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NEW VOICES: A kind candidate who listens would win my vote

Daniel Gottlieb | Daniel Gottlieb is a sixth grader at John F. Kennedy Middle School in Bethpage.

February 29, 2008

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When November comes around, do you really want a candidate who will attempt to embarrass his opponent just to win to walk up on that stage and declare his or her presidency? I would hope otherwise.

The manner in which the candidates talk to each other is unacceptable and is truly a disgrace. They all have good ideas. If they didn't, they would not be the front-runners of their parties. Sen. Hillary Clinton has some great ideas about health care reform, Sen. Barack Obama has interesting ways to help the middle class, and Sen. John McCain has strong opinions about the Iraq war.

Instead of listening to one another and maybe even embracing their ideas, each candidate immediately shuns whatever the other says, even if it makes complete sense and their own ideas do not. That is one of the candidates' biggest problems. They always assume that they are right and that everyone else is wrong. Maybe if the candidates listened closely to their opponents and thought about it, they could realize that sometimes they are wrong, too.

Disregarding and insulting your fellow Americans will not make this country stronger, nor will it move us forward. Who will be president? I cannot decide, but I hope it is a person who shows humanity not only to the people of America, but also to his or her opponent.

NEW VOICES is a weekly feature with original, nonfiction essays by college, high school and middle school students. Send submissions of up to 400 words to Opinion Department, Newsday, 235 Pinelawn Rd., Melville, NY 11747. Or send e-mail to: newvoices@newsday .com or fax to 631-843-2986. Please include a photograph of yourself along with your address and your telephone number.

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