Gaining on Gore and Bush I would like to commend NEWSWEEK for its extensive presidential-election coverage (“Straight Shooters,” National Affairs, Nov. 15). Although the 2000 elections offer a field of candidates whose policy perspectives, in most cases, are not significantly different from each other, each candidate has a distinct character and background. Already, notable (and entertaining) events are unfolding: Gore version 2.0 and Bush’s flubbing on reporter Andy Hiller’s pop quiz about “four leaders in four hot spots.” The next year promises to be a very exciting one for presidential politics, but only if the American people start paying attention and get out to vote. Felix Y. Wang Blacksburg, Va.
I am 17 and will be casting my first vote in the next presidential election. I am reading up on all the candidates now so that I will have a better understanding of their issues when the time comes, and I would like to thank you for publishing the Nov. 15 articles on Bill Bradley and John McCain. Sean Calavan Temecula, Calif.
For the past few weeks, I have had a recurring daydream. In it, Bill Bradley and John McCain receive their respective parties’ nominations for president. Next November, when the votes are counted in this daydream election, the winner is… the United States. Craig S. Smith Chicago, Ill.
Thank you for your features on Bradley and McCain in your Nov. 15 issue. For weeks, I’ve been taping TV interviews and clipping articles about these two to give to friends. A lifelong Democrat, I’ve made my first political contributions to the McCain and Bradley campaigns. As I wrote to Bradley, this is the first year I’ve been excited about politics since Bobby Kennedy died, and, as I wrote to McCain, if the election boils down to the two of them, choosing would be agony. Yvonne Goulet Portland, Maine
Governor Bush is being ridiculed for not knowing the names of the leaders of other countries. President Bush was criticized for being preoccupied with foreign policy. If the son is elected to the presidency, he should appoint his father secretary of State. J. Robert Poole San Antonio, Texas
Why did NEWSWEEK depict the two leading alternative candidates of their respective parties as gross caricatures on its Nov. 15 cover? The public sees Bradley and McCain as serious men in suits and ties (rumpled, perhaps, in Bradley’s case). Donald Trump, Warren Beatty, Pat Buchanan–now these are men worthy of being portrayed as cartoon characters. As you noted in your article, this race may boil down to character, but no more cartoons, please. Melinda Daugherty Orinda, Calif.
Although Bill Bradley and John McCain have gained substantial ground on front runners Al Gore and George W. Bush, neither has inspired me to believe he has the guts it takes, the guts to make a bold, swift, radical departure from the failed Big Government programs of the last 40 years. Instead, they ramble on about their master plans for everything from health care to the environment. By now, we the electorate realize that government can’t solve the nation’s problems with sweeping multibillion-dollar, massively bureaucratic schemes. The only candidate speaking about big change is Steve Forbes. His plan to eliminate the IRS is something previous leaders failed to appreciate as the true key to prosperity for all Americans. Government’s true role in a democracy is to provide a national defense, a stable currency and a judicial system. Patrick M. McMeans Euless, Texas
John McCain is rising in popularity because he is the only candidate who is correct on three key issues: campaign-finance reform to take the country back from the special interests and return it to the people; pork-barrel-spending reductions, so politicians will no longer use your money to bribe you to get themselves re-elected, and having a strong but affordable military. Mike Clement Birmingham, Mich.
Presidential candidate Bill Bradley, at peace with who he is and comfortable with the authentic image he projects, is following a well-thought-out game plan that is going to take him to the White House in 2001 (“Bradley’s Game,” National Affairs, Nov. 15). That’s good news for a public that is tired of “politics as usual.” Bradley transcends party affiliation by appealing to the best instincts of the American people. He listens to the stories of citizens from all walks of life and has a special place in his heart for society’s most vulnerable. But he will survive the opposition’s attempt to portray him as a “bleeding heart” liberal. In addition to getting overwhelming Democratic support, I believe he will win the hearts and votes of many Republicans and Independents. Paul L. Whiteley Sr. Louisville, Ky.
McCain and Bradley are “authentic”? Gimme a break. They’re politicians! Yes, each has a past that’s more interesting than that of a “pure” politician like Bush or Gore, but it is totally irrelevant to their qualifications to be president. All of us struggle in life. All of us achieve. The fact that their struggles and achievements were more monumental than mine does not qualify them to govern me. You say that “biography is not destiny in modern American politics,” but your entire cover story proves that it is: it gives the spin doctors and handlers (and you in the media) a lot more to work with, and it makes McCain and Bradley seem superficially different from Bush and Gore. But Bradley’s and McCain’s admittedly heroic triumphs give them an even firmer basis for the arrogance (Bradley hides it better) that is the prerequisite of a politician. At bottom, they are no different from 99 percent of the people running for office. They are the self-appointed anointed, firmly committed to enlarging the government and increasing its power over our lives. Alan M. Perlman Highland Park, Ill.
I am a resident of New Hampshire. Usually I vote Republican, but I recently went to city hall to register as an Independent. The voters of New Hampshire take very seriously the responsibility of having the first primary in the nation. We have been evaluating the candidates for months now. I have not made my final decision, though I am leaning toward voting for Bill Bradley. The rest of the United States can count on the voters of New Hampshire to make careful choices in February 2000. Paul Collins Manchester, N.H.
“Going One-on-One.” “The Outside Shooter.” “Bradley’s Game.” Could you please bench, sideline, take a timeout, eject from the game, retire the jersey… or at least cut down on your use of basketball phrases when referring to Bill Bradley? As far as I’m concerned, he and Al Gore are as indistinguishable as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, or Tweedledee and Tweedledum, so I can understand that it must get boring covering the nuances of any differences between them week after week. But the b-ball conceit is really wearing thin. Lord help us if a boxer or a baseball player ever runs for president. Caroline Hwang New York, N.Y.
Taking the Joy Out of Cooking Amen to Marilyn Penn for her Nov. 8 My Turn (“I Can Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”). As a home cook, I couldn’t agree more. People who love to cook and do so for others see it as an extension of love and nurturing. Sitting around the table enjoying good food and challenging conversation without inhibition is an art form in itself. If you can’t relax and enjoy your host’s efforts, eat at home. Debra Benjamin Walpole, Mass.
Having struggled to keep my weight down for much of my life, I cannot sympathize with home cook Marilyn Penn. I always appreciate it greatly when I am invited to dinner and the cook has taken the time and trouble to prepare foods that I can eat on my low-fat diet. Obesity can be a life-threatening disease, and Americans are the most overweight people in the world. You’d like to think that, as a friend, Penn would want to encourage her guests who care about their health, rather than whine that she can’t make them creme brulee. Beth W. Orenstein Northampton, Pa.
Hurray for Marilyn Penn and her fatigue with the picky dining guest. I’m absolutely convinced that “dietary restrictions” are, more often than not, a way of controlling other people. Michael Grissom Wilton, Conn.
Just the Facts, Ma’am Thanks to Anna Quindlen for discussing the issue of objectivity in journalism (“Journalism 101: Human Nature,” The Last Word, Nov. 15). As a young journalist, I embraced the idea of objectivity as if it were a new religion. Over time, though, I realized my passion was misplaced. Accuracy should be sought, but objectivity is forever elusive. The goal in journalism is simply to be fair. Ray Paprocki Senior Editor, Columbus Monthly magazine Columbus, Ohio
It’s sad to read that a journalist of Anna Quindlen’s stature has dredged up the hoary cliche that journalistic objectivity is “impossible,” a view fostered by professional press critics and academics who have never covered a story in their lives. In truth, objectivity has made American journalism the best in the world. From journalism school to the newsroom, objectivity is the operative word. Nonobjective writers gravitate to the alternative press–or to the editorial page. Does Quindlen really believe that a mainstream reporter writing a story on deadline pauses at his computer and muses, “Let’s see now. What is my take on this issue?” Thousands of stories are written every day with the reporter’s only concern being that he or she make the deadline with a coherent and balanced account. They are trained that way. Does the system work 100 percent of the time? Of course not. There are, unfortunately, a few reporters–and editors–who may, because of personal bias, attempt to tilt a story. The great majority of them, however, express their “covert prejudices” in the voting booth. As a columnist, Quindlen naturally is free to be as biased as she pleases. But to cast this mantle on the press at large is absurd and unfair. M. Lewis Stein Aliso Viejo, Calif.
If Anna Quindlen thinks that she has succeeded in getting herself and her colleagues off the hook for often being biased, misguided and just plain wrong, she is sadly mistaken. You journalists are expected to seek out stories with which we are all concerned and to present a fair account of them. Those who cannot fulfill the journalistic calling of reporting as objectively and thoroughly as possible should stick to fiction. Angie Rodgers Memphis, Tenn.
Anna Quindlen’s piece about journalistic objectivity and human nature reminds me of a writing assignment I had in high-school English. The teacher brought in one of those portraits of a sad, weeping clown wearing a crushed hat with a droopy flower. He told us just to describe the picture, nothing else. Well, we did, and the typical description contained words like “sad,” “depressed” and “lonely.” Needless to say, we failed the assignment. His point was that the picture was of a man, painted as a clown, with what looked like a teardrop rolling down one cheek. Everything else we had written was more a reflection of ourselves than of the painting. Susan Buck Drexel Hill, Pa.
Pokemon Fans Poke Back I’d like to respond to your review of “Pokemon: The First Movie” (“Better Stick to the Trading Cards,” Society, Nov. 15). As a single, childless adult fan of Pokemon, I came out of the movie wishing I had children to share it with. The movie is dark, but no darker than the death of Bambi’s mother or the darkest moments of “Snow White” and “Sleeping Beauty.” It is a “Frankenstein” parable, but in an age where models are selling their eggs on the Internet, teaching our children the dangers of genetic manipulation is not a bad idea. It’s also not a bad idea to teach our children virtues like loyalty and respect for differences in other people and other species. Finally, the movie’s antiviolence message is not hypocritical. Pokemon battles are best compared to sports, not real violence; they have trainers, gyms, a Pokemon League and their own version of the Olympics. You can teach your children that violence is bad, but still let them play soccer. Christina M. Carlson Bronx, N.Y.
I have witnessed the Pokemon craze firsthand in my own home, and at times it can be exasperating. But let me get this straight: two parents from San Diego have sued Nintendo for promoting illegal gambling? They must be lawyers. At the risk of sounding like Nancy Reagan, I have to ask, why don’t they “just say no”? Who’s running that household anyway? Why do they need the courts to stop their own children from doing something they don’t want them to do? Did they ever think of just not giving them the money to buy the cards? It’s only a game, for heaven’s sake. Get some perspective–and control. David Goldstein Silver Spring, Md.
I am 7 years old. Watching the Pokemon movie makes you feel you are on an adventure. I disagree with your article, because the movie was not terribly violent. If adults go with an open mind, they will agree that the fighting scenes are done well. They are not frightening. When the fighting gets bad, one of the Pokemon trainers will say “Stop!” Kids should not worry that Ash will die because most movies have good endings. Jessie B. Mehrhoff Willington, Conn.
Eggs for Sale Online After reading your story on beautiful young models offering their eggs to the highest bidder over the Web (“A Fertile Scheme,” Society, Nov. 8), I must say that while I have no objection to in vitro fertilization or egg and sperm donation, I find this disgusting. How are the buyers of these eggs going to answer a child when he or she asks where babies come from? “The Internet”? Erinn E. Farver Westminster, Md.
The Dangerous Football Field George Will goes too far in implying that the White House conference convened by Teddy Roosevelt in 1905 effected a reduction in the brutality of American collegiate football (“Rough Rider in Green Bay,” The Last Word, Nov. 8). The delegates, all from Yale, Harvard and Princeton, adopted a milky resolution calling for the elimination of unnecessary “roughness, holding and foul play” from the game. But the following season brutal play continued, with as many as 18 college and high-school players losing their lives. Not until 1906, without Roosevelt’s intervention, did a college rules committee adopt several rules holding some promise for a reduction of injuries and deaths. Carl Becker Miamisburg, Ohio
