Letters

How to Build a Better Democrat

Joe Klein hit the nail right on the head in his analysis of what the DEMOCRATIC Party must do to unseat George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election [NATION, May 19]. Democrats should wake up and stand for something instead of always being against things. Until they do, they will probably continue to lose ground to the Republicans. Think what you will about Bush, you can't say he's afraid to state his beliefs and act on them.
MARK RIOUX
Saco, Maine

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Klein's story was witty and perceptive. Yet he missed the point. The real lesson of the 2000 election was that Democrats can't win by chasing Republicans further to the right. Both parties are going after the same voters. The key to a Democratic victory in 2004 is to target the half of the electorate that doesn't vote, at least in part because these citizens see no credible alternative in the current 1 1/2-party system. What the Dems need is a genuine fire-breathing, rabble-rousing populist. Anyone can be "strong on defense," but winning back disaffected progressive voters requires a candidate with the guts to forcefully denounce Bush and his gang.
DOUG ABBOTT
Silver City, N.M.

We Democrats are truly the "big tent" party, and as such, we are a much more diverse party than the Republicans. And because of this diversity, we Dems are often at odds with one another. We are a party that allows dissent, even thrives on it. Many consider this dissension a sign of weakness, and regard the G.O.P., which tolerates little disagreement, as a party of strength. That view is wrong. The Democratic Party is the party from the heart of America. We represent Americans of every nationality, creed and religion. Could we do better? No question. Can we do better than the Republicans and Bush? Without a doubt.
CHARLES TRANBERG
Madison, Wis.

The Democrats have to fight on the Republicans' turf. It's time to get down and dirty, tell the truth and not worry about the backlash. Truth and a get-tough strategy have a chance. Business as usual would be another disaster.
REGINA AVRAHAM
New York City

Three simple questions can defeat Bush. First, is our society better off economically than it was four years ago? Second, is the world better off and safer now than it was four years ago? (Does anyone truly feel comfortable taking an airplane trip to Europe?) Third, do we feel safer in the U.S. now that we have many fewer civil liberties than we did four years ago?
DALE HILL
Washita, Okla.

The economy is weak, unemployment is up, the deficit is soaring and millions of people are without health care. Bush is eminently beatable in 2004. The Democrats have plenty of ammo to go after him. They just have to stop acting like a rudderless bunch and go for the jugular.
GARY SARTORI
Concord, N.H.

Klein says Democrats need a large and overarching theme, a battle cry to win in 2004. Luckily, Democrats have such a theme: fairness. The Democrats trump the Republicans on education and Social Security, on health care for the elderly, on the economy and taxes, on living wages and job creation. To win in 2004, Democrats should not run against Bush at all. Instead they should run against Republicans and all that the party stands for.
BRUCE H. THORSTAD
Dresser, Wis.

I am disgusted by the wimpy Democrats. I wish that they would crawl out from under their beds and stand up for something, even if it is a well-deserved kick for not voicing their opinions on the war, tax breaks for the wealthy, threats to our environment, deepening national debt, alienation of foreign countries and policies that benefit Big Business.
ESSDALE WILSON
Binghamton, N.Y.

As long as the Democratic Party persists in whining and criticism, it will have nothing to offer a populace that is proud of its country. If the Democrats want to return to viability, they must praise the nation's accomplishments their own and those of the GOP in a meaningful way and be seen as building upon them. Need a formula? Giving 10 compliments earns the right to express one criticism.
EDWARD GABRIELSE
St. Charles, Ill.

--Did our cover photo of President Franklin Roosevelt project an image that Democrats today should emulate? "With the fat-cat aura generated by his pince-nez and cigarette holder as he rode down the street in his fancy car, the rakishly grinning F.D.R. cut perhaps the least Democratic profile I've ever seen," wrote a Massachusetts reader. Others, perhaps a bit defensive about the the current slate of Democratic candidates, wanted to turn the tables. "I look forward to a future issue of TIME examining 'Why They Don't Make Republicans Like They Used To,'" wrote a New Yorker. "The cover should be graced by a picture of Abraham Lincoln."

Race, Lies and Plagiarism

"Reading Between The Lies," your article on Jayson Blair, the journalist who resigned from the New York Times after it was revealed that he plagiarized and fabricated stories [PRESS, May 19], was interesting and balanced until you quoted a Times senior manager as saying the paper sometimes hires minority reporters whose experience is "significantly below" what the paper would normally require. To include this statement without additional corroboration from other Times personnel was careless and offensive to black journalists.
LASHAWN Y. HAND
Philadelphia