Letter: Democrats bow to mushy voters of the middle

Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2000 | 9:58 a.m.

Those so-called "independents" or "swing voters" know very little about the way the parties stand on issues and matters of substance. They vote mainly on emotional abstract perceptions of charisma, personal appearance, "morality" and high-sounding empty platitudes delivered by opportunistic politicians making a concerted effort to get their uninformed votes.

Republicans have always done that. Remember war hero "Ike," who had never even voted before he voted for himself in the 1952 election, and the great "Gipper," who made religious nuts misty-eyed but hardly ever attended church himself. I won't use the word phony, but if the shoe fits ...

But now the Democrats are even doing it.

This pandering to the politically uninformed dolts of the "I vote for the man, not the party" crowd is just plain disgusting to yours truly, who has strong beliefs and opinions on the issues and ideological makeup of the party its candidate represents and couldn't care less about how he looks, how he talks, whether or what church he goes to or who his parents were or what he does in his personal life. The issues and the ideology will affect my life and well being, not any of that cosmetic crap!

It is sad to realize that the future of the country is now in the hands of those who don't know Washington won the Battle of Yorktown, and in what war he won it. Or that there was such a thing as a Voting Rights Act, and who in some cases believe Republicans started Social Security. But that is what is happening as the two parties are equal in supporters, making the ignoramuses the deciding factor!

DANIEL F. OLIVIER