entire Clinton Administration. I eagerly campaigned for him and did some volunteer work for his campaigns in 1992 and 1996. I attended his first inauguration and went to one of the balls. I supported most of his programs while he was in office. I got to know several of his political appointees, and they all impressed me with their knowledge and dedication. I personally think President Clinton is a brilliant man. But, he cheated on his wife, lied to the American people, lied to a grand jury, and was disbarred by the state of Arkansas. So my question is why should I, or anyone else, believe anything he has to say now? For me, his credibility has vanished.Leon Barber
Raleigh --------------------------------------------------------- In this primary season where voters must make an important decision, we must know the facts and understand the candidates. Not only does Sen. Obama's sluggish handling of the Rev. Wright debacle warn of his weakness in fighting the Republican attack machine that will no doubt use this albatross against him, but his contention that he was not aware of Rev. Wright's inflammatory political positions after belonging to his ministry for 20 years is incredulous. Furthermore, if Obama was not aware of these kinds of remarks and he also failed to fully vet Rev. Wright, his judgment is questionable as a candidate. Sen. Clinton is clearly the stronger and more experienced candidate who can get elected and bring about the kind of change our country needs that Obama only mentions in his soaring rhetoric devoid of specifics about how he plans to get his agenda accomplished.Emery Caywood
Rocky Mount --------------------------------------------------------- Having heard Rev. Jeremiah Wright, I find that I share many things with him. I am over 60. I was educated in the segregated schools of the South. I witnessed historic and sometimes horrifying days of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. I served my country in the military. I am embarrassed by the failure of the Republican administration regarding the war in Iraq, the enormous debt burden we pass on to our children, and the lack of leadership regarding social issues like immigration and education. And, I think it really is time for a change.I also differ from Rev. Wright in many ways. I am white. The schools I went to were white. At the time, I felt that most of the events of the civil rights movement were meant for them instead of for me. But, I am still embarrassed by the failure of the Republican administration and, I still think it really is time for change. What I heard Barack Obama say from Philadelphia was that he recognized that this country is composed of people like Rev. Wright, and people like me, and many other people. People with different backgrounds, different experiences, different relationships. As individuals we are the product of our own experiences and they will remain with us for our life. We will never be like or fully understand those of another color or coming from different experiences. In many instances, this leads to mistrust, intimidation, hatred, or even racism. However, we can choose to define ourselves by our differences and our past, or by our hopes for the future. We can choose to leave our children the differences that we have suffered with, or to leave them the hope of a united nation. I believe we should never be a prisoner of our diverse past when seeking a greater goal of freedom and tranquility. We must forthrightly work to make a common future. That will take change. It will take a lot of change for those from my white school to consider a black man for president. It will take a lot of change for Rev. Wright and others to envision a strong black leader working for all Americans, not just the historic black causes. Isn't it time for a change?Andrew Givens
Raleigh
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