To the editor: The cloud that the Supreme Court has cast over American democracy may have a silver lining by immunizing the president from criminal liability. Even more than the Dobbs decision, which stripped women of their right to abortion, the immunity case turns the race for the White House on its head.
Now that a president can break laws with impunity, can voters trust Donald Trump to govern America? Are voters willing to give that kind of power to the man who tried to overthrow an election by force and fraud? Or will they vote for a man who, while less entertaining, has served our country over a long career and is known as a man of character?
This outrageous overreach by the Supreme Court majority gives voters a new incentive to defeat the extremist authoritarianism that threatens American democracy.
Eleanor Egan, Costa Mesa
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To the editor: The Supreme Court's decision on Trump's immunity is a classic example of the old adage that you have to be careful what you ask for: you may not like the answer. If Merrick Garland, Jack Smith, Fani Willis and Alvin Bragg had not been so eager to prosecute Trump for perceived and real crimes, the opinion would never have been issued.
As we learned from Watergate, there are good reasons not to prosecute former presidents for crimes committed in office. Gerald Ford was right to pardon Nixon for his Watergate crimes; we got along pretty well with the country's affairs, and Nixon remained in disgrace until the day he died. The same should have been true of Trump.
Instead, prosecutors turned him into a martyr, and he is now the favorite to return to the White House. As it stands, we now have an opinion that can, as Justice Sonia Sotomayor indicated, open the door for Trump or any future president, including a Democrat, to do whatever they want without worrying about future consequences after leaving office. Thanks, but no thanks, to Garland and company.
Christopher Blake, San Diego
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To the editor: America is in trouble. And the only way forward is for every Democrat, every undecided, and every Republican who can’t stand the unsettling prospect of a Trump presidency to vote, either for Joe Biden or a last-minute replacement.
A normal president has a solid team advising and executing Oval Office policies. Donald Trump will have incompetent and reckless sycophants around him, possibly executing his enemies. If you are worried about Biden's health, remember that he has a team working for him and for us. A Trump team would only work for Trump.
And think about this: It's doubtful, at best, that a right-wing Supreme Court justice would retire during a Democratic administration. But a Trump presidency could leave a vacancy or two. Do they really want someone like Justice Aileen Cannon on the Supreme Court?
What a wonderful privilege we have in this country: the right to vote! Failing to exercise that right could mean the end of the great American experiment. Vote!
Steve Arvin, Los Angeles
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To the editor: Let's not forget that the Democratic presidential ticket is Biden-Harris.
If for some unfortunate reason President Biden is unable to complete his term in office, I have great confidence that Vice President Harris will do an excellent job as President protecting our democracy and freedom.
Russell Jung, San Clemente
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To the editor: Let's look back: John F. Kennedy suffered from Addison's disease, Franklin D. Roosevelt had polio, William Howard Taft had health problems related to obesity, George Washington lost his teeth… Yet, in some way, they all served their country as president.
Leave me alone, man. Biden is doing the job of president as well or better than any of them. He's not a dynamic speaker. Get over it.
The other guy, a seasoned media actor and con artist extraordinaire, now has the go-ahead from the Supreme Court to destroy the American Experiment.
As a friend of mine says, I would vote for a baked potato to prevent Trump and his mob from taking back the White House.
Keeping your eyes on the prize, friends.
Jane Drucker, City Studio
