Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor,

As most of you know, Saxby Chambliss made a stop at GCSU today, and for those of you who don’t, well surprise. That’s right, the high and mighty US Senator from Georgia stopped by tiny Milledgeville in order to win over some votes from those college students who, according to Chambliss, usually don’t turn out to vote on election day. After sitting through the “rally” as an independent voter I wanted to ask the Senator some questions. I showed Chambliss nothing but respect and courtesy, but unfortunately I did not receive the same gracious behavior. My friend, Justin, called out to Chambliss to ask a few questions after he finished speaking. Unfortunately, Chambliss ignored him, so we decided to go ask him some questions away from the larger gathering. Justin asked the first question. He inquired about the Senator’s opinion about the pending execution of Georgia resident Troy Davis. Chambliss answered by saying “it is ultimately a state issue” and that he “honestly [didn't] know enough” to supply an answer.

Mr. Chambliss this is your state. This has become an issue known across the globe. However, I could let him slide by on this one. After Justin, I asked my question of the Senator. I asked “What are you willing to do to help average American families, such as mine, who can not afford insurance rates since co-pays are exploding and rates are growing out of control?” Mr. Chambliss took a moment to answer my question. He began by saying this would be the top issue of the election if the financial crisis and energy problems had not come out of nowhere.

In all respect Mr. Chambliss, the energy crisis has been brewing since former President Nixon created Project Independence in the early 1970s after the OPEC embargo. My math might be a little off, but that’s 30 years of brewing. I repeated my question since no answer was given. Senator Chambliss continued on to say that he more closely identified with Senator McCain’s health care proposal since Barack Obama’s was a case of “universal health care.”

When I stated that McCain would tax health care benefits and Obama’s plan was in fact not a universal health care system, as I had researched, Chambliss told me I was brainwashed by liberal lies. When I went into the research I had done, Mr. Chambliss told me “You don’t understand the issues, and you need to read the plans. You just don’t understand.” Then he turned away from me and my friends without any chance for a response. How could this man turn away a vote that could be swayed his way in such a close election? If he thought I was “brainwashed,” which those of you who know me know that I have been following this election very closely for more than a year now, then shouldn’t he have tried to show me the truth? Mr. Chambliss took, in my eyes, a King to peon attitude. He came to my campus to try to persuade me and my fellow students to vote for him, yet he treated us so poorly. I do not want to turn this into a party base issue, but I have to say he took the typical rich, out-of-reach, Republican response that has become so stereotypical for middle class America.

In addition, my friend Adrian was denied a hand shake by the senator. Chambliss looked at his outreached hand and simply turned away. I’m not exactly sure why, but he did. From a man’s perspective, this is one of the largest signs of offense in my eyes. Not only to deny a handshake, but TO LOOK at the outreached hand and simply turn away.

It’s not like he was in a crowd either. This is the man asking for your votes in two short weeks. He simply denied any conversation once it became clear that I was not going to fall into his fold of thinking. In an election so centered on supposed bipartisanship, here is Mr. Chambliss turning away a vote because the person offering it had a democratic view on the issue. We must, as Americans, transcend this level of apparent elitism and partisanship. It must not be acceptable to us that a candidate turns away a question in such a disrespectful manner.

I’m asking you to see Chambliss as how he treated me this afternoon, and for that reason I am asking for you all on Nov. 4, 2008 to help me vote away Mr.Chambliss’ title of Senator. Stand for change. Stand for respect. Stand for these United States of America.

Charles Cooper

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Oct 24 2008. Filed under Letters to the Editor, Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry