A Response to Salon’s Story on PUMA: The Most Important Reason Clinton Voters Will Not Support Senator Obama

Salon magazine published an article today: “Will Clinton supporters vote for Obama?,” by Rebecca Traister. The story’s subtitle: “The attack of the PUMAs, or a dozen reasons why Clinton voters are still too angry to come home.”

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Here is the main thing your article fails to take into account, and the main thing every single media outlet in this country likewise ignores: The number one reason we will not support Senator Obama for President is that he is not qualified for the job.

Surprised? Let’s examine this more closely.

This man has missed over 40% of his votes in the Senate. If one examines the votes he has missed, they actually are politically risky and require moral courage. So far, he has exhibited little.

He voted “present” 130 times in the Illinois State Legislature and voted “wrong” six times, i.e., he said “oops, I accidentally pressed the wrong button” — so either he is incapable of multitasking, or he is dishonest, just making choices for political expediency.

Aah. Thou hast hit it. What are the clues to his actions as nothing more than political expedience and opportunism:

A man who sits in a divisive and racist church for 20 years and lies about his knowledge of the contents of these sermons, then throws the church under the bus when it becomes politically critical for him to do so.

A man who is closely associated with the likes of the convicted criminal Tony Rezko, buys a house with his help, receives $250K in campaign contributions and allows Rezko’s slum holes to flourish in his State Senate district while likewise claiming ignorance — yet lies before the American people and says he barely knows the man and only did five hours of work for him years ago.

I will not even delve into his long working relationship with the man from the Weather Underground, ex-terrorist Bill Ayers, which he has likewise downplayed and/or denied.

This is a man with a questionable record on women’s rights, voting ‘present’ numerous times, who has also said “many pro-choice Democrats don’t understand that abortion is a wrenching moral issue.” Really? How insulting.

This is a Democrat who campaigns in South Carolina with Donnie McClurkin, an “ex-gay” man “reformed through prayer.” I wonder to whom Senator Obama was pandering in that state?

This is a man who runs slightly to the left of Hillary Clinton only to flip flop on every position he originally took including: public financing, FISA, his positions of Iraq withdrawal, the Iran threat, Israel, NAFTA and more.

Senator Obama is a man who insults the Bill Clinton presidency, a time of peace and prosperity, while extolling virtues of the disastrous Reaganomics. He calls himself a Democrat?

Most devastating, Senator Obama is a man who, together with his campaign manager and surrogates advantage themselves at every opportunity by playing the race card unjustly.

Senator Obama is the product of splendid marketing. Nothing more. Even MoveOn.Org, naively endorsing him without vetting his true positions, is starting to turn on him — realizing that, they too, have served their purpose and are now going to be thrown under the bus as he must move to the center to shore up his flagging presidential bid, as his initial “American Idol” appeal is now waning.

So, please, do all of us ‘bitter’ voters a favor and stop mischaracterizing our motives. Some of us actually have principles and put our country before our party. We care deeply about America and about our fellow citizens of every background. We would like a person of solid character with a consistent record and sensible, coherent policies to lead our nation. Someone with a 35 year history of working for the rights of children, women, veterans’ benefits, first responders, health care and education. Someone who will take a tough stand on the issues and have the courage of his or her convictions.

For your information, I have just described Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

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See my previous story here, “An Open Letter to Vice President Gore.”