The American Spectator

Steve Earley /p>

I had a friend that started to watch this, but said it had no class. I didn’t even start to watch and I wouldn’t after Cheney was uninvited, but I am glad to read your article.

p>I have never seen so much attention given to a Senator that I had never even heard of until he died and now a few people are insinuating that it was murder. I just can’t imagine the mentality of these people. br> — Betty Wiggins /p>

Once upon a time, I was a Democrat. Then Jimmy Carter came along and I began to re-think my position; I won’t go into the gory details as that would steer me away from the subject at hand. Needless to say, I’m a Republican now, and after that appalling display last night, I’ll probably die a Republican. I could launch into a rant over the spectacle I witnessed, but I won’t (such language should be reserved for the “stray hammer on the thumb” moments). What I witnessed was the final, and complete, transformation of a political party that I (once upon a time) respected and admired into the party of Clinton. Bereft of honor, dignity and class.

Perhaps Mr. Mondale will ride the wave to victory six days hence, but if he does it will not be because of the superiority of his position and ideals. It will be so because he (and the Democrat Party in general) used Sen. Wellstone’s coffin as a springboard. Perhaps I’m a dreamer, but I have to wonder about the wisdom of last night’s spectacle. I know that the Democrat Party has been moving Heaven and Earth to keep the “hard left” of their party from bolting to the Greens, which may be for naught since the Congress’s war resolution vote, but there is one other element in this mix.

As much as I dislike anecdotal evidence, about two weeks ago, on C-Span 1, they had their cute “question of the morning” on Washington Journal. The question was “will you be voting this election?”: yes/no. Since I’m a working stiff, I couldn’t devote that much time to listen, but what I did hear was interesting. Virtually all the no’s were democrats, and their ‘average’ answer was disapproval/disgust/discouragement with the dems. Until I heard that brief segment of phone calls, I had been wondering why the dems had were in full turbo mode on “turnout, turnout, turnout.” It will be interesting to see if Wellstone’s send-off energizes the base or adds to the number of disenchanted Dems who will sit out election day since they can’t bring themselves to pull the lever for a Republican.

Make no mistake, I’m no starry-eyed fool. I’m well aware of what the Dem’s are willing to do to win. For the Republicans it will also be TURNOUT, TURNOUT, TURNOUT. I will vote, and talk my lungs out from now till the 5th. I can do no less. The thought of the Democratic Party, in its current form, in even partial control of our nation’s future during these perilous times chills my spine. Any doubts I had about the true nature of the Democrat Party are gone.

p>Never in my memory have I seen a political party so unworthy of respect or power. God help us should they ever get both hands on the “wheel of state.” br> — Charles D. Ahner br> Cincinnati, OH