Letters make up words

Opinion: Dean’s outreach

Dean’s outreach
Letters to the Editor
Published November 16, 2003

Re: Howard Dean and the Confederate flag.

The Nov. 13 letter writers who were critical of Howard Dean and his Confederate flag comments are missing the point of the statement that Dean made. He was not blessing bigotry, nor was he showcasing a need to push for racial insensitivity.

Gov. Dean is looking to bring back the Southern voter who traditionally votes Republican. The Confederate flag comment was a poor way to describe whom he is trying to reach, but it was painfully obvious that poor white Southerners were his targeted group. Maybe that can be looked at as a stereotype (that all Southerners drive pickups and have the Confederate flag somewhere), but how often do you see the stereotype that a Southern citizen has to vote Republican
?
The issue isn’t about bigotry or racism with Dean’s comments. It is about trying to reach out to a voting segment and show that he isn’t turning a blind eye toward them, as Republicans have traditionally done once elected.

— John Fontana, Palm Harbor

Oooh, oooh! Look! I’m famoous! :smile

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