November 19, 2004/Kislev 6 5765, Vol. 57, No. 12
Letters to the EditorNovember 19, 2004
Mandate? What mandate?Editor:I wanted to write as a loyal reader to let you know how I feel about Republican attempts to characterize George Bush's election victory as a "mandate." The truth of the matter is that the election illustrated exactly the opposite - that the nation is bitterly divided and that no mandate exists for an extreme conservative agenda. With 51 percent of the popular vote and a 286-252 win in the Electoral College - in which President Bush won the decisive state, Ohio, so narrowly that the result was not yet clear on election night - the Republicans are claiming a nonexistent mandate. This is all the more the case in that the Republicans did not run on privatizing Social Security, criminally bombing Fallujah or abolishing income taxes. They ran on two claims: first, that they were best placed to protect the country from the horrors that were visited during their watch and which were magnified at every turn; and second, that John Kerry was so bad that just about anyone would be better. If the Republican "platform" had broad support, it would not have been necessary to obfuscate it and run such a thoroughly negative campaign. This is a political ploy intended to exaggerate the nation's level of support for the president's policies and proposals, which will prove in any case to have been a switch from the bait offered in the campaign. Leslie Thatcher Flagstaff Election fraud?Editor:I support a full national investigation of the November election. Complaints of voter fraud, computer error and harassment from across the nation have flooded the election commissions. Robert H. Berman Prescott No campaign homers for DemsEditor:Many of us were and are underwhelmed by the tepid, lackluster and uninspired way in which the Kerry/Edwards campaign was run. There was never a home run batted by our side ever in the entire campaign. Not one. Daniel Abt Tucson Thank you for supportEditor:One month ago many of you assembled at Har Zion Congregation in memory of Rabbi Herbert Silberman. With solemnity and reverence, representatives of congregations and Jewish organizations throughout the Valley shared some of their thoughts and feelings concerning the sudden and untimely death of a beloved husband, father, brother, grandfather, teacher, friend and role model to many. Gently and tenderly, each of you, by your presence, helped to sanctify a shared moment in time within Har Zion's sanctuary. Your love and respect, so apparent at the memorial service, assisted us at one of the most difficult times in our lives. Your outpouring of care during shiva and shloshim has lessened some of our loss. Knowing that our mother is not alone has eased our burden. We offer our sincere thanks for the honor given to our father and his family in the pages of the Jewish News. Your coverage has assisted us in coping with a dramatic and significant loss in our lives. On behalf of our mother, Temma Silberman; my sister, Debbie Silberman Abeles; and my brother, Ron Silberman, I extend our gratitude and our wishes of shalom. Rabbi Steven Silberman Mobile, Ala.
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