Opinions | The Trump era is over, and the country is demanding action
Letters to the Editor
I fear Michael Gerson’s thoughtful Nov. 10 op-ed, “The GOP’s bad faith lives on,” didn’t fully explain what has happened to the Republican Party or our country under President Trump. My long-term fear is that the Republicans have misplaced their democratic soul, and now it’s about holding onto political power by hook or by crook.
As someone who has worked on Republican and Democratic campaigns at every level for more than 50 years and who has tried to promote democracy and the rule of law worldwide, I see a dark and dangerous picture of the Republican Party’s future, if not the country’s. Indeed, my deepest fear is that it signals America’s model for democratic participatory governance cries out for fundamental reform — including more institutional and civil society safeguards.
I can’t see the Trumpian picture of “fear” abating without a Republican Party revolution at the grass-roots level and new leadership. Likewise, I also can’t see real change without fresh faces in the Democratic Party.
My experience and gut tells me that President-elect Joe Biden’s mantra of reconciliation and cooperation doesn’t address the root of the problem or go far enough. Nothing short of new leadership across party lines is required to change our country’s downward course. I suggest beginning to look for it in the swing states and across a broad spectrum of people and institutions representing the best America has to offer.
Keith Henderson, Washington
Like an old record with a bad scratch, the Republican leadership is stuck, and it is long past time to move the needle. The majority of the American people have sent a clear message: The Trump era is over, and the country is demanding action.
The road is daunting as we face the greatest crises of our generation. There is a global pandemic to overcome, thousands of lives to save, American livelihoods to glue back together, the prestige of our country to restore around the world and the very integrity of our democracy to maintain.
Despite promising news of a vaccine, the novel coronavirus is surging everywhere as health experts warn of a long, dark winter ahead if the country does not take immediate action.
It is long past time for the Republican Party to accept that a new president will be sworn in soon. Both parties will never completely agree, but working together is the only way out of so many compelling challenges facing America. And with the coronavirus, time has run out. It’s critical for leaders from both parties to stand up and say, “Let’s get to work.”
Dan Cohen, Silver Spring
Reading Jan T. McCarthy’s Nov. 10 letter, which was critical of the Democrats’ treatment of President Trump, I was reminded of the comment from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.): “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.”
Barbara Capozzola Alloway, Bethesda
Regardless of the outcome of the lawsuits and recounts, which President Trump has a right to pursue, he is still the president of the United States. He has a duty to fulfill the responsibilities of the office, which I revere, for at least the next 10 weeks. He should come out of his room and stop the pout fest.
Carol O’Connor, Fairfax
Regarding the Nov. 11 front-page article “Risks to U.S. come with Republicans’ indulgence of Trump”:
In 1974, the “lions of the Senate,” led by Barry Goldwater of Arizona, trekked down Pennsylvania Avenue from Capitol Hill to tell President Richard M. Nixon it was time to stop denying the inevitable. Any chance Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) can find even a lamb among his Senate menagerie to perform such a patriotic public service today?
Kevin McCormally, Washington
Regarding the Nov. 10 news article “Pfizer says data shows its vaccine is over 90% effective”:
Pfizer’s announcement that it has successfully completed clinical trials of a vaccine that is more than 90 percent effective against the novel coronavirus is very good news for everyone, but most especially for President Trump. His administration has invested heavily in the facilities needed rapidly to vaccinate most Americans once the Food and Drug Administration properly certifies them. It now appears that safe vaccines will be ready sooner than many Americans dared to hope but the president predicted. Indeed, other vaccines may finish clinical testing soon. Some may have been helped along by Operation Warp Speed, the administration’s grand scheme to coordinate all relevant government agencies and private companies to accelerate the production and distribution of virus countermeasures.
Pfizer’s exciting announcement affords Mr. Trump an ideal opportunity to boast of an important success in the battle against America’s No. 1 enemy — the pandemic — and walk away with his head held high while graciously ending his doomed legal campaign to set aside his electoral defeat. As his losses mount on that front, he runs the danger of going down in history as a sore loser. The sooner Mr. Trump takes the deal on offer, the better for him and all of us.
George B. Driesen, Bethesda
Read more letters to the editor.
a man wearing a suit and tie: President Trump departs after placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider as part of a Veterans Day observance at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., on Wednesday.© Carlos Barria/Reuters President Trump departs after placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider as part of a Veterans Day observance at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., on Wednesday.
Posted By: Dea. Ron Gray Sr.
Saturday, November 14th 2020 at 11:22AM
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