Well...this letter by A Very Sad American is written so professionally...and the writer seems to be very mature....I am neither a Democrat or a Republican, and I didnt vote for either Bush or Kerry because I am not old enough to vote yet! (Even if i was I would have had a terrible time choosing between the two because they both seem to be the same in the end..)..so I guess I'll answer a few questions from each of the two given in the post assignment..
Some of the strongest points:
The one where she is saying that the Democratic party should stop bad-mouthing Bush really caught my attention...its true that the Democrats insulted Bush a lot in their campaign, and I really don't think that insulting your opponent will get you more votes...I think that the bad-mouthing just made Kerry look bad...he appears vulgar, crude, low etc.. and most of all desperate...instead of emphasizing the good things that he plans to do for America, he insults Bush !?...hmmm
Another point she makes which I felt was pretty strong was her description of how the democratic party "demoniz[es] the rich"...she made some good points there to support what she was saying...especially by using herself as an example of someone who is working hard, hoping to become well-off...I think so many people could relate to this...
Has the letter by A Very Sad American taught me about argumentation? Yes, it has... I feel that the letter is a wonderful demonstration of just stating your claim and then supporting it with examples...like she says: "You didn't give me clear positions on the issues"....she then backs this claim up with examples in which the democratic party failed to give clear positions: "I still don't understand Kerry's position on Iraq. I know he voted for the IWR, but then he voted against the $87 billion." and "He said that we must finish the job, but he also said it was the wrong war at the wrong place and the wrong time."
I think these are great, specific examples with which she supported her claim that the democratic party was taking confused positions.
I feel the writer of this letter has excellent command of the art of "writing to convince and persuade"....I certainly benefitted from this letter, and I am sure others can too ....