Web Letters: Rebuke for GOP Attack

I am embarrassed to say that I voted for Michelle Bachmann. I apologize to all Americans for her recent comments, there is no excuse for them. On Monday, the 20th, I called her campaign office, identified myself and expressed my dissatisfaction with her recent comments of the last several months. I also requested that she resign from office. We have to0 great a country, to0 many of our citizens have suffered to preserve our freedom and our way of life, to have someone like Michelle Bachmann in a position to divide us.

Ron Freihammer

Sartell, MN

After viewing Katrina vanden Heuvel's response to the latest mendacious attack, I must urge The Nation and vanden Heuvel to make itself and herself more visible. The voice of reason gets lost in the combat between the two main parties.

I remember seeing Katrina vanden Heuvel on the Sunday morning George Stephanopoulos show several months ago, presenting a reasoned view, and watching while the other panelists simply shook their heads and spoke over her, ignoring what she'd said. They felt free to do this, I think, simply because the views she presented did not support the views of any single party.

As long as The Nation remains a relatively small, if influential, publication that is periodically represented on news shows, its voice will be drowned out. I know that what I want to suggest is difficult, if not impossible, but the effort must be made to get The Nation into the hands of more people, and to get its views more widely disseminated. Is it foolish to urge that The Nation establish its own production studio and create a weekly show to be aired on PBS or on network stations? How about creating specials with an eye towards marketing them to various networks? The better goal would be its own network, but I can't imagine Rupert Murdoch or a similar financier wanting to fund such a thing.

On a more day-to-day level, is there now a sustained, full-out effort to put The Nation into more book store chains and to advertise on television? Although I can't imagine, but would love to see, a Nation ad during the Super Bowl, I can imagine one showing during the evening news on CBS or ABC. (How about on Fox... ?)

Astonishingly expensive, yes? (And Fox would just say no, but that would open them to the charge of bias.) But there are other options that I haven't seen explored, and that would be much more economical: ads on local stations with medium-to-large markets. (How would a well-produced, level-headed, non-threatening ad fare on the local news in Jacksonville, say? In Atlanta? Dallas?) How about spots in movie theaters, which have ads, in many medium markets, for local florists and dance theaters? These local ads would of course need to be continued over time--a single ad would have little effect on points of view or subscriptions, ad revenue, and donations. However, similar, humorous but pointed ads, with distinct logos and messages and faces and repeated tag lines (yes, branding to achieve product recognition and support, as awful as it sounds) over several years, might accomplish much. Taking these latter suggestions to a conclusion that may seem odd: have you considered hiring a good marketing/advertising firm? (No, I don't represent one, and yes, I may have watched too many episodes of Mad Men.) But a marketing company is needed.

Jake Johnson

Atlanta, GA

I watched the exchange between Katrina and Pat. some one needs to give Pat a dictionary. Michele Bachmann is a fascist, and if Pat agrees with her so is he. Remind Pat that he was in an administration when a bunch of rifle-toting kids shot a bunch of college kids at Ohio State and Kent State. Remind Pat the fascist of Martin Luther, Bobby and John. Pat would be an apologist for ol' Joe McCarthy. There must be something in the Irish toilet training that makes us a little off-center. The crazier Pat knows he is, the louder and faster he talks.

JAMES PINETTE

Caribou, ME

Having lived through the McCarthy era I was totally dismayed to hear Congresswoman Michele Bachmann's suggestion that the media vet Congress and other Americans on the degree of their Americanism. Of course, the definition of Americanism would presumably be supplied by Ms. Bachmann and her cohorts.

Then Hardball continued with Ms. vanden Huevel's eloquent and passionate defense of the most important values of our democracy. I was stirred to action, and went to the Nation website and immediately subscribed. (I never subscribe to magazines because it's so hard to keep up with them.)

Then I went to Bachmann opponent El Tinklenberg's website and contributed to his campaign. (I'm so disgusted with the Democrats' lack of leadership and spine, that I had sworn not to contribute one cent to politics during this election. I broke that pledge.) Then this morning on Daily Kos I am thoroughly amazed to find that over $100,00 was contributed to Tinklenberg's campaign last night by outraged Americans. Wow! A large part of that must have to do with Katrina's right-on response.

Oh, and then after my contributions, I went to the pub for my Friday night get-together with retired teacher friends, and told them the whole tale. Ms. vanden Heuvel has been toasted liberally on a Friday night at Bertram's Brew Pub in Salmon, Idaho!!

Bernadine Berry

Salmon, ID

First, I too am frightened by the assertions of Michele Bachman and by the widely held views she espouses, which the McCain campaign is clearly attempting to promote. The Nation's editor Katrina vanden Heuvel spoke movingly to this fear and to its clear justification. Pat Buchanan seized on that fear and challenged vanden Heuvel about William Ayers to which, among other things, she said: "I do not defend Bill Ayers."

This was a defeat for sanity. Bill Ayers must be defended. To fail to do so in this context is to yield to the the mob, to fear, and to the attacks of those who would brand those with whom they differ as anti-American. While it is a distraction from the very important economic and foreign policy issues of the campaign, it bears on a very important issue in its own right. The disgrace to our nation of the prevalence of the ideas espoused by Rep. Bachman is the tip of the iceberg of something which must be addressed whenever it is raised.

Bill Ayers is and has been for decades a productive member of society. He has rehabilitated himself. He remains committed to the anti-war stance which led him to violent actions forty years ago. He has repeatedly said: "I wish we could have done more" to oppose the war. But he has long since abandoned violence. He has become an important member and leader for good of his community. His behavior and actions demonstrate his repentence.

That he has not apologized in a manner which satisfies Pat Buchanan means very little on balance against his very real actions for good.

Compare the fervent apology from Senator McCain at the time of the Keating Five savings and loan collapse. He said the right things but continued absolutely unchanged to this day in his commitment to deregulation. Consider too the statements he made after his losses in the 2000 primaries regarding his "blind ambition" and his commitment to clean politics.

We can be afraid. But we cannot yield to it. We must not lose our perspective and yield to attacks. Pat Buchanan is very good at what he does as are many others. We must set fear, outrage, indignation, hurt, frustration, all of it aside. We are not running for office. We are far less constrained in taking an umpopular position that senators McCain or Obama.

Don Krieger, Ph.D., D.ABNM - retired

PublicService.EveNDon.com
Pittsburgh, PA