To:         The Dallas Morning News
Date:      October 20, 1998
Subject: President Clinton; Republicans and Democrats
              (slightly expanded edition)
Result:   not printed

Dear Editor,

It seems kind of strange that the response to President Clinton's shenanigans has been so mild and forgiving among many people who would normally be in an outrage over such behavior. As has often been noted, anybody else in any other position would have been out of there fast. To me, there is nothing any worse than the fact that he lied to his wife and daughter throughout their marriage. His whole life was a lie. I guess it was his John F. Kennedy fantasy.

Yet people, including me, have rationalized away what would be our normal feelings. Obviously we are highly motivated to find any kind of way to live with a guy who everybody knows is a total reprobate who has no respect for anybody or anything. The question is, why do we feel this way?

The usual answer, which is not dug into too much, is that the President has done such a great job on everything else that we should go easy on his manly weaknesses. Then we just try not to think about it. But that still does not explain the mystery.

My interpretation of our great forbearance - or at least this is my hopeful explanation - is that it really does not have so much to do with President Clinton himself. Rather, the true reason that we are stepping on eggshells with him is our fear that with all the trouble that he has caused for himself and our country, it would be very easy for the Republican party to take advantage of this, in the upcoming mid-term elections and in the presidential election in two years. Then before you know it, we've got a country that is completely ruled by the Republican party in all branches of the government.

That, to me, is a very scary thought. Why? Because when I look at the Republican party, what I very often see are a bunch of small-minded, mean-spirited, self-righteous, angry, hateful people. Not that all Republicans are like that, but even the good and well-meaning people among them are unavoidably connected to and supportive of the worst. I would just be sorry to see America move further in that direction than we have already gone.

Of course, the Republican party also happens to be the one that is supported by and caters to most of the wealthy interests in this country. But the thing is, the difference between the Democrats and the Republicans goes much deeper than money. And it is my very hopeful feeling that people realize this, and that this awareness is what lies at the true bottom of why President Clinton has a 67 percent approval rating - and that it will be reflected in the polls in the November 3 election.

Let me say finally that with what I say about the Republicans here, I certainly do not mean to imply anything wonderful about the Democrats. But I think their problems - besides being poorly financed - are mostly just from stupidity. And they may suffer in general from unrealistic idealism. But the Republican party has a malevolent spirit that is dangerous.

Thank you, John Vehon