To the editor: It is a mistake to equate the extreme left with the extreme right. (“Why Both Sides in America’s Partisan War Feel Like They’re Losing,” June 22)
For starters, moderates and centre-left leaders have kept the hard left in its place. In contrast, the moderate right has fallen under the spell of the hard right.
Al Gore won the popular vote against George W. Bush in 2000, but lost the presidency. Was there an insurrection?
Hilary Clinton defeated Donald Trump in 2016 by nearly 3 million votes, but lost the presidency. Was there an insurrection?
Joe Biden won the popular vote by about 7 million people and won the presidency. An insurrection and chaos ensued at the United States Capitol, led by the man who lost.
In his article, David Lauter notes that the country has changed. If people marry a person of their choice, the government has nothing to do with that and shouldn’t. But that could change under another Trump administration, because while presidents can’t impose bans and mandates on their own, dictators can.
Both sides may feel they are losing, but so far only one has waged an insurrection and will vote for a dictatorship led by pugnacity and retribution.
Larry Margo, Valley People
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To the editorBuzzwords do not accurately reflect how people really feel about current political dynamics.
Deep down, we Americans believe in our own mythology. Yes, we believe that we are a free people. Real life is busy and distracting, but if our core premise is seriously threatened, we stand up and say no.
We are certainly at a turning point in history. Can we evolve and grow as a species? I think so. It is easy to define worry as pessimism, but in fact there is much to worry about. We are groping for solutions. Our better angels need to be encouraged, not diminished by academic slights and lip service.
We are faced with two clearly different worldviews. They are not the same. We have decisions to make. We need to trust in the power of that mythology that we claim to possess.
And I believe we will, with common sense and American ingenuity.
Suzannne Gegna, La Mesa
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To the editor: As Lauter's article points out, over the past 60 years Americans have become more secular and more liberal, and more inclusive than exclusive of their fellow citizens. She relates that conservatives have been “incapable of reversing the tides of change in American culture.”
About 60 years ago, when I asked a history professor to distinguish between conservatives and liberals, he responded:
Imagine a stagecoach in the 19th century crossing California, the driver (a liberal) urging the horses forward, while the person in the shotgun (a conservative) applies the brake to slow down. This is true today.
Noel Johnson, Glendale
