A Vote-Hunting Kerry Goes Hunting for Geese

Re “Why Our Elections Put Third-Rate People in Office,” Commentary, Oct. 21: Donald Saari is completely correct when he points out that the way in which votes are tabulated can determine the outcome of an election. But even more is at stake. Tabulation methods can have a profound effect on determining what kind of people run for office, the way in which they campaign, and even how they govern when they are in office.

With today’s system, where (as Saari puts it) second place isn’t worth anything, is it any surprise to see each party continue to please its own constituents while ignoring all other opinions? Candidates have no motivation to risk upsetting their own supporters in order to please others. The result is an increasingly polarized political landscape.

But if second place mattered, so would the opinions of every other party’s voters. And as a result, we would see more consideration and compromise, more centralized candidates, and in general a less polarized system.

Keith Goldfarb

Santa Monica

*

John Kerry’s goose hunt in Ohio has given me the best laugh I’ve had in weeks, except I feel sorry for the geese (Oct. 22). It’s Dukakis on the tank all over again. If this is all Kerry has to do to prove what a man’s man he is, he’d better fold his tent and go back home to Massachusetts.

Jim Kerr

Laguna Beach

*

It’s ironic how Vice President Dick Cheney mocks Kerry’s goose-hunting trip (Oct. 22). At least Kerry didn’t have the U.S. Supreme Court justice who was overseeing a case that he is involved with in his hip pocket during his trip, as Cheney did.

Paul Bruyn

Midway City

*

OK, I’ll admit it. I wasn’t crazy about John Kerry when he surged in the Democratic primaries. I thought he was boring. But the more I learn about Kerry the more I like him. The debates showed that Kerry has the right stuff to be president. He’s intelligent and reasonable and bases his decisions on reality instead of blind faith. President Bush, on the other hand, seems to live in a state of denial. Bush does not see the problems in Iraq, thinks a sub-poverty-level minimum wage is just fine, and has left many children behind by not providing adequate funding for education.

Jon Neff

Pasadena

*

Kerry concerns himself with proselytizing his “plan” to cure all the ills of our forlorn economy. Yet, I wonder, does he really look around and see where this horrid economy is? Each week I go out to eat and find restaurants packed, movies sold out, concerts and plays sold out, and I find all this after sitting in hours of traffic on roadways next to brand-new cars and SUVs. I see kids showing up at school in new clothes and talking on cellphones. I see more moms and dads working from home or being stay-at-home parents to focus their time on their kids. And almost everywhere I go, I see “help wanted” signs. I think Kerry and Democrats who are so focused on complaints about the economy should look around and see that those of us who wish to work are employed, paid well and enjoying the stimulus of the economy that President Bush has been responsible for.

Chris Curran

Mission Viejo

*

Who says blacks are angry at Bush? I’m black, and I support the president. I contribute financially to his campaign. I have friends who support him too.

Robert S. Rodgers

Culver City

*

If we elect George W. Bush next month, we also will elect Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, John Ashcroft, Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz. That should scare even Republicans.

Harrison Stephens

Claremont

*

I have a different view than your editorial (“The Political Fear Factor,” Oct. 20). Liberals are voting for Kerry out of fear of four more years of Bush. As a progressive, I am voting for rather than against a candidate. I am proud to vote for the only candidate who supports a living wage, gay marriage, universal healthcare and greatly reducing the military. He is Green Party candidate David Cobb.

Peggy Koteen

San Luis Obispo

*

Is it too late to put a hold on the TV networks from releasing voter results before the polls close on the West Coast? This can really make or break a “tight election 2004.”

Robert F. Hudson

Perris