Part of the joy of working on this blog is getting to read your comments and emails. One reader asked us to share her letter to African-American voters of South Carolina. In fact a number of you wrote in to talk about Bill Clinton’s aggressive role. I think Felicia’s letter gets to this point well, so here it is preceded by her note to us.

Dear Jack and Jill:
I’ve written this open letter to South Carolinians. Please post it on your blog and send it to as many people you know. The media is not doing its job, so we must empower ourselves through the word. I am a graduate student at the University of Kentucky. I’m not paid by the Obama campaign to do this. I am, however, an Obama supporter who is frustrated with the dirty tactics of the Clinton machine. I am simply trying to get a word out about how unfair this presidential race has become.
Here is my open letter:

Dear Voter:

This is an open letter to all African Americans in South Carolina. Bill Clinton says he is going door to door and church to church to campaign on behalf of his wife. Do not let him get away with what he did in Las Vegas this past Saturday. Former President of the United States, Bill Clinton, showed up at casinos minutes before caucusing was set to begin, outside the caucus room, and told people they could caucus for Hillary Clinton–that they didn’t have to vote for their union’s candidate. There is nothing wrong with a Clinton supporter doing this. It was actually going on inside the caucus room–but it was done by caucus goers. For a former president to do this—to tip the scales so unfairly against his opponent—is unprincipled.

Mr. Clinton has been given a free ride by the media. If he shows up at your door or in your church in the next week, with media in tow, my South Carolinian brothers and sisters, challenge him. Ask him if he thinks it’s fair that Senator Obama is campaigning against both Clintons when there should only be ONE Clinton running for office. In other words, how will a black candidate ever get a chance to become president when s/he doesn’t have, can never have, the familial ties to get that extra edge of the Bushes and the Clintons. Ask Mr. Clinton how he feels about lying and distorting Obama words. Ask him if he thinks we blacks are so stupid that we’re going to vote for him just because he graces us with his presence right before a primary. Finally, ask him how he feels about ripping the Democratic Party apart by pitting men against women, blacks against whites, or Latinos against African Americans just so he and Senator Clinton can return to the “White” House.

You, South Carolina, can change the tenor of this race and say “enough!” We want one president, either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, but not two.

Sincerely,

Felicia Cosey

As for her comment that the media is not doing it’s job, that’s generally correct :) On this point, though, I’m trying to pull a section of the video from yesterday’s Meet the Press. They had a truly amazing discussion about the campaigns, that I think yall need to see if you missed it.

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