Awaiting the ‘Obama Show’
Re “And now a word from ...,” editorial, Oct. 27
“Cheesy”? “Infomercial”? Barack Obama is letting those of us in states where the outcome is considered certain hear him rather than the talking heads. Would that John McCain could do the same!
The airwaves belong to the people. Airtime should not be so expensive. Regular blocks of time should be given to candidates to present their ideas cogently. Debates limit the candidates to answering specific questions, not allowing them to present coherent positions.
The reason running for office has become so expensive is that candidates have to buy time for sound bites. The best campaign reform would provide equal amounts of free airtime to candidates and outlaw campaign ads.
Mary Ellen Mead
Whittier
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Your editorial is the worst I have seen since I began reading The Times 38 years ago.
The nerve of Obama in trying to appeal to the whole populace or to win a legitimate mandate, or to try to increase his party’s margin in the House, or to have a filibuster-proof Senate.
Your analogy to USC winning 62-0 and driving for another touchdown is out of bounds -- you should be penalized 15 yards for analogy abuse. This is not a football game; this is our future. This is my country. I want it back. Why is winning 55-45 running up the score?
Your criticism would be better spent in hammering the national broadcast media for not providing both candidates a free half-hour. I’m wondering if you pleaded for such restraint when Nixon won 49 states in 1972, or Reagan almost ran the table in 1984. I’m guessing no.
If you want snark, publish Maureen Dowd.
Keith Frohreich
Anaheim