Dear New York: Some Feel Your Pain (a few more pro and con letters to relish)

New York Times ^ | November 7, 2004 | Letters to the Editor

[Cincinatus' Wife]

To the Editor:

Reading "A Blue City (Disconsolate, Even) Bewildered by a Red America" (news article, Nov. 4) left me feeling an unexpected kinship with the people of New York.

I live in rural Maine, as culturally and aesthetically distant from Midtown Manhattan as I can be. I go weeks without hearing a foreign language, or even an accent; no one would mistakenly call my corner of the world "cosmopolitan."

But I, and a majority of Mainers, share New Yorkers' feelings of disbelief over President Bush's re-election. It is inconceivable to us that millions of Americans would trivialize or deny outright the social, spiritual, international, economic and environmental disasters this president has wrought. And to send him back to Washington because they agree with his "morals" is nothing short of immoral.

We hear you, New York. We feel your pain.

Lisa Wesel Bowdoinham, Me., Nov. 4, 2004

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To the Editor:

As a Wisconsin resident, I, too, am bewildered by our "red" America. I woke up on Wednesday morning afraid for this country and for our future. New York is not alone in its confusion, hurt and shock over the result of the presidential election. New York does not have a monopoly on the progressive, informed and socially conscious politics in this country.

Almost 56 million people voted their hopes and dreams in this election and voted for John Kerry for president. These people live all over this country - many in the Northeast, but also many in the Midwest, the West and the South.

There is a great divide in this country, and the red and blue on the map are in many respects geographical. But New York is not alone. Washington, D.C., is not alone. Madison, Wis., is not alone. We can still realize a progressive vision for this country if we work together.

Alyssa Luckey Madison, Wis., Nov. 4, 2004

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To the Editor:

On behalf of 2,827,556 Texans and the majority of Travis County, Tex., voters who supported John Kerry, we share your amazement at the outcome of the election. New Yorkers, please remember that there are people in the red states who are not all Bible-thumping, redneck conservatives whose worldview ends at their backyard fence line.

But I have to confess, I did say a prayer when President Bush was re-elected: God help us.

Tish Brandt Austin, Tex., Nov. 4, 2004

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To the Editor:

Reading "A Blue City (Disconsolate, Even) Bewildered by a Red America," I quickly related to the sense of bewilderment and alienation many New Yorkers feel in the wake of President Bush's victory.

I, along with tens of millions of other voters, felt the same way when our fellow Americans chose Bill Clinton as president not once, but twice.

John Wiley Jr. Midlothian, Va., Nov. 4, 2004

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To the Editor:

I'm proud that New York rejected the Bush message that seduced most Americans. America's prosperity has always been tied to its middle class. President Bush's policies exacerbate a polarized economic class structure. Many fear that in four years, most of us will be a lot worse off, and Mr. Bush just doesn't seem to care.

Henry Riger Little Neck, N.Y., Nov. 5, 2004

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To the Editor:

"A Blue City (Disconsolate, Even) Bewildered by a Red America" exemplifies why much of the rest of the country looks with disdain upon New Yorkers. It's not because we're liberal, but because we're arrogant.

Yes, John Kerry got 82 percent in Manhattan, but he also got 90 percent in the District of Columbia, 81 percent in Philadelphia and, in the heart of red country, 81 percent in St. Louis and 77 percent in New Orleans.

In other words, much to many New Yorkers' surprise, New York is not the center of enlightened politics in this country. It's an urban thing, not a New York thing.

Chris Dana New York, Nov. 4, 2004

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To the Editor:

Disconsolate New Yorkers describe the rest of us as "obtuse," "shortsighted" and "redneck." Now that's what I call "honoring diversity and having compassion for people with different lifestyles"!

Mary M. Lewis Cornwall, N.Y., Nov. 4, 2004

[King Prout]

what do they fear?
Better to ask: "who among them fears what?"

the Top: loss of power and personal graft
the Academe: loss of prestige and influence and a ready supply of coeds to seduce
the rank-and-file: whatever the Top and the Academe tell them to fear.

[Chode]

i'll say it again, if they have the blues, i hope it's a nice deep dark NAVY BLUE... not some namby pamby baby blue or sky blue that they will get over in a year or two!!!

[weshess]

Sorry, I did read it again and I was mistaken. I should have read the last sentence a little closer.