Democratic Race
To the Editors:
It should have come as no surprise to Americans that Gary Hart overtook Walter Mondale in the early primaries [NATION, March 12]. Many people see Hart as a breath of fresh air in a country that is politically stagnant. Mondale comes across as a politician who helped give away the Panama Canal, allowed American hostages to remain captive in Iran, and used our Olympic athletes as a political tool.
Michael T. Caughey Williamsburg, Va.
Forget the issues. Americans are going to vote for the candidate who looks and sounds the way they think a President should. Senator Hart, with his good looks and his smooth, Middle American voice is perceived as representing the current fashion for Presidents better than any of the other contenders for the Democratic nomination.
George A. Young Bridgewater, N.J.
The lesson that politicians should learn from Mondale's experience is that voters normally expect the unions to endorse the Democratic candidate. But to accept labor's beneficence even before the show begins is to accept identification with the political objectives of the AFL-CIO. It presents Mondale as a one-issue, class-oriented candidate.
Christopher Kane Seattle
Mondale is not tying himself to organized labor but is aligning himself with a group that represents the concerns of all working people.
Laura Walker Washington, D.C.
Most politicians have links with some special-interest groups. Given the choice, I would rather have a President who is concerned about the needs of the working people than a President who believes his role is to serve the needs of his millionaire cronies.
Terence O. Dungan New Paltz, N.Y.
By choosing Hart, the Democratic primary voters are reflecting the intellectual caliber of their party. Today's Democrats lack a coherent philosophy; they seize on the personality who best fits the fad.
Jay Grassell Greenfield, Wis.
In the details about Hart's background, you say he is a graduate of Bethany Nazarene College, "a conservative Methodist school." Bethany is not and has never been a part of the Methodist Church. It is a private liberal arts college operated by the Church of the Nazarene. Faye J. Shelton Nashville
Jackson's Faux Pas
The long presidential selection process does serve a purpose. It can expose a candidate's faults, like Jesse Jackson's attitude toward the Jews [NATION, March 12]. Who would have guessed that deep down Jackson is a bigot?
Dan A. Sinema Tucson
Jackson is a man of the cloth cut on the bias.
Al Hamburg Champaign,Ill.
It is unfortunate that Jackson has used terms that have insulted the Jewish people. But he has apologized, pointing out that all of us need to work to rid ourselves of the prejudices we harbor.
Ernest Charles McCray San Diego
Lebanon Pullout
Lebanon might well be called the greatest foreign policy defeat for the U.S. in recent history [WORLD, March 5]. Our diplomatic decisions were a disaster because we were not an objective broker. Resorting to naval and military force only emphasized our ineptitude and reflected the desperation of our leaders.
Dallas M. Coors Bethesda, Md.
Christian Arabs